1976 Bultaco Sherpa T info

[265coupe]

Hi,

I have a 75/76 Sherpa T basketcase that has an intersting decal attached.

It is a model 158 250cc that appears to have original paint. But it has a black painted frame (that appears original with no paint underneath) and the airbox is marked with a 238 decal indicating engine capacity. The eng number is RM 15800390 and the frame number is matching. The crank is seized.

I have another Sherpa that is only 19 bikes earlier in production and it has 250 stickers and a silver frame.

I can see on the Bultaco Oz Club website http://www.clubbultaco.com.au/component ... 23/23.html that there was a 238 Lobito prototype from 1975 (model 157).

Does anyone have a thought as to why this is so?

Cheers, Mick

[TriCub]

I would think that the frame has been painted black and the lack of other paint underneath just means that it could have been sandblasted. The 238 decal is correct for that model, they were the first Sherpa's to have the 71mm piston(which made them 237.55cc). The 238 designation only seemed to be on some of that model, I have a 158 owners manual and the picture shows a 250 decal on the airbox. It could have been a country thing or even which end of Australia that the bikes went to. I do remember that my model 182 has a 250 decal but the the guys with the previous model 158 had the 238 decal yet the bike were identical other than that.

Someone like Don Newel would be able to answer your question better than I could.

[David Lahey]

I believe that all the square barrel "250" Sherpa Ts started life as 238cc (71mm bore) and were made that way to get cheap road rego in some European countries that had a 240cc cutoff.
Like Tricub I have seen both 238 and 250 sidecover stickers on otherwise identical looking "250" Sherpa Ts so I always assumed that the bikes with 238 stickers on their sidecovers were intended for those countries that had the 240cc road rego arrangement and we got some in OZ because that is what was available when the OZ order was being made up.