1967 Montesa 250 Scorpion - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article

Description

1967 Montesa 250 Scorpion - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article
Original, vintage magazine article
Page Size: Approx 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each page
Condition: Good
Here’s a street-scrambler with unusual sting. It
really produces what it promises—lively about-town
touring with first-rate handling in the rough.
Street Scramblers, which are outfitted
for riding on or off the pavement,
are a very Big Deal these days. They
are unquestionably the hottest show-room
item motorcycle dealers have had for a
long time, and bikes of this type are
being produced by every major manu-
facturer. And in almost every instance,
a makers Street Scrambler will be his
basic touring model—with jazzy exhaust
pipes and coarse-tread tires.
Montesa builds an exception to this
rule. That Spanish company’s dual-pur-
pose motorcycle, the Montesa 250 Scor-
pion. is a model made specifically for
combined city/highway/backwoods use
and is considerably different from the
“pure” street and scrambler models pro-
duced by Montesa. Of course, the same
basic engine/transmission unit is em-
ployed for all three types, and various
other bits of hardware. But there are
changes in transmission ratios and en-
gine tune, and the Street Scrambler even
has a slightly different frame.
Most dual-purpose bikes make-do with
more or less standard street forks, and
right there is where the Montesa Scor-
pion grabs a big advantage. It has sturdy
Telasco forks (Spanish-made, but much
like the famous Italian Cerianis) that
have about a yard of travel (a slight
exaggeration)and marvelous damping (a
conservative assessment). Having lots of
travel and good damping, there is no
need for heavy springs to prevent bot-
toming, and the front wheel is able to
climb over the most intimidating obsta-
cles without transmitting a big jolt to
the rest of the motorcycle.
The rear suspension is very conven-
tional. except for the swing-arm pivot
arrangement. Instead of the usual pivot
shaft and brass (or fiber) bearings, the
swing arm moves on a pair of rubber
bushings, which are held against the
frame by short cap screws. No lubrica-
tion is needed with this setup, but the
cap screws lend to work loose. Kim Kim-
ball. the Montesa distributor here in
America, advises that these should be
drilled and safety-wired if you plan a lot
of cross-country riding.
Kimball further advises the more fan-
atical rough-riders to install the rear
suspension units from Montesa’s Scram-
bler. The Scrambler units are substan-
tially identical to those supplied on the...
13550-AL-6705-04