Looking back to April, the Bultaco Club UK brought more than 50 Bultaco motorcycles together at the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum, a fitting venue given the close association between Bultaco and Sammy Miller during the 1960s. Chris Mabey was there to capture the day.
In glorious April sunshine, the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum was delighted to welcome more than 50 Bultaco motorcycles, alongside motorcycling legend Don Rickman (seen here in the baseball cap) with a selection of Rickman machines. Riders arrived steadily throughout the morning, making the most of the clear conditions and relishing a perfect day on the road.
As Nick Morris, Chairman of the Bultaco Club UK, told us, the club has grown massively since its establishment in 2018 at the Kempton Park Classic Motorcycle Show. What began as a small gathering of enthusiasts has developed into a thriving and active community for Bultaco owners and fans. The club now hosts four to five meetings each year and has built a strong presence at major events, including the Classic Dirt Bike Show in Telford, where it proudly won Best Club Stand for three consecutive years.
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A highlight of the club’s calendar is its popular annual camping weekend held in Basingstoke. This unique event allows members to fully experience their machines across multiple disciplines, including trials, enduro, and flat track riding, all celebrating the versatility of Bultaco’s off-road heritage.
Based in the Surrey area, the Bultaco Club UK actively encourages participation from local riders while continuing to expand its reach nationwide. Its online presence has also grown significantly, with a dedicated Facebook community now exceeding 3000 members, alongside an informative website offering valuable resources for enthusiasts.
Members benefit from a supportive network where they can exchange information, seek mechanical advice, and access guidance on topics such as motorcycle dating and authentication. In addition, George Wood, son of Damon Wood who helped set the club up with Nick, is officially registered with the DVLA to provide dating certificates for Bultaco motorcycles.
Through its events, expertise, and growing community, the Bultaco Club UK continues to celebrate and preserve the legacy of this iconic marque. To celebrate the day, the museum wheeled out some of its own machines, including a 1963 Bultaco TSS Production 125cc racer, a 1968 water-cooled six-speed Bultaco TSS 125cc and a 1971 Bultaco Sherpa 250cc. The latter of these was Sammy’s last works Bultaco before he joined Honda to design and develop its trials bikes. (Sammy’s first Bultaco is displayed in the museum’s trials gallery.)
In 1964, Sammy made a decisive move that would help reshape the world of motorcycle trials. Following the sale of Ariel to BSA, Sammy partnered with Francisco Bultó to develop a lightweight two-stroke trials machine.Working at speed, they created the prototype for the now-legendary Bultaco Sherpa T. This innovative machine would go on to revolutionise the sport, setting new standards in performance and design. It marked a significant turning point in trials competition, with the new machine quickly proving its dominance during the 1965 season and establishing a legacy that endures to this day.
Meanwhile Don Rickman reflected on his early connection with Bultaco and how he and his brother, Derek, helped introduce the marque to the UK. Recalling a trip to Barcelona in 1960, Don explained how the brothers spent a fortnight there, converting a road bike into a scrambler. He went on to ride the machine in what he described as a ‘Barcelona GP’ – an informal but competitive event – which he won. Following this success, Rickman brought the engine back to England, installed it into one of the Rickman brothers’ frames, and in doing so laid the foundations for Bultaco’s arrival in the UK.
Don said he was honoured to be invited as a guest and to address such a strong gathering of enthusiasts, saying “the great thing about motorcyclists is that they naturally come together and talk.”
