Bultaco Astro 360 M164
Derived from the Pursang Mk 9
The Astro was produced to meet the demand for the American Short Track competitions. The development and fine tuning was entrusted to a local specialist, Bill Haas, with Mike Kidd as a test rider, whose “battle colours” were used on the Astro models. The Astro gradually adopted the same innovations that the Pursang models underwent every year and attained an important reputation in the United States. They became the dominating force in the dirt track oval circuits in their category, even after Bultaco disappeared. Their big advantage with regard to their rivals was that they were specifically designed for the discipline, while other bikes were only tuned, sometimes in a “home-made” manner.