Dave, you're like a Bull Terrier with a Chiness Crested foo foo in its mouth....you just won't let go of this. For months you've been crying out in anguish for us 'fellows' to bring our pre 65/250 class bikes out in a bid to save the class from extinction, a worthy call. Now you're calling for one of those bikes that have previously been accepted to be excluded, the exact opposite of your original call. The Bultaco M11 has, for as long as I can recall, been
100% legal for the pre 65 class. Precedence has been already set with Don Newell, Brad Fisher, John Matthews and Mark Austin (among others) to be allowed to compete on their Bultaco M11's at National Championship level. Calling for their banning now would be totally detrimental to the future of the pre 65/250 class.
The M11 Bultaco was released in 1965 and is Bultaco's take on the Rickman Petite Metisse....essentially a ripoff of the Rickman design with enough changes to make it "their own". As the photos below show there are significant differences in frame design in the steering head and top rail area but in my opinion those differences do not offer any advantage over the 1964 Rickman design, in fact the Bultaco frame is inferior by way of the cheap mild steel tubing used and the tendency for frame cracks on the steering head and swingarm pivot areas. The geometry is identical, the running gear identical and the bikes are as close as buggery to identical with the bodywork fitted. The M11 is 12kg heavier than the Rickman Petite Bultaco so if there's any unfair advantage the M11 has over the Metisse, I sure as hell can't see it.
Below: Top The Bultaco M11 frame..Below, my rough original Rickman Bultaco Metisse frame. Not different steering head and top rails. As you can see below, when dressed in their bodywork they're as sure as damn identical. So why do you feel there is such a need to rid this bike from pre 65 Dave. At this time in our sports history we need to be encouraging as many bikes as possible into a class that is teetering on extinction. I just don't understand why you speak with such a forked tongue Dave....calling for more of us 'fellows' to bring our bikes out to save the class and then calling to ban one of the more popular bikes in that class. It's a classic example of cutting off your nose to spite your face.
To complicate matters even further it appears that there may have been two distinct
twin downtube Rickman Petite Metisse Bultaco frames. The below photo is of an American release genuine Rickman and it can be seen to have the same steering head design as the Bultaco produced version in the top photo. Whatever the difference, I think that they should all be allowed in pre 65.