Under the strong motto “The motorcycle masterpiece”Cotton Motor Company gave life to various models, among which is this Cotton Trials from 1968 that we show you today.
A frame that at that time was sold, according to the international media of the time, at a bargain price: 480 dollars. In addition, it offered good performance, thanks to a very balanced and efficient assembly.
Cotton Trials in detail
There is nothing like being able to look at the past, from the present, having before our eyes a living vestige of that time. This is the case of this 1968 Cotton Trials, which is currently for sale in Dallas, Texas, for the modest price of $3,000. A frame that, as detailed in the sale announcement itself, published on Facebook Marketplace, has been “displayed in a museum, with the fluids drained. Currently not working.”
A shame, although we assume that the mechanical state will be reversible, based on the appearance of this specimen. In any case, sticking to the history of the model itself, and thanks to the test carried out by Cycle World that same 1968 season, we can affirm without fear of being wrong that the Cotton Trials was “a racing motorcycle at a bargain price.” This is at least the way the well-known American publication described it.
In the technical section, the Trials had a 247 cc Villiers 37A engine, bronze welded tubular steel chassis, 21-inch diameter wheels at the front and 18 inches at the rear, Metal Profile forks, a fiberglass fuel tank and direct lighting. A very complete frame that the fan of the moment could purchase for less than 500 dollars at the time, the secret?… “Part of the answer lies in the Villiers engine”explained the Yankee media.
Although it was not outdated, it had been on the market for quite some time, being somewhat less performant than the competition. This explains that “For example, it has an iron cylinder liner, while most engines use alloy for this component.” Even so, this engine offered a power of 15.5 HP at 6,000 rpmwith a strong torque at low revs, a decisive aspect in a mount of this type, as well as its running weight of just 100 kilos.
In conclusion, we were faced with “the latest trials bike from the Cotton factory, and the good deal gets even better when you understand that Cotton hasn’t skimped on the engine, chassis or other components to keep the bike’s price low.”
Without a doubt an icon of trials from the sixties that has survived to this day looking incredible.
