1970 OSSA MAR Trials
1970 OSSA 250cc Mick Andrews Replica
Held back by low technology
At the end of the 1960s, the Spanish Ossa factory signed one of the finest riders of the day, the Englishman Mick Andrews. Out of this collaboration came the Ossa 50 MAR “Mick Andrews Replica,” which took the trials world by storm.
Signed by a Champion
During that period, the power of marketing was not nearly as strong as it is today. The label “Replica” has always been a strong selling point, but in the early 1970s, trials bikes relied heavily on their own merits. The Ossa MAR had more to it than just the name of a celebrity. Its great strengths were in its general balance and extraordinarily good handling. The 250 Ossa MAR was portrayed as a fun machine, underlining the differences between it and its main rivals, the Bultaco Sherpa and the Montesa Cota. They were regarded – perhaps rather too heavily – as sober “tools of the trade.”
The Other Side of the Coin
The Ossa MAR possessed great abilities, but this machine achieved its respectable competition record in spite of being handicapped by the low level of Spanish technology and the outdated nature of their products in those days. The Mick Andrews Replica was handicapped by major faults like a responsive – but gutless – engine, virtually nonexistent brakes and a rather skimpy finish. But the factory continually worked at improving it until- with the other Spanish marques – Ossa went under in the crisis of the early 1980s.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: 231cc (70×60mm) air-cooled single cylinder
Power Rating: 20 hp @ 7000 rpm
Valves: two-stroke
Fuel System: Amal 28mm carburetor
Transmission: 5-speed, chain final drive
Suspension: telescopic forks (front); swing arm with twin spring/dampers (rear)
Brakes: 4.8 inch drum (front & rear)
Wheels: 21 inch (front); 18 inch (rear)
Weight: 192 lb
In the hands of its designer/rider, the 250 Ossa Mick Andrews twice won the European Championship and was victorious three times in the Scottish Six Days’ Trial.
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