$989
Reno, Nevada
Category
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Engine
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Posted Over 1 Month
Up for auction is a rare vintage Bridgestone 350 GTR! . This is a restoration project bike. It turns over but will need some work. A nice garage find bike! A bill of sale will be provided in order to get the vehicle titled. Unfortunately, there is no title with the bike. I can assist with the shipping or you may also pick up.Bridgestone 350 GTR Years produced: 1967-1971 Total production: 9,000 (est.) Claimed power: 37hp @ 7,500rpm Top speed: 95mph Engine type: 345cc two-stroke, air-cooled parallel twin Weight (dry): 160.6kg (354lb) Price then: $695 (1970) Price now: $1,800-$4,000 MPG: 45 (est.) Detailed Auction InformationPlease note that the winning bidder must contact us within 24 hours of auction end, and make arrangements for payment at that time. A non-refundable $500.00 deposit is due within 24 hours of end of auction. The remainder is due within 3 days of Auction end. If no contact is made within 24 hours we will go forward with the non-paying bidder procedure and sell it otherwise. Winning bidder is responsible for the smog certification in their State or Country. Please check the rules in your township, county, and State, CountryBuyer is responsible for pickup or shipping of this vehicle. If you wish to have it shipped using a service, then you are still responsible for all payment and pickup time requirements. Miles as shown on odometer and are not guaranteed as actual. All sales are final and "as is". If you are not sure about something, Please ASK before placing a bid. Do not assume anything not listed is included. We reserve the right to cancel bids for excessive negative feedback. We have the right to end the auction early. Serious bidders only! First time buyers to Ebay must contact me prior to bidding or face bid retraction. Although we do our best to describe these vehicles, these are previously owned vehicles and there is a possibility that we might overlook some appearance and mechanical details. We do our best to list any major defects in appearance or running condition. As a result, we do not guarantee this item at all. We strongly recommend you inspect this item BEFORE bidding. We also recommend you tow your vehicle away and have it checked out by a certified mechanic before driving - regardless of its condition. If we do not require the vehicle to be towed and you choose to drive your vehicle from our location, then you do so completely at your own risk. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have thoroughly inspected the vehicle before the end of the auction, and to have satisfied themselves as to the condition and value to bid based upon that judgment solely.This vehicle is being sold as is where is. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. The Bridgestone 350 GTR was a standard motorcycle built by Bridgestone from 1967 until 1971. It featured an air-cooled 345 cc (21.1 cu in) two-stroke parallel-twin engine, which produced 37 hp (27.6 kW; 37.5 PS) at 7,500 rpm, and could hit a claimed top speed of 95 mph (153 km/h). Approximately 9,000 units were built. It was the last motorcycle built by the company, as they opted to focus on producing tires instead. Introduced in 1967, the 350 GTR was, for its time, a middleweight displacement motorcycle, and used an air-cooled 345 cc (21.1 cu in) two-stroke parallel-twin engine, which produced 37 hp (27.6 kW; 37.5 PS) at 7,500 rpm. Although a mostly conventional design, the engine featured a rotary disc-valve induction system, allowing more precise management of the gasses inside the engine than traditional piston-port systems did. Two of these disc valves were used (one per cylinder), and a 26 mm Mikuni carburetor was bolted to each one.The six-speed gearbox was also a plus point, as was the ability for the 350 GTR's riders to use either their left foot or their right foot to change gear; the gear lever and rear brake pedals could be swapped around in order to allow this. However, the gearbox did cause issues for some riders, as neutral was located in an unusual place; at the top of the gearbox, as most motorcycles placed this gear between first and second. Chassis-wise, the 350 GTR was fairly conventional, as it used a steel twin-cradle frame, gaitered front forks with twin shock absorbers at the rear, 19" wheels and drum brakes.As Bridgestone were not known for their motorcycles, the public were generally skeptical about the 350 GTR, and the bike's high price (close to the much bigger Triumph Bonneville) meant that sales were low; just 9,000 bikes were built between 1967 and 1971. This would be the last motorcycle that Bridgestone ever produced. However, reviewers both past and present have generally been very positive about the motorcycle. Cycle praised the bike's engine, transmission and brakes, also stating that "Never before have so many advanced features been incorporated into a single package." Cycle World praised the bike's styling, its comfortable riding position, and stated that it was "as big and as fast as any 500." Roland Brown of Motorcycle Classics praised the bike's usability, and the responsive nature of the engine. Accelerating out of a curve with the two-stroke engine revving hard, sun gleaming off the chromed tank and a high-pitched exhaust note providing a vivid soundtrack, it’s easy to understand why the 1967 Bridgestone 350 GTR was widely regarded as one of the best Sixties middleweights around. It’s also a bit sad to think that this model was the high point for a firm that abandoned motorcycle production shortly after it was built.The Bridgestone 350 GTR was one of the most sophisticated Japanese motorcycles of the Sixties, featuring a disc-valve induction parallel twin engine as well as generally high quality construction. Almost three decades after it was built, this immaculate GTR impresses with its neat looks, crisp performance and reliable handling. Yet only a few years after this bike rolled out of the factory in 1967, Bridgestone not only ceased production of the GTR but gave up making motorcycles altogether to concentrate on the Bridgestone tires for which the Japanese company is still well known.After riding the twin, that decision seems strange, although it makes more sense when you realize that the little two-stroke was expensive, costing as much as a Triumph Bonneville in some markets. The GTR was good all right, but in most people’s minds it wasn’t that good. Most motorcyclists were unconvinced about the appeal of the relatively little-known Japanese company and its flagship two-stroke twin, with the result that relatively small numbers of GTRs were sold before production ended in 1971. Induction production The most notable aspect of the 350 GTR’s 345cc parallel twin engine was its rotary disc-valve induction system, which allowed much more precise control of gasses than the more simple piston-ported design being used by rival two-stroke roadsters. Ironically, Bridgestone’s Japanese rival Suzuki had considerable experience racing disc-valve two-strokes, but the firm’s 250cc Super Six roadster, also a two-stroke twin, was piston-ported. Suzuki’s experience dated back to 1961, when MZ factory racer and engineer Ernst Degner defected from East Germany, bringing his team’s secrets with him and passing them on.Bridgestone’s twin used a disc valve (one for each cylinder) on each end of its crankshaft, with a 26mm Mikuni carburetor bolted outside each valve. Another neat feature was the “piggy-back” alternator, situated above the engine rather than at the end of the crankshaft, making the GTR unit quite slim despite its side-mounted carbs. Peak output was normally claimed to be 37hp at 7,500rpm, although a figure of 40hp was also quoted in some materials.The GTR’s advanced engine features did not end with its induction. Lubrication was by a Yamaha-style pump-operated system, to which Bridgestone added the refinement of inspection windows for both engine and gearbox oil. The GTR impressed with its six-speed gearbox, and with its facility to swap the gear lever and rear brake pedals to give a left- or right-foot gearchange, both of which were commonly used at the time.Generally the GTR is very easy to ride, and responsive through the rev range, with no evidence of the two-stroke power step that I’d expected. With 40hp on tap (assuming you accept the higher of Bridgestone’s claimed figures for the GTR) the twin is hardly powerful by modern standards. But it is still lively enough to be fun, and to make me understand why the model impressed most people who rode one in the late Sixties.Back in the day, the Bridgestone’s revvy engine and light weight of just over 350lb made the two-stroke a match for almost any bike off the line: Bridgestone quoted a standing quarter-mile time of 13.7 seconds. And even though it wasn’t really as quick as that, the GTR provided plenty of acceleration away from the lights — and if the front wheel did come up occasionally to produce that Sixties rarity of a wheelie, I can’t imagine many wide-eyed owners would have complainedUnfortunately for Bridgestone, the GTR’s quality came at a high price, for in most markets the bike cost considerably more than rival Japanese two-strokes, and it was competing directly with larger-engined four-strokes. It also faced resistance from riders who were dubious about a high-performance two-stroke’s reliability. This concern was not unreasonable, given the problems that early engines had with oil seals, and with broken air filter parts being sucked into the engine.Relatively small numbers were sold following the model’s U.S. introduction in 1966, and the GTR also failed to trouble the sales charts in Europe when it was released there in the following year. By 1968 Bridgestone was coming under pressure from rival Japanese companies, which were also customers for its tires, Bridgestone’s most important product; bikes were really only a sideline. The story goes that Honda applied pressure, suggesting that if Bridgestone wanted to continue supplying the huge numbers of tires Honda purchased, it should consider its priorities. Shortly afterwards, Bridgestone quit bike manufacture to concentrate on tires. “But if the brakes are good, the engine/transmission unit is fantastic. Never before have so many advanced features been incorporated into a single package. It is so good, in fact, that only a real technician can fully appreciate all of the details.” — Cycle, August 1967“The Bridgestone is a big motorcycle. The 33-inch seat height has a lot of people tippy-toeing to retain balance at a stop sign. And once you’re rolling, you’re very aware that it is indeed a long way to the ground. The wheelbase, at 54 inches, is longer than that of many 650s.” — Cycle, December 1970“The styling of the Bridgestone 350 is cetainly not going to hurt sales for this new model. We consider it to be one of the handsomest roadsters in all of motorcycling, with a superbly successful blending of Japanese smoothness and English cobbiness. Further, it’s, as we’ve said before, a full-size motorcycle, as big and as fast as any 500 — and considerably faster than most. The seating and control layout are exceptionally comfortable for the average or larger rider.” — Cycle World, August 1967“Bridgestone built the motorcycle line up gradually, and in the summer of 1967 tossed a major player into the booming middleweight sweepstakes — the GTR. Grand Touring Roadster? Great Track Racer? Nobody ever really explained the initials, but that was ok. It was a 350, and this was a hot item in that long-ago era.” — Rider, July 1997
