Bridgestone GTO

This is the cover photo from the 1970 full-line Bridgestone brochure. The 350 GTO was the new flagship model introduced in '70. The GTO was the street scrambler version of the 350 GTR. In the typical fashion of those days, Bridgestone made a few minor (mostly styling) changes to the GTR to create the GTO for a U. S. market that was crazy for street scramblers. You can't miss the ubiquitous upswept pipes and cross-brace handlebars!

Bridgestone began its foray into the U. S. market with its fan-cooled 50cc Super 7 model and its step-through companion in 1963. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the fact (or not) that a few early Bridgestones were sold through Monkey Ward, either as catalog sales or in the giant anchor mall stores with their separate automotive service centers. I am of the opinion that some Bridgestones were sold in this manner; however, I cannot clearly remember if I saw these machines in a catalog or a store. During this time period, the Sears & Roebuck catalog was always sent to my parents' home, but I do not recall us ever receiving a Monkey Ward catalog. Therefore, I strongly suspect that I saw Bridgestones on sale at a Montgomery Ward mall store in Memphis, since I left my teenaged drool all over any machines I could find to examine in an up close and personal manner in any store during those days when I was obsessed with any motorcyle I didn't own. I certainly do not claim to have ever seen a 350 GTO or any other later Bridgestone in a mall store, but there were never many Bridgestone independent motorcycle shop dealers, and I don't think I have ever seen one.

Bridgestones tried to be the brand that offered a little higher quality for a little higher price. Magazine road tests of the day always mentioned Bridgestone's chrome cylinder bores, and how they would last the longest, but could never be rebored. As in the ad photo above, the company loved to drape exquisitely mod young women over their motorcyles, especially in the latter advertising programs. Norton and BSA would also become known for this blatantly sexist tactic, but I suspect it worked quite well for all of them.

Visit a nostalgic Bridgestone site.