Bridgestone GTR & GTO

I know there are a lot of Bridgestone fans out there who would like to see more about their favorite brand here at Tiddlerosis. The research on this topic has taken longer than usual because it seems to be difficult to find information you would think would be more available, if for no reason other than that the company has remained in business all these years producing tires. There seems to be a lot of disagreement among the fans as to the exact details of the marque's history.

For example, everyone agrees that this pair of two-stroke, rotary valve 350's were the last hurrah of the company, but I cannot be absolutely sure what years they were built. The best consensus seems to be that the GTR was introduced to America in late 1967 and the GTO arrived in 1970. Most sources agree that '71 was the last year for both models, yet I cannot help but wonder if many stragglers were not sold as holdovers in 1972 or even '73 by U. S. dealers. The GTO is far and away less common than the purely road-going GTR, but I have not found a source that provides any actual production figures.

There were a lot of distinguishing features of these rare beauties. They had twin-rotary-valve engines producing either 37 or 40 horsepower, depending on which source you believe. The six-speed transmissions were ahead of their time. The foot shifter and rear brake pedal were interchangeable so that either Nippon or Limey riders could be happy. The six-speed was a rotary shift, a style that has come under fire for its obvious downside of shifting inadvertently from sixth to first gear! Magazines of the time thought the chrome cylinder liners were innovative and long-lasting, but they questioned the appropriateness of a design that could never be rebored. The front and rear wheels were nineteen-inch, making for good handling with a tall seat height. The seat itself sported a non-slip suede-like top surface ala Bultaco Metralla. (The Kawasaki Mach III desperately needed one of these, and soon after my '71 model sent me sliding to the back of the bus a few times, I recovered the seat with corduroy!)

The styling of the GTO and GTR was quite elegant. Of course I preferred the GTO since I am an addicted street scrambler maniac, even though something about the GTO's crossbrace handlebar bend looks just a little bit too tall. I like the usual upswept pipes and abbreviated front fender, though. I could do without the left-side kickstarter and the chrome upper and lower rear shock covers on both models, but the slim tank and seat add a bit of elegance. The GTO had a skid plate to distinguish its off-road capability, but I have not been able to ascertain if any part of the gearing was lower than that of the GTR. Again, sources do not agree: I have read top speed quotes of both 95 and 105 from books and magazines, nevermind whatever the official brochure said. All sources agreed that the quarter-mile was in the upper 13's or lower 14's, though, quite enough to embarrass a few British 650's, especially the slower single-carb models.

If you ask me to define exactly how I feel about the Bridgestone GTR and GTO, I shall have to remind you how analagous that would be to asking me my opinion of a certain rock band or two in 1973. You see, I think 1973 was the absolute, ultimate epitome of rock music. There was so much omigawd good stuff coming out of Britain, West Germany, and other European outposts in '73 that it was difficult to adequately pay heed to it all. This is how it was at the end of The Sixties for motorsickles, too. The GTR was launched amid the last of the Super Hawks and CL-77's and the first of the CB/CL-350's. The latter would set the motorcycle world afire with sales in the '68-'71 period, right when the GTR and GTO were just trying to get noticed. Yamaha was a storm of raging Big Bears and Catalinas working their way up to the BSA death knell they called the XS-1. Suzuki was developing classy, stylish, reliable twins and triples. Kawasaki was redefining performance with Avengers and enough triple-Machs to stomp any upstart brand into the ground! I think Can's Future Days is still today one of the greatest albums ever recorded, but have you heard it? It competed with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Quadrophenia, Aerosmith, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Tubular Bells, Brain Salad Surgery, and Dark (F***ing) Side of the Moon that year, for heaven's sake! In my humble opinion, the Bridgestone 350 GTR/GTO faced a similar uphill battle just to get noticed, and as with Can's magnum opus, the world is the worse for it

See Also: A Detailed GTR History
GTR Photos & Ads
A 1970 (not '67) GTO Article
Gary's Bridgestone Motorcycles
The Bridgestone Tiddlerosis Page