Bridgestone Motorcycle Parts Discussion Board

Bridgestone Tech Talk => SR Racer Talk => Topic started by: scott demauex on March 15, 2021, 01:28:00 PM

Title: SR 175 performance
Post by: scott demauex on March 15, 2021, 01:28:00 PM

I have been reading on the site about these bikes. I am wondering how the 175’s compared in performance to the bikes of the day like Huskavarna , and the other better known ones. It is a great looking bike just wondering how it kept up ?? How big was the BS racing efforts?

Title: Re: SR 175 performance
Post by: Richard Clark BS parts on March 15, 2021, 04:57:16 PM

BS friends:

The way I remember is the beautiful BS 100 and 175 racers were really only useable for flat track racing. While they had the most powerful engines, the 100 was really limited by the 4 speed and poor shifting. The SR 175 faired better but was very heavy compared to say the Bultaco. Sad to say both the BS racers have VERY poor suspension even by 1960 standards, the forks, shocks and frame kept the powerful cool racers to the flat tracks, all the time America was going Scrambles and Motocross.  The SR100's frame would just fall apart on rough sections of most any off road track.  Remember seeing the 100SR engines installed in VanTech and Hodaka frames, really performed much better.  BTW: VanTech made a complete bike kit , just install your BS SR100 engine. I raced a prototype SR100 in a frame provide by Champion, in a Hare Scrambles, Was a really fast bike great handling but the darn 4 speed trans kept holding it back.   It really needed a slick 5 or 6 speed such as the SACHS had, and modern frame gear.  :-[  But the SR100 could win most any beauty contest! Just my 2 cents worth   Richard Clark   

Here is a video of Gary Toomers restored SR100 and SR175 racers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oniGOSBwY14 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oniGOSBwY14)

Here is a photo of a VanTech BS 100 that is on the web, note poor air cleaner modification on this example,

Title: Re: SR 175 performance
Post by: scott demauex on March 15, 2021, 05:17:30 PM

Thanks for the history there. I was never aware of those models until getting back into restoring the 200 I have now. They both look great but I wondered how they were in competition. I am guessing with their brief history it also did not give much time for development. Thanks Richard