Bridgestone Motorcycle Parts Discussion Board
Bridgestone Tech Talk => 350 Talk => Topic started by: proudhon on November 24, 2016, 02:05:54 PM
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I'm new to Bridgestones. I am trying to prep a 350 for the Classic TT
I have read that there were connecting rod kits produced a few years ago
I was wondering if any were still available
I'm going to need at least 4
I'm looking for another few cranks if anyone has one available.
thanks
JD
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Hi. If those are your plans then i'd suggest that you look for an alternative rodkit.That isn't to say that the repro kits aren't any good,i'm sure they are,but they weren't designed for what you're going to be asking of them. I'd suggest you check out the Samarin catalogue...they have a Montesa/Bultaco 250 rodkit that will almost fit right in..the mods required aren't that hard..and is of the quality (silver plated cages etc) that you're going to need. They list various specifications...you need the very best.Fit these with new bearings and you should have a robust crank..the crank itself is quite strong with the oiling to the big end always,for race use,being its weak point.If you have machining facilities i'd recommend indexing the center pin,via woodruff key etc at 180 degrees..i'd also suggest skimming all the wheels,inner and outer faces as some tend to have a bit of a "wobble" to them, to a dimension and having them balanced using the new rod kits/pistons you're using.Good luck.
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You guys are something else richard and ray have rod kit but you all want to reinvent something that has already been done bultaco rod???? Strange i think good luck Jeff bar
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The reproduction rod kits produced by Richard & Ray were and are a limited supply. I have no idea if Richard has any left, but there's nothing wrong with a healthy discussion on possible alternatives for the future...
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You're missing the point,Jeff.The poster is looking for a rod kit capable of finishing a TT race.The kits Richard and Ray had made can be improved upon for that application.If he was asking for a kit capable of reliable road use then fine..i'm sure they're fine..that is what they're designed to do.I did make that clear.
Do Bridgestone rods run ok in a 200? Yep..until you ask them to accept double the power and an extra 5000rpm than they were designed for.
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The standard 175/200 rod is very durable. But like Vince says, start pushing the revs around 12-13k and the big end bearing makes grooves in the inner rod face. For road use, I'm sure they're fine. I wouldn't want to be flat out on a 37mi lap wanting to see if they'll holdup. I think you can also find some lists of rod dimensions by Mitaka and TJK who made the orig Bridgestone rods. Even Pro-X has some rod dimensions in their catalog. Samarin are supposed to make some pretty nice stuff. The last time I checked with Richard on 175/200 rods he didn't have many left. I thought it would be better to let someone else purchase them for an orig rebuild rather than me buying them and they only last me a year or so in the race bike.
paul
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Jeff-Bar, you seem to get your dander up fairly easily. This discussion was about building a 350 motor to withstand a 37 mile race lap pushing 12k rpm. Correct me if I am wrong, but the replacement rod kits weren't engineered for 12k rpm race laps and I believe all the opinions were merely pointing that out.
Proudhon - are you part of the yahoo group that was talking about this TT race a couple of weeks ago?
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dcr, proudhorn is an interesting guy from the Detroit area that is sponsoring a flat track race team and wants to build a 350 road racer for the Manx Classic TT run at the end of August. It seems to be a pretty serious privateering effort.