Hi from sunny South Africa!
Great forum! I don't own a BS yet but always hankered after one when I was a youngster. A 50 Sport was very nearly my first bike but I ended up with a Honda SS50 and never did get to own a BS. After all these years (I'm 57) I now have the opportunity to acquire a 1968 Bridgestone 50 Sport in what I think is pretty fair condition. It would be fantastic to get comments and input from the fundi's on this forum.
The bike has had one owner since 1978 and has always been stored in a cool, dry barn. It hasn't been started for 10 years or more but the little motor still turns over easily by hand with good compression.
It's very complete. Obvious external problems are: Rear indicators missing, front indicator lenses are broken, left mirror missing (did it have one?), no back footrests, clutch/brake levers have lost the ball ends, speedo cable is missing and the kick start has been welded to the spline (ouch). There is some rust inside the tank but it has not penetrated anywhere that I can tell and should be possible to clean up and recoat. Paintwork seems original and not that bad with minimal external rust. Some minor surface rust on chrome parts. Small ding on right fork shroud. The tyres are hardened but still have excellent tread for that original look! The seat 'leather' is 'rumpled' and has a small rip in the centre. Checked under the left cover, battery is dead but no acid mess.
I've put some photo's on a spare webpage:
http://www.finadd.co.za/Bridgestone.htmlTo help me decide whether to buy it, I'd really appreciate input on the following:
* Comments on the bike as you see it?
* How difficult and expensive is it to get parts?
* What is it worth +- in its current condition?
* What would the +- value be in restored condition?[/li][/list]
Thanks and best regards,
Bruce
