New to the site. Just found and bought back my BS 100TMX after 26 years.

[TMX_Maverick]

Just joined the site because it looks like it's the place to go for Bridgestone knowledge and parts information.  I'm glad to find it!

After restoring a Yamaha Seca streetbike, I got the itch to find my old Bridgestone that we sold when I was 18.  After randomly knocking on a couple doors in my old neighborhood (without getting shot!) I actually found the man who bought her in 1986.  He still had her -- unfortunately under a tarp behind his barn for the last 20 years -- but was willing to part with it for a fair price.  Now she's home in my garage, and my 13-year-old son and I are looking forward to making it a father-son project for a couple years.

The cylinder's seized, I'm sure (rear wheel and kickstart lever are both non-moveable) and she's fairly rusty all over.  But I remember the 2-stroke music in my head, and I'm looking forward to hearing it again!

Thanks in advance for your help at some point here in the future, once I finish up another family motorcycle restoration.

[RayK]

Hi Welcome to the site. Your story re finding your old bike sounds familiar. Recently, a chap from NSW in Oz joined the site with what looked remarkably like my BS 100 sport (blue) that I bought in 1968. I may be able to convince him to sell it to me in future you never know.
I also liked your comment about the possiblity of being shot when knocking at people's doors to find your old bike. Inspite of the gun laws being incredibly strict in Australia - I'm not sure that I would go knocking at doors in certain parts of Sydney where middle eastern crime gangs use the streets as shooting galleries - somehow, I don't think that they would be interested in old Japanese motorcycles from the late 60s and early 70s.
Good luck with your restoration and remember Richard Clark is a great source for NOS parts and advice.
Ray

[old smokey]

Welcome to the site!
That sounds like some good memories as a solid foundation for future stories to come from.
My wife would shoot me if I found a TMX to come home with.
Good luck with the restoration.

[Bikenstein]

I love to hear the happy ending stories especially when it comes to motorcycles. Welcome to the site and I hope you really enjoy the restoration with your son. That's a great way for him to learn bikes and appreciate the oldies. You're right about this site. Richard has a treasure trove of nos parts and there's a wealth of knowledge and experience among these guys and they're more than willing to share.

[Mike Anderson]

Glad to see another TMX being restored. Looking forward to riding mine around the neighborhood after I freshen a few parts on it. Richard will be of great help to you with NOS parts for your bike. Good luck and looking forward to seeing your progress. 
Thanks Mike

[ztnoo]

Welcome to the site.
I'm sure over time, you will be glad you found it.
Great group of people and a fountain of knowledge.

Regards,
Steve

[TMX_Maverick]

Thanks, all, for the warm welcome.  I'm looking forward to getting involved in this site and in the restoration project.  I'll probably be more of a lurker for awhile, searching the existing posts and wealth of knowledge for what's already out there.  When I was refurbishing my Yamaha, the fine forum over at XJBikes.com was invaluable to me with the model-specific quirks I needed to deal with, so for the TMX I knew I needed to find a Bridgestone forum ASAP.

I know it takes time, but hopefully before long I'll be able to contribute something good to the forum as well.  Thanks again for the warm welcome.

[TMX_Maverick]

I wanted to reply to this old thread, as a way to reintroduce myself after letting my registration lapse.

After tearing down the 100 TMX back in 2012 when I originally posted (almost ten years ago!!), my son unfortunately got mixed up with the wrong kids in high school, and had to be sent to an out-of-state boarding school to avoid jail time.
Fortunately, it turned his life around, he graduated and he's gainfully employed and standing on his own two feet... but still living out of state. Needless to say, we were never able to work on this restoration together, which took the wind out of my sails.
My father and I used the time to finish restoring his 1946 Harley (in the family since 1949), which I've since inherited after his passing in 2018.

Long story long, now the Bridgestone bug has bitten me again, and I'm trying to keep making consistent progress on it.

I'm sure I'll be asking lots of questions!

[old smokey]

Having plans and seeing them to completion is rewarding, but making a good recovery from the unexpected is more challenging.
Good luck on the TMX!

[TMX_Maverick]

It seems like the original pics have disappeared from this post over the years. Here is the original day I bought back the TMX in 2012.

[TMX_Maverick]

Here is the frame back from powder coating. As you can see, I didn't do any filling/smoothing. I'm not fixing it up to show, just giving it a new lease on life.

[TMX_Maverick]

One of the chrome shops in Cleveland did a pretty good job rechroming, and even polished one of the fenders for me.

[TMX_Maverick]

Some of the handlebar controls before and after vapor blasting, as well as the engine cases after vapor blasting.

[OldSwartout]

Looking good! The fun part is putting all those nice parts together and finally going for a ride. 

[Steve Reed]

Vapor blasting does a nice job keep up the good work.
Thanks.
Steve.