1942 hd wla

[slowrollwv]

Hay Puc I am not sure what you got for the WLA that you had but I just saw one restored and sold on Mecum auction in Vegas. It brought $20,000.00. Lots of old and not so old bikes are on the block today. I am looking for a 1971 Bridgestone 350 GTO like I had in 72. just to see what one would bring now. 1500 bikes in the auction.

[Pegasus1300]

With regards to the Bridgestone 350 did you see what it sold for?

[gmarshall]

[Kretz]

:sign yeah that::sign yeah that::sign yeah that:

[slowrollwv]

With regards to the Bridgestone 350 did you see what it sold for?

 

Nope if they sold it in the early schedule I missed it, Had to take wife to the store. It will be on again at midnight tonight. As for pics could not get any as the auction is on cable TV.

[mraf]

Bridgestone 350 now that is a step back in time. I had a friend who bought a green one new. My first bike was a Bridgestone 90. Rode the h3ll out of it. Bought a Bridgestone 100 and Motocrossed it back in the 70s. Had lots of fun on those old bikes. One of by buddies back then had a Bridgestone 175 Scrambler that he stripped put knobby tires on it and built expansion chambers for it out of the upswept exhaust. That thing sounded so sweet! He motocrossed it too, back then it was run what you brung. Finding a 350 Bridgestone has to be like finding a needle in a haystack anymore.

[slowrollwv]

Bridgestone 350 now that is a step back in time. I had a friend who bought a green one new. My first bike was a Bridgestone 90. Rode the h3ll out of it. Bought a Bridgestone 100 and Motocrossed it back in the 70s. Had lots of fun on those old bikes. One of by buddies back then had a Bridgestone 175 Scrambler that he stripped put knobby tires on it and built expansion chambers for it out of the upswept exhaust. That thing sounded so sweet! He motocrossed it too, back then it was run what you brung. Finding a 350 Bridgestone has to be like finding a needle in a haystack anymore.

 

Had a 350GTO that I bought in April 72 and a 68 Impala made a U turn in front of me in July and I could not miss it. I totaled that car and went into the trunk of a friends 55 Chevy and totaled it also. Banged me up for over a year. And if I could find one that I could restore I would do it.

[Pegasus1300]

I went on the Auction site and they sold it for $4950. I had one I rode for about 3 years and just loved it. Very fast,fairly good brakes for the day and that 6 speed transmission was so nice on the freeway. We bought a 175 factory racer new in 1969 and set it up for the local flat track. even as a 175 it would eat the 250 as long as you kept the revs up. We put 200cc cylinders on it when Bridgestone came out with the 200 and that gave it enough extra torque to really fly out of the corners.

[slowrollwv]

Bridgestone did make a nice and fast bike for the time they were made. It is a shame that they stopped making them and kept the junk tires that they make today.

[cowpuc]

Hay Puc I am not sure what you got for the WLA that you had but I just saw one restored and sold on Mecum auction in Vegas. It brought $20,000.00. Lots of old and not so old bikes are on the block today. I am looking for a 1971 Bridgestone 350 GTO like I had in 72. just to see what one would bring now. 1500 bikes in the auction.

 

Hey Roller,,,, her name was Olivia,, :95:,, I ,,, ,, miss her soooo much.. Here,, just to satisfy those wanting pics and I total respect for your inability to provide such because your viewing is being done via T.V.,, I will supply those varmints with pics BUT - it's hard cause I do miss her endlessly:bawling:.. But I still got lots of Pics n vids!!

20k for a WLA is actually a good, fair price from my experience.. I actually had a Harley shop offer me a brand new Ultra even up for Olivia but didnt do it cause I was planning on keeping her for ever but,, then life happened.. Ended up pretty close to the number you are seeing in the Auction which worked out ok for me I guess cause I still have access to her from the guy that bought her and lives down by Dons (thinking you may have met him at that Steak House during Maintenance Day?)..

I had a LOT of interaction with Mid-America Auctions out in Vegas years ago (probably the predecessor of the "Mechum" deal happening now).. The Vegas Auction was always the benchmark for antique scoots and they produced a "blue book" of activity that most of the country's builders lived by in assisting for determining expected ROI for builds.. I wouldnt doubt that the same thing is going on now but I have no facts to support this as I have been out of the trade for a while.. I also used to deal with "Walnecks" A LOT back then.. Walnecks produced a regular monthly magazine that was laid out somewhat like the Auto RV book of today that you may or may not be familiar with?? The Walnecks magazine was sort of pricey though (I think non-members paid 10 or 12 bucks magazine) and was never a freebie like Auto RV.. I advertised regularly in Walnecks and did very very well with them.. During my shop years, when Walnecks sat on the center table in my office,, I know that a person could easily find exactly what they were looking for by just shopping a couple mags seperated by, say 3 months of time = ANY THING and EVERYTHING was available!! I think Walnecks sold out a few years ago,, not sure,, but it may be worth some leg work into them in an effort to locate the 350GTO you are looking for..

Speaking that Bridgestone,,, I also LOVED those scoots!! When I was a kid there was 1,, yes ONE Bridgestone in our hometown = it was a little 100cc two stroke and baby - did it FLY!! The struggle for Bridgestone in my area was they just didnt have the shop support.. The only dealer we had in our area was a Hardware store that basically sold lawn mowers as their only other gas operated machinery.. They had no repair facilities of any sort, while other metrics, European, HD's and even Sears/Montgomery Wards/J.C. Penny's and other mail order joints had some kind of service shops and parts houses = not fair but the way it was.. I am VERY familiar with the 350 though = WOW they were GORGEOUS and,, if memory serves me from a couple I had many years ago,, they were rotary valve motors like the Kawasaki's which made for a very performance orientated scoot.. I used to play around with modding the rotary valve (like port timing a conventential 2 stroke) on those scoots = make em pipey as all get out but WOWZY when they hit = HANG ON!! Anyone who has ever ridden a properly modded Kawi H1 or H2 triple will know what it took to hold em on the ground...

Brother Roller,, I dont out much these days but every once in a while .. Will DEFINITELY keep a weathered eye out for that 350GTO for ya to spin wrenches on my friend!! Ya never know what may show up around this joint!!

 

Pics n Vids for those lop eared varmints who cant read...

[Yammer Dan]

I know where a 46?? BSA is lying over the side of the riverbank. It was once mine and as far as I know was shoved over bank and could still be there. I have a "shoot on sight" relationship with those folks but property has been deserted for years!! Should go take a look......

[cowpuc]

I know where a 46?? BSA is lying over the side of the riverbank. It was once mine and as far as I know was shoved over bank and could still be there. I have a "shoot on sight" relationship with those folks but property has been deserted for years!! Should go take a look......

 

,,, I'll grab my pick ax, compass and strap on headlight,,,,, you grab your M-16 and a few of those Tater Mashers with the little pull pin in em and cover my back while I go to diggin... We'll dig er up,, drag er home,, toss in a bore job, reset some new crank bearings, do a quick 3 grind on the valves, toss on one of the Wardens couch pillows for a seat and we'll ride that ol Beezer till the cows come home bro!!!!!

46? Was that Plunger frame? Man I LOVE the looks of those old plungers (loved those Amen Save Your Back chop frame plunger spin offs of the 60's = 1/4 inch of travel but WOW were they purdy)....

Yea,,, I'd dig for a 46 Beezer DanL'!!

 

,, remember the cases on those old scoots?? They were made of this strange pot aluminum that was almost sponge like.. I swear,, things would "sweat" oil right thru the cases :banana::banana:

Now THOSE were some off beat days of metalurgy I tell ya:happy65:

 

I betcha @Hoss out there in Brookings, South Dakota could verify that which I speak of... I happen to know he loved and rode some of those older Brit Bikes... Just a minute here,, let me see if I can find a video of one or two he still has!!

Oh my goodness,, I LOVE this Video!! This club of ours is FILLED with amazing people and that Hoss is right at the top of that list IMHO..

[Yammer Dan]

I had the thing running and rode it around the house a few times! Can't remember what size it was??? 650?? I was riding a Yammy 650 then. This was about 1975. I've never heard of anyone pulling it back up the riverbank but there have been a few times the river got up pretty high??? I'm gonna go parting the weeds up there this summer if no one moves in that old place!! Probally not worth dragging back up the bank if it is there!! But I need to go see!!!

Edited February 3, 2018 by Yammer Dan

[Pegasus1300]

Bridgestone did make a nice and fast bike for the time they were made. It is a shame that they stopped making them and kept the junk tires that they make today.

 

This is the story we were told as dealers. Back in the day most Japanese bikes came with Bridgestone tires.One day the Big went to Bridgestone and said you can sell us tires or you can sell motorcycles,but you can't do both anymore. They weren't selling that many bikes but they sure were selling a lot of tires,so guess what the decision was.