Bridgestone 100-Cc Tmx
BRIDGESTONE 100-CC TMX
CYCLE WORLD IMPRESSION
Bridgestone Meets Bridgestone
THE SUN rose silently over the Chemehuevi mountains, and shadows of the night before withdrew across the desert floor. A spindly chaparral cock perched atop a cactus wedge preens sleep from its feathers. Below, a lizard skitters across a sandy wash in pursuit of buggy breakfast. In the distance a powerboat bobbles at water's edge, its bathing-suited owner busy with adjustments to the sparkling chrome and alloy engine; it is morning on the Colorado River.
We visited this oasis not only to sample its scenery and recreational facilities, but to combine a rather unique introduction with a stint of desert riding. The principals of this meeting were a motorcycle and a rock.
The motorcycle, a “natural” for offroad riding, is a candy-apple red Bridgestone 100 TMX. The rock is the cornerstone of the London Bridge.
Several months ago, the Bridge was purchased by the McCulloch Oil Corporation for relocation at Lake Havasu. Since then, its stonework has been dismantled, the pieces numbered for reference during reconstruction in Arizona. Now, the cornerstone is part of a monument here, surrounded regally by American, British and Arizona flags. Ergo, Bridgestone meets Bridgestone.
The two-wheeled one, replete with 3.00-17 knobbies and high mounted exhaust, appears deceptively mild. But its 11 bhp and dual sprockets allow remarkable versatility, cruising speeds in excess of 50 mph plus low speed torque sufficient for rugged climbing and heavy loads.
The desert heat provided hard challenge for the bike’s determination, as its engine sports an alloy cylinder bore rather than an iron liner. Along with benefits of reduced friction and longer life, the chromed surface dissipates heat very effectively. The little Bridgestone didn’t even wheeze under severe pounding.
Typically Bridgestone is the rotary shift pattern of the four-speed gearbox. Instead of gear shifting stopping at high gear, one more depression of the shift lever will yield neutral. Snick it again and it is in first gear. This rotary pattern is particularly useful in the stop-and-go of city traffic.
Another sophisticated feature of the Bridgestone is the rotary valve. This provides added timing control of the cylinder’s intake charge. Consequently, the perky little engine produces a surprisingly wide range of power. The engine is fed by an 18-mm Mikuni carburetor which is large enough to allow good high-rpm breathing along with strong low speed punch.
The sparsely populated arid terrain offers almost every kind of riding condition a cyclist could desire, and a good chance to really wring out the TMX. Trialing, scrambling, hillclimbs, you name it. After sampling them all, we can only conclude that the Bridgestone TMX is well at home on the pavement, but it is the rougher countryside that brings out its best qualities.
