 Re: Info on A Chibi Mini-Dirtbike
Here's the info.
Bridgestone forged through the 1960's with an expanding line of technologically advanced motorcycles that set the pace in their respective displacement classes, but never got the marketing machine into gear to compete with the other fast rising manufacturers. This may have been the fault of the American company that Bridgestone contracted with as the sole US importer and distributor: Rockford Motors, Inc. of Rockford, Illinois. A first rate dealership network never was effectively established in the US. The bikes, being a notch above the competition in finish, technology and performance, also cost more on the showroom floor and this probably hurt sales. I've heard and read the stories about Bridgestone being forced out of business by a conspiracy of the other large bike makers, telling Bridgestone to stop making motorcycles or their tires would be boycotted. Personally, I discount the conspiracy theory. I expect that Bridgestone, being a huge company outside of the motorcycle business, simply made a business decision to abandon an unprofitable branch and devote those plants to proven capabilities. Probably they read the handwriting on the wall concerning the future of two-stroke road bikes and didn't want to invest in a whole new line of four-stroke machines for a business that was already lagging. At any rate, Bridgestone quit the motorcycle business in 1971. Rockford Motors tried to carry on by securing the rights to the small Bridgestone engines and having some Japanese company produce a line of three small bikes: the 60cc "Chibi" minibike; 60cc "Tora", a half-sized dirt bike, and; 100cc "Taka", a full-sized trail bike. This line-up was a pale imitation of the Bridgestone brand and didn't last but a couple of years.
And a little more.
When Bridgestone quit the motorcycle business in 1971, the American importer, Rockford Motors, obtained manufacturing rights to the 60cc and 100cc single-cylinder engines. They had someone in Japan produce bikes around those two engines. One of these was the 60cc "Chibi" as seen here. "Chibi" translates to something like "shorty". This bike was restored by me in 1996 and I should admit, over-restored. The originals were really rather "cheesy" little things and I had to make this one live up to the rest of my Bridgestone line-up, so I put a little "extra" into it. All the Japanese makers produced these little "trunk" bikes with the fold down handlebars in the early '70's, but with the Rockford's, the quality was lacking. The Chibi was produced in a standard version, lacking lights, and the "Deluxe" model, with lights, as this one is. Neither model was street legal.
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