With any custom bike build it’s the little details which are going to make your bike stand out above the rest and now that my bike is finally on the road I’m starting to look for more such items. This is what lead me to start my search for some vintage looking tyres for the W650 Cafe Racer.
I’ve seen a lot of images of Japanese custom bikes on the net and one thing that I’ve always noticed is the rubber they use and one brand always stood out, Firestone.
From Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. – “We trace our roots to the establishment of The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in 1900. It was then that 31-year-old Harvey S. Firestone started tire production with 12 employees in Akron, Ohio.
On the other side of the globe in 1931, Shojiro Ishibashi created Bridgestone Tire Company Ltd. He created the company name by reversing the English translation of his own. “Ishibashi,” which literally means “stone bridge” in Japanese.
Bridgestone Americas is proud to carry on the tradition of excellence established by its founders, blending Japanese and American methods to provide quality products.Our philosophy is summed up by the mottos of these two visionaries.
Shojiro Ishibashi of Bridgestone challenged his associates to “Serve Society with Superior Quality.”
Harvey Firestone’s constant goal for his company was to be the “Best Today – Still Better Tomorrow.”
The Firestone Vintage or Antique line up is impressive to say the least and thankfully of a much higher quality than when there were first produced. Checkout the full Vintage Bridgestone/Firestone line up here.
So with a bit of searching and ringing around I managed to find a couple of suppliers in Australia. One being Deus Ex Machina (surprise, surprise) and the other being antiquetyres.com.au. Prices from both companies were very similar so I’ve decided to grab a set from Deus when I am over in Sydney later this year and save myself the price of postage. If you’re after a pair for your W650 you will need a 400×19 for the front and 450×18 for the rear and expect to pay around $250AUD for each one.
“Wherever wheels are rolling, No matter what the load, The name that’s known is Firestone,
Where the rubber meets the road “
