24 replies to this topic

[SILVERDREAMRACER]

Prompted by the waves of nostalgia that waft over me as topics and threads bring up the names of long gone and often forgotten race bike emporiums....
I wonder what recollections forum members have of the old shops and dealerships we spent so much time in way back when.....
even before I was old enough to ride a motorbike me and my brother would catch a bus on a saturday just look in the windows to see the race bikes and the latest roadbikes

just some of my favourite haunts and destinations I loved as a spotty youth (early 70's onwards in my case)

I can still smell the oil stained floorboards

Rivetts of Leytonstone

Stratford Motorcycles

Hadleigh Custom at Hadleigh then Southend

Gander and Grays

Gus Kuhns

Dixon Racing

Vic Camps at Walthamstow

Read Titans at Leyton

Sondell Sports

Geoff Montys? at Edenbridge

Tom Kirbys at Roneo Corner

[LamboNZ]

I can remember as a kid going to another Revetts store, on the Thames embankment I think (Fulham, Chelsea or somewhere like that I think).
I was with my dad, who was buying his first TZ, around 76/77ish. The place was like an Alladin's cave to me back then with all of the race bikes everywhere!
Another place we used to go to was Jim Pink's in Newbury, there were often race bikes around there too.

Later on when I started racing, went down to Dennis Trollopes quite a few times, but only made into the front of the shop. I only know of three other non-family members who have been out the back, where there is reputidly twenty or so race bikes from different eras!

[k21john]

I can remember as a kid going to another Revetts store, on the Thames embankment I think (Fulham, Chelsea or somewhere like that I think).
I was with my dad, who was buying his first TZ, around 76/77ish. The place was like an Alladin's cave to me back then with all of the race bikes everywhere!
Another place we used to go to was Jim Pink's in Newbury, there were often race bikes around there too.

Later on when I started racing, went down to Dennis Trollopes quite a few times, but only made into the front of the shop. I only know of three other non-family members who have been out the back, where there is reputidly twenty or so race bikes from different eras!

Took my missus into Arthur Wheelers (Epsom) looking for a road sidecar outfit, his spanner man whose name i forget said "he (Arthur) won't sell anything from out the back... well what a place pretty much all his race bikes out there and he must have taken a shine to my missus as she road away on a lovely S7 with Watsonion chair..... wish we still had it...

Nice memories of spending half a day with Mr Wheeler.....

[Russell Burrows]

I can remember as a kid going to another Revetts store, on the Thames embankment I think (Fulham, Chelsea or somewhere like that I think).
I was with my dad, who was buying his first TZ, around 76/77ish. The place was like an Alladin's cave to me back then with all of the race bikes everywhere!
Another place we used to go to was Jim Pink's in Newbury, there were often race bikes around there too.

Later on when I started racing, went down to Dennis Trollopes quite a few times, but only made into the front of the shop. I only know of three other non-family members who have been out the back, where there is reputidly twenty or so race bikes from different eras!

I too remember the oddly sited Revetts shop, sort of west Pimlico really ;). Geoff Monty's place in Edenbridge was impressive but tiny compared to the Twickenham shop which was absolutely crammed full of racing irons; I used to cycle over there as a kid and gaze in awe at the serried ranks of Manxes, 7R's and G50's, and a bit later bought one from him.

Edited by Russell Burrows, 09 November 2010 - 15:46.

[Paul Collins]

Used to go for a look around at Pride & Clark when we went on the train down to London for the bike shows as teenagers, that was an olde worlde place from what I remember.

[exclubracer]

Used to go for a look around at Pride & Clark when we went on the train down to London for the bike shows as teenagers, that was an olde worlde place from what I remember.

Blimey, forgot about them, bought a 250 Panther from them which was dispatched to darkest Lancashire on the train and arrived complete!! Try THAT today!!

They bought up the stock when Phelan and Moore went bust.

[Russell Burrows]

Weren't P&C in Stockwell where they had loads of red painted buildings, rather than just shop fronts, on either side of the road ?

[rotrax]

Prompted by the waves of nostalgia that waft over me as topics and threads bring up the names of long gone and often forgotten race bike emporiums....
I wonder what recollections forum members have of the old shops and dealerships we spent so much time in way back when.....
even before I was old enough to ride a motorbike me and my brother would catch a bus on a saturday just look in the windows to see the race bikes and the latest roadbikes

just some of my favourite haunts and destinations I loved as a spotty youth (early 70's onwards in my case)

I can still smell the oil stained floorboards

Rivetts of Leytonstone

Stratford Motorcycles

Hadleigh Custom at Hadleigh then Southend

Gander and Grays

Gus Kuhns

Dixon Racing

Vic Camps at Walthamstow

Read Titans at Leyton

Sondell Sports

Geoff Montys? at Edenbridge

Tom Kirbys at Roneo Corner

Hi,I was an apprentice mechanic with S.G. Smith Motors in South London .Gus Khunn's was just along the road, Pride and Shark's a bit further and all sorts of interesting bike shops all around. An abiding memory is of Wal Phillips. He was making a bomb selling his injectors from a corner shop down the New Kent Road, near the Elephant and Castle. I used to watch him cutting the envelopes open to get at the cheques and postal orders! After he had been down the bank he would box up that days orders and then take them to the Post Office for dispatch. Wal was also developing a disc brake for motorbikes. He used Jaguar pads and made a sliding caliper which used a car clutch slave cylinder to work it. The disc was of huge diameter and was riveted to the rim. One day he tried it out . It was fixed on a bathtub T110 Triumph. He took off, turned at the Elephant and roared back. He clapped it on hard- the forks flexed so much the font mudguard hit the frame with a clunk. The tyre squealed and Wal was sitting on the fuel cap! It was chucked in the back of the shop and I never saw it move again. Hanging on the wall was one of the ex Wembley Speedway Dirt Track Douglas team bikes.George Greenwood had another one. Wish I had bought one then.Happy memories.In Sport, Rotrax.

[exclubracer]

Weren't P&C in Stockwell where they had loads of red painted buildings, rather than just shop fronts, on either side of the road ?

Dunno Russell, never went there. IIRC they advertised regularly in Exchange & Mart and I did the deal on the phone and by post.

Clerkenwell perhaps?

Edited by exclubracer, 09 November 2010 - 18:40.

[rotrax]

Took my missus into Arthur Wheelers (Epsom) looking for a road sidecar outfit, his spanner man whose name i forget said "he (Arthur) won't sell anything from out the back... well what a place pretty much all his race bikes out there and he must have taken a shine to my missus as she road away on a lovely S7 with Watsonion chair..... wish we still had it...

Nice memories of spending half a day with Mr Wheeler.....

Hi, If he was very tall and slightly balding it may have been Frank Coots.In Sport, Rotrax.

[Russell Burrows]

Dunno Russell, never went there. IIRC they advertised regularly in Exchange & Mart and I did the deal on the phone and by post.

Clerkenwell perhaps?

Up the road a bit in Brixton, Mick : http://www.realclass...on07053100.html A huge operation: must have been the largest bike oufit in the country. Edit: or the world as claimed in the blurb.

Edited by Russell Burrows, 09 November 2010 - 20:05.

[SILVERDREAMRACER]

Pride & Clark were at Stockwell,the bikes were arranged in price descending order,the further you went into the shop the cheaper/rougher the bikes became.
I seem to recall George Clarkes ? a seperate operation were nearby too.

I remember Jimmy Wells dad's shop on the Romford Rd,Forest Gate with plenty of Ex Police Triumph Saints?

[Bernard]

Comerfords Thames Ditton..bought my trusty NSU Sportmax got me all over Europe watching races..they had a 50cc Maserati that I went to buy but another had beaten me to it..one of our correspondents on the Fast Racing Mopeds thread said I didnt miss much..sawa 350 Gold Star advertised and thought about it but my late wife had other ideas so no DBD32 for me....

[Bernard]

Comerfords Thames Ditton..bought my trusty NSU Sportmax got me all over Europe watching races..they had a 50cc Maserati that I went to buy but another had beaten me to it..one of our correspondents on the Fast Racing Mopeds thread said I didnt miss much..sawa 350 Gold Star advertised and thought about it but my late wife had other ideas so no DBD32 for me....

Talking of which..we know who this is..

http://img.photobuck...ie/bikeshop.jpg

[exclubracer]

Up the road a bit in Brixton, Mick : http://www.realclass...on07053100.html A huge operation: must have been the largest bike oufit in the country. Edit: or the world as claimed in the blurb.

Nice find Russell

[Herr Wankel]

My first real bike was a 500 Ariel Red Hunter (with a Hartley cam) that I bought at the side of the road (A38 Burton By-pass) after the owner had stood there freezing his bits off for about 4 hours.His missus hadgot severely pissed off and hitched it back to Wolverhampton.Broken drive side crank mainshaft,so no drive.I think £20 changed hands and a lift to the station.Bank of mum was my sponsor for this project.Motor cycle news was scanned for a suitable spare part.A postal order was dispatched to Writers in London,anyone remember them?I think the part was £1-19s-6d,plus 2s-6d for the p&p.It must have been quite funny watching me rolling the crank across the kitchen floor to true up the flywheels.What a great bike this was,and I felt like Hailwood.(I was only 17) as I had jumped straight from a Honda S65 to this poor man's Goldie.
So what happened to Writers chaps?
P.S. the 1960 Scott in my care (my brothers bike) came from Comerfords in 1967 (or thereabouts)
HW

Edited by Herr Wankel, 10 November 2010 - 09:39.

[SILVERDREAMRACER]

excellent stuff jaybee...i really relate to lots of that..

Tom Kirby had a brother Reg who was also a bike dealer based about 4 miles from Roneo Corner
Reg Kirbys was in Green Lanes,Dagenham/Goodmayes borders

we were always lead to believe they had fallen out as only brothers can and never spoke to each other

[Russell Burrows]

excellent stuff jaybee...i really relate to lots of that..

Tom Kirby had a brother Reg who was also a bike dealer based about 4 miles from Roneo Corner
Reg Kirbys was in Green Lanes,Dagenham/Goodmayes borders

we were always lead to believe they had fallen out as only brothers can and never spoke to each other

I had an interesting conversation with Ron Chandler at the Bemsee gig last year, some of which touched on Kirby and his bikes. Apparently, one of the reasons Ron fell out with Tom was over the disparity in grunt of the various bikes in the Kirby stable. He said too that brother Reg's sponsorship amounted to no more than having his name in the programme as the entrant. Ron suggested this looked better than being sponsorless after such a long stint with the Kirby team, and that he knew it would get right up Tom's nose.

Edited by Russell Burrows, 14 November 2010 - 13:16.

[tonyed]

Been looking through some old magazines of the 60s and 70s recently and spent some time trying to track down any of the old addresses of the dealers back then.

Sadly all gone.

Places still there but now betting shops or takeaways. 

Shame, innit 

[Rodaknee]

Pride and Clarke fill their shops with ex-forces bikes.  Hundreds of side valve M20's & M21's went though their hands.

 

One notorious dealer in Bexleyheath was Bernie Ecclestone.

Edited by Rodaknee, 16 May 2023 - 02:41.

[tonyed]

On a slightly less grand scale was 'Greasy Jacks' of East Road in Cambridge, gone now, replaced by an institution of education. Jack himself was an institute of education and the purveyor of the ex WD piston rings for the M20s and M21 sold by P and C.

More a breaker than a retail spare shop however if you wanted it he usually had it or got it pronto, or in some cases new where it could be had. 

After my first race off track excursion on my Ariel Arrow racing bike at Brands Paddock Bend (the older tighter less run off than today bend), the resultant engagement with the earth bank ripped the forks out of the pressed steel frame. Forks were OK but we needed a new frame. By the Tuesday Jack had obtained a nearly new item for us so I was out the following weekend. The forks and front wheel were OK.

Jack also 'did' MOTs but fell foul of the local constabulary (just up the end of East Road) who must have got wind of Jacks obliging nature and unfortunately Jack lost his MOT license after issuing MOT certificates for two police bikes - over the phone.           

[mdvineng]

Reg Dearden's Chorlton cum Hardy, Manchester.

[brands77]

I bought a few bikes from Lloyd Coopers in Watford. Des and Gordon who ran it were always pretty fair, happy to chat and if anything went wrong looked after their regulars. I haven't been back in a while, but it's called Motorcycles Direct now and apparently run by their sons. It well over 100 years old and still in the same premises, which I reckon is not bad continuity in this day and age.

The first bike shop I remember though was Colin Collins in Wealdstone. I remember they used to have an array of Norton Commandos out front, some of them in the JP Norton colours. Absolutely gorgeous to my 9 or 10 year old eyes.

Edited by brands77, 20 May 2023 - 07:46.

[Robin127]

I seem remember Colin Collins being famous as a scooter shop, I think it was in Watford.

 

Rex Judd Motorcycles in Edgware is one that springs to mind and a small shop in Boreham Wood who helped me a lot in the 80's Lee-Rankin Motorcycles.

[tonyed]

Our local big dealer Hallens of Cambridge sponsored TT riders during the 50s and 60s on Nortons. Never been able to find out who though.

Bryants of Biggleswade also sponsored a TT team and also, I think, Charlie Sandboy (as we used to call him).

Where can you go into a 'shop' these days and meet a Reg Dearden, Geoff Monty, Francis Beart, Allen Dudley-Ward, Syd Lawton, Paul Dunstall, Tom Kirby, Tom Arter, Steve Lancefield, Ray Petty etc, etc type characters. I suppose you could say Padgetts with Clive or possibly peter Hickmans place.

Somehow, I think, though, not quite the same.     Clive comes close.