Bike shops in your youth...still around???

[over the bars]

How may BELL stickers have ya got left ?

[Billet YZ]

A few i do remember,
                             Max Halton Honda in Barkly street Footscray, parents purchased my first new bike there an XR75 in 1978. No longer trading.

Then there was Huff and Puff Motorcycles in Ballarat road Footscray, this is where my parents purchased my YZ 125 H in 1981. No longer trading.

Sunshine Yamaha in Victoria street Footscray, i dealt with them from 1982 thru to 1993 during which time i recieved a lot of assistance from them for my racing. I believe the shop burnt down in the late 90`s to never re-open.

R and E Motorcycles in Melton, Kawasaki and Suzuki dealer for a long time. They were there for a long time during the 80`s and 90`s, i did a lot of part time mechanical work there. No longer trading.
                                                                                         Peter.

P.S. these shops were all located in Victoria.

[Canam370]

How about Eltham Dirt Cycles, Bates Cycles (I was the shop-fly drooling over the Canam's) in Preston, Grimshaw M/C Broadmeadows and Northern M/C in Fawkner.

[Rosco86]

Gone now, bought first 125, 73 KTM from Athol Patterson in sprivale Rd near the tain station in Springvale, a husky from Geoff Burrows in Malvern and had my Triumph motor rebuilt at "Dirty" Frank Musset in Sydney Rd Coburg. still there I think is Don Saffords shop now Yamaha who was righ into dirt trackers in the early 70s. Can't remeber the name of it but drooled over the Nortons in a shop (nearly opposite the present Moak shop in Elizabeth St Melb) with oil stained wooden floors and glass top counters full of shinny stuff. Ah they were the days.

[Slakewell]

Rick Andrews at Waitara. I had yz 80D model and bought my parts here.
I purchased a YA 250A from Rick when I started riding in Vintage for $300
Rick is now living in Tasi sadly he hasn't been well for years I still hear from him now and then or catch up with his brother.
I used to walk past Gall shop on my way to and from work as an apprentice he once had the trickiest RM 400 out the front that urban myth said was Günter's ex factory bike. I really wanted to buy and now I regret it I think it was $1200.00 for a kid living on $60.00 a week plus overtime plus it was more then than new YZ 250 G.

[Hoony]

R and E Motorcycles in Melton, Kawasaki and Suzuki dealer for a long time. They were there for a long time during the 80`s and 90`s, i did a lot of part time mechanical work there. No longer trading.

from memory i think the owners misses used to race (enduro and Mx) and she was quite a Unit back then.

[jimg1au]

JACK GRAHAM MOTORCYCLES ARNCLIFFE
used to go there when i was a kid with my brother (jap454).english bikes only.barry allways said hello at swap meets.
also stoney creek motorcycles,still see trevor all the time.

[Billet YZ]

R and E Motorcycles in Melton, Kawasaki and Suzuki dealer for a long time. They were there for a long time during the 80`s and 90`s, i did a lot of part time mechanical work there. No longer trading.

from memory i think the owners misses used to race (enduro and Mx) and she was quite a Unit back then.

Your on the money Hoony, his wife did race and was fairly good at it.

[All Things 414]

This is all very sad. Now days when you walk into a bike shop the kid/girl behind the jump goes all blank if you ask for something other than a flightpath sticker/stupid hat/hoody or pair of trainers (runners to us older folk). I thought it was just me when I was trying to buy stuff for my older Monties untill I started to buy stuff for my 2000 yz and they still didn't have a clue what I was on about!
If they don't have a part number/bar code for it, it doesn't exist.......

[VMX247]

Harry Pines Yamaha,Tamworth has been around for a while.

[hodaka]

Gee , so many , all gone .
Mooroolbark M/Cycles in Mooroolbark was a Suzuki and Gemini dealer as l recall , long gone .
Stebbins Minibikes/Motorcycles in Melb. sold a huge array of bikes . Gemini's , Tas , Deckson / Deltek etc. etc. long gone . Spoke to the original owners son some time ago , Russell Stebbins , very interesting guy .
Geoff Taylor Yamaha been around since the 70's , still in business in a big way in Dandenong , Vic .

I remember once when l was about 15 or so in the early 70's desperately needing a piston kit for my overbored Yammie HT1-90 stripped down trailbike so that l could ride over the holidays and my dad driving me around everywhere to get one a few days before Christmas , 1974 l think , to no avail .
A helpful young guy in a small shop as a last resort directed us to Milledge Yamaha in Mulgrave , Victoria and somehow we ended up out the back in the warehouse where an accomodating old storeman felt sorry for us and handed over the required piston kit and wished us merry christmas !!!
   
Those WERE the days .

[gdr]

some of the shops i remember
Triple c
Ray Barnes Yamaha
Parkveiw Marine
Campbells Honda
Eltham Yamaha
Rosanna Suzuki
Sport & Road
Grimshaw Motorcycles
David Knight mc
Motorcycle Racing Services
Eric Anderson mc

[Ktm181]

Mick Dyer Motorcycles out at Penrith still going, used to be Brian Clarkson MC til the Dyer's bought him out in about 1983. Paul dyer now in Tassi, Clarko now residing on far north coast NSW.  Clarko was a GUN on all sorts of things, Rickmans, Alrons etc, you blokes of here would remember?

Hmm, Motocross Honda and Husky from Penrith & Blacktown- GONE & Roy East,one of the owners has gone to God, good bloke,nah FANTASTIC bloke and an even better rider too. Roy & Hans Applegren "took over" John Harris's Husky import rights & sold Husky for a loooong time til Hans took over from Roy, Husky Imports still sort of around with son Stefan running a Husky shop and is a really good guy, so is Hans for that matter.

Kawasaki West- Blacktown GONE, Allan Tomkins owner, cut from same cloth as Roy East, Allan now works at the Homebush Showground mess doing welding and stuff, GREAT Bloke, he tried to sell me Jimmy Weinharts works Kawasakis about 10 year ago AND CHEAP but they went to a bigger payer.

Brian Collins Yamaha- Kingswood and then Penrith after they bought out Motocross Pty Ltd - GONE, Brians gone i think but John Collins had a Yamaha shop at Nerang QLD last time i spoke to him.

Ian Palmer Kawasaki Penrith- GONE, Ian is still around and running Penrith Chamber of Commerce i think.  Another champion bloke AND if i remember right not a bad rider either, actually very good, better than he thought anyway which is a lot like Roy East!

Western Motorcycles- Ray Moody, Penrith STILL GOING STRONG witha very nice collection of bikes too!

Boy i miss most of these blokes, especially Roy East & Allan Tomkins, although still get to speak with Al now and again. you guys definately get a bloke thinking, its the people in these places that make them what they are, its the blokes like you guys who make riding what it is.  I was thinking the other day that i had only learned recently that not all bike riders are ok, some are dead-set wankers, you lot are restoring my faith in the people that ride.  NOT bikies, NOT bikers, just good people who RIDE, does me good as i hope ti does you lot.

Kt

[Curly3]

Is that Ray Palmer your thinking of.
Rode Speedway.

[colmoody]

KTM181, interesting you mention Brian Collins. Had a bit to do with him when I was a Gofer at B & H in the late sixtys and he was a Honda Motorcycle Dealer. Dont quote me but I think maybe Parramatta or there abouts. Anyway a mate of mine has a Mower shop at Carlingford and Brian calls in there a couple of times a year chasing up whatever. Still gets around in one of those two or three cylinder Honda utes of that era.

How about Whirlwind Sales at Gladesville in the mid/late sixtys/early seventys. Honda Motorcycle and Marine Dealer and Sponsor of Ken Bushnell. Blindingly fast rider on 350 Maico.