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

[Iain Cameron]

As a kid in the early 70s I remember walking down elizabeth st melb and thinking I had gone to heaven (living in act a the time ) . My dad lived in malvern so John borrows shop was only 10 min walk away. pro cycles in hornsby nsw Ann ,her daughter (forgoten her name) and staff where great Ann would greet every one by name , it was a shop you felt welcome in . they had a young bloke in spares called john ,one of the best spares guys Ive ever met .I was given the run around in a Yamaha shop in nsw last year when asking for old stock was told get a new one who wants those old sh*t boxes or cant You afford one . Now being a mellow  49 year old I told the young pr*k I have 22 vintage yamahas so add up all the tyres ,chains, oil & assorted parts your bl**dy rude commet has just lost in sales Iainyz

[Curly3]

You're right Col, Brian Collins's original shop was on Actions corner. I'm pretty sure Brian developed that site and expanded to 2 other shops further out west. I rode Speedway with one of his sons, Mark, and brother Carlos worked for him just after retireing from England.

[Ktm181]

Bloody hell, Brian Collins himself?!? he must be 200 years old, looked a 100 when i used to buy stuff at his Kingswood store, AND yup, he did have the shop that is now Actions at Parramatta, he built the building and it was Honda I think. I used to drewl over brand new Yz250As and Tz700s in his shop.  Brian, if i remember right was a world land speed record holder, not sure what class but i do remember talking to him as he showed me the bike he piloted.
Hey what about Hawkesbury Honda, Paul Giles used to own it, then his son Shawn then sold to Sean Turl who moved it from Richmond to Windsor in a new store, all good blokes, Paul went to God far too early.
Remember Ryans at Parramatta?  Suzuki gave the franchise to Actions i think, Ryans stuck with old bikes, i think the business is still trading up the Hunter valley somewhere.

Old Man Northcott at Blacktown with Suzuki, the list goes on and on.

Amazing places, Amazing memories.
Kt.

[pancho]

My push-bike parts came from Baglee&Weston in Fairfield, which later became Jim Airey's. Through the fifties my 500 AJay road bike parts came from Superb Cycles church st Parramatta opposite the old Rivoli dance hall.My cousin Jim Gammon was the parts manager there at the time. He rode in the first 24 hour race at Mount Druitt, now lives in SA. There was another bike shop a bit further down the road from Superbs & Ryans but can't quite remember the blokes name. [will remember tomorrow]. When I started racing about '57 all my racing requirements came from Ryans every Saturday morning, like every body elses' it seemed.Old paddy was a gentleman as was Barry. Does any one remember the other parts man there? All we Merrylands club members new him as 'super'. Other shops I remember were Jim Madsens & Jim Eade on Parramatta rd, Askews at Bankstown, plus Nuwarra M/cycles.  Must be still more somewhere in my head! cheers pancho.

[micks]

ktm 181 brain collins land speeded bike is up at nabica? i think it`s 50cc.

[pancho]

g'day micks, I think one of the  Collins' bikes used in the records was ridden by Brian Hindle. by the way, how's the cook?

[muddy]

when i was a kid, Bert Flood`s Motorcycle shop in boxhill.Use to ride the bicycle up to his shop, and look at the bikes in the front window.Made my day if i saw Gary Flood . Peter Stevens in ringwood, brought my first bike there Suzuki tm 125 $649.00 . Had to do 2 paper rounds and other stuff to pay for it ..  good ol days..
                                       cheers

[Ktm181]

ktm 181 brain collins land speeded bike is up at nabica? i think it`s 50cc.

Fantastic, I will have to get a look in there next month on the way to visit the oldies up the coast.  Nabiac is in God's country, the perfect place to house our history.

Cheers,
Kt.

[matcho mick]

Pancho,there were 2 bobs working there at Ryans, with barry i don't remember the 1st Bobs surname ,but Rob Pendlebury work there for a bit toward the end with Pat after Barry died,
what was the Honda shop in Chatswood,i use to work couple doors down At the Big W towards the end of the 60"s,John Dunn m/cycles in Balgowlah rebuilt my A65 when it split the barrells wfo down roseville chase trying to keep a mach 1 Kwaka in sight

[firko]

my A65 when it split the barrells wfo down roseville chase trying to keep a mach 1 Kwaka in sight

Jeez, that was a bit of wishful thinking Mick ! Splitting the barrels was the big Achilles heel on the BSA twin, it seems every Beeza twin owner I've spoken to can relate a similar experience.

I can go back to when both Laurie and Denis Alderton worked out the back at Ryans. It was one of those good old fashioned "racer" shops you never see these days. My earliest interest in vintage racing goes back to seeing all sorts of old classics being prepped by Barry Ryan for the then new concept of vintage road racing back in the seventies.

[pancho]

Two more, has anyone mentioned Omodies in the city or Ryde Motor Cycles? both previous haunts of Lester Morris, he used to describe modified bikes as "hotter than a stove bolt" and I remember he sold a BSA goldie clubman to a mate of mine and told him it used a 44 gallon drum for a carby slide!. That bloke sold the goldie and bought a harley [agricultural device] I bet he wishes he hadn't now. cheer pancho.

[colmoody]

Pancho, had completly forgotten about what you mention as Ryde Motorcycles. Was actually TOP RIDER and was a Suzuki Dealer from memory and was at the intersection of Lanecove and Blaxland Roads Top Ryde. Owners name was Brian................. who committed suciside in the early eightys, I think. The older of the Ray Dole's was the service manager their for a number of years. As always I will stand corrected

[pancho]

I just remembered the name of the other Bob, he was Bob Keeble. I think thats how you spell it. He invited me up to his place one day for a slot car challenge on this massive layout in a back room. Can't remember who won so it must have been him. Also bought a used cylinder head from him off his ex Cutler Healy100 for my one.Other bloke I remember was Ian Cork. Nice bloke, left the scene too early. What about Phillips and Thomas, at StMary's, remember them? cheers.

[pancho]

Col, I remember the add "ride motor cycles from Ryde Motorcycles", and later I think the same business became "Top Rider" cheers

[mx250]

My push-bike parts came from Baglee&Weston in Fairfield, which later became Jim Airey's.

I was in the Boy Louts with the Baglee brothers  (2nd Fairfield troop).

I can't remember Baglee&Weston into motor bikes. To my knowledge/memory Jimmy the Jew just popped up out of the ground in the early expansion of the '70's.