Part Suppliers for 1969 Meriden Triumph TR6

[mini-me]

In a box of assorted spares I bought I found a brand new Vincent Shadow speedo[which was nice] genuine not repro,this was maybe early 1980s.
I put it in the window priced at £100, expensive but not over much for the time.
In comes the Usual Vincent owner, dirty berd and all, 'is that really brand new'?

 'sure is'

'great how much?'
'£100 like it says on the ticket'

'you're not serious ?what a fekking robbin ripoff you are'

'please yourself cock, door is behind you'

The very next day another guy came in, 'bloody hell is it still here?', whips out his cash and went away singing.

a year later, yes really, back comes beardy.

'what speedo?'

The Vincent one you had in the window'

'I've come for that speedo, will you take an offer?

'bloody hell , I remember you, it sold the day after you called me a rip off robbin barsteward ...for the full ticket price, door is behind you,'

As ever ,every word is true.

and some folk wonder why I'm a bit grumpy sometimes.

I got a ton more yarns like that.

[iansoady]

In the 1970s I used to use a little shop called Globe Motor Spares in Smethwick - run by an elderly chap who left his upright black boneshaker pushbike leaning against the front. He had tons of what would now be called NOS with loads of useful spares for the Norton 16H I was running at the time.

All his stock had price tickets marked up in £sd - and that was what he charged regardless of how long he'd had them. The best bit was that he'd assemble your pile of bits then add all the prices together in pre-decimal currency. Following which he used a "ready reckoner" to work out the modern equivalent.

I believe his stock was bought up by Autocycle when he passed away. I'm pretty sure they don't charge his old prices.

[mini-me]

my best yarn is about the guy who came to my shop with bootloads of rare or scarce Vincent parts, stuff that was hens teeth plus plus.....
So good i was sure they were stolen stuff............they were not,  I would not even touch them I was so sure, but with my advice he sold them honestly, and the following  return trips of same stuff, I met the real owner and the result was how I got my 1929 Sunbeam.

The best bit was his stories of Vincent owners begging,crying, threatening over the price he charged...........just as I told him they would. before they got out wads of cash and bought it all.

That is a two pint yarn, can't be bothered to write it all out here.

That all came from a closed bike shop, they had a room full of whole Vincents, another of flat tank Triumphs, one of Sunbeams, and a whole lot more.

Don't bother to ask where, as that was 1984.

[Bear640]

Mini-me, keep them coming. 😂😂😂

[mini-me]

 >:(Too much remembering  then I get a  nervous twitch

bit like shell shock.

[TGR90B]

Off tack a bit, but in the 70s I went to the local Ford dealer for whatever and was behind a hipster type at the trade counter. He opened up with "I've got an Escort super dooper etc., with a double etc. etc.
The old hand behind the counter looked at him coldly and said "so what do you want then, a fu**in' medal?"

[mini-me]

Getting grumpy, but not as grumpy as mini-me.

 

you ain't far behind you old codger

[Rex]

Off tack a bit, but in the 70s I went to the local Ford dealer for whatever and was behind a hipster type at the trade counter. He opened up with "I've got an Escort super dooper etc., with a double etc. etc.
The old hand behind the counter looked at him coldly and said "so what do you want then, a fu**in' medal?"

He was lucky he was offered anything. Our local Ford agent (Hendy Lennox, allegedly the first Ford dealer in GB) only ever had one reply, "nah mate, have to order it. Be about 28 days or so".
All these years later you can order stuff on-line and have it delivered later the same day by some little blond bird. The past wasn't always better.

[mini-me]

Ok, here's another.

I had a Norton Navigator , under 10k miles,genuine, very original and clean, but not mint, and a very nice reg no. priced to sell as I didn't want it hanging about.

Put advert in MCN,...........thursday phone is ringing as I opened up; 'have you still got the Navigator mate?'

'yes still here'

'I been looking for one can you keep it for me, I have to come from Sheppey'

'no problem but the first cash in my hand has it, I doubt if there will be a queue though'

'Ok I am on my way'

an hour later he phones,'' I am just at the train station, is it  still there?'

'still here pal, don't fret'

A while later, bloke walks in, says, 'I have come about the Navigator, I phoned earlier'

'you just walked past it, out the front'

'what that one? its too good to restore' and with that he turned round, went out and went back to the railway station, leaving me halfway through a bacon butty,gobsmacked.

later that day, another phone call. ' I came about the Navigator earlier'

'oh yes....' making sure I swallowed myafternoon tea first.

'will you break it and sell me the centre stand?'

I just hung up.

They walk amongst us and ride motorcycles.

as ever, every word is true.

I've been  twice been asked to leave bike shows because my restored bike was far above the rest; that was  the reason given, not my conceit. I have had to give back a trophy because  they found I restored for a living,been asked to leave shows for same reason;  one VMCC section used to alter the rules to stop me as a trader taking home a trophy, again.

The amount of kit I have had nicked off my stall at VMCC events . 

I would hope things have changed, but you'd never get me back into the trade again.

[mini-me]

Rex, I went into new car spares in 1984, even back then you could phone a factor and get stuff delivered generally within half an hour in SE London.
There was a greasy spoon next to me and I'd send a waiting customer in there for a tea on me. Worked well, and none of the motorcycle crap to put up with.

[mini-me]

I used to get my stock from closing down bike shops, or old established ones and buy what they couldn't sell or had no customer base for.

One day I found a little shop near Tooting, wandered in and had a chat with the owner, smashing old boy, he sold me loads of old  BSA spares books fromthe 1920s/30s and some Hobson spark plugs, which I still have.
He showed around his back room workshop, he had been a ace in his prime,used to tune speedwaybikes.
But every room was lit by about a 30watt light bulb,which he turned on and off as he went or left a each room.Shp itself  was dim,lit only by daylight from outside.
On the uncarpeted stairs to where he lived above, was one bottle of milk and a loaf of  bread.
Three weeks later, I heard he had died, alone, in his bed, Council were looking to sell off what ever they could to recoup rates etc.

Sod it , I thought, I am not going to end like that and made the  decision to get out.

I knew another old chap,GGmobike, in similar circumstances,Hamrax had all his stuff.

Sad bit is,all the stock those blokes had would be worth a fortune today.

When I first started up,another trader said to me, 'you'll make money but no friends', he was wrong about the money bit.

Getting like a confessional on here, got to stop.

[iansoady]

No, carry on!

[mini-me]

Well, there was the occasional customer who was different; like the guy who wandered in, looked at the bikes, pointed a 1939 Speed twin, I did not want to sell that one,but ,as ever ,badly in need of cash,so gave him a high price,  'hmm,how much would it cost to restore that?
I gave him an approx cost, then he pointed to two others,forget what, I think it was a flat tank AJS,, same questions, same diffident response.

Then another bike, by which time I was well pee'd off with yet another timewaster, I gave a price which was so low it was no profit for me,just a bit  of cash.

'OK' he said, 'I'll  take all three'

That chaps is called shooting yourself in the balls, as the last two quotes I gave him I was loosing money.

To top it all, for the last bike I did he never paid up till I  threatened I would send the bill to his wife along with the address of his bit on the side where I had delivered the bike to so his wife didn't know about the bike or his totty.
He had the cheek to put a cheque inside a christmas card.

[R]

I've been  twice been asked to leave bike shows because my restored bike was far above the rest; that was  the reason given, not my conceit. I have had to give back a trophy because  they found I restored for a living,been asked to leave shows for same reason;  one VMCC section used to alter the rules to stop me as a trader taking home a trophy, again.

One of the chaps here taught "motor vehicle restoration" for a living through the local vehicle training repair school, and everything he turned out himself was concours.
So after he won a few trophies, the local bike club made him a judge - and of course you can't give your own bikes any trophies ..
Simple solution to sticky problem

And make sure you cast an eye over the judging rules.
A chopper/bobber BSA C10 won a trophy one year, brass plated fittings and lurid green and all.
No other entries in its class, no rule to say no trophy shall be given ...

[Rex]

In a similar vein, at a local annual bike show there's a class for non-British or Japanese bikes. If I enter the Chief it's up against some ratty Guzzi V50 or Jawa/CZ so an award would be guaranteed, which is why I've only entered it twice in ten years.
A riding mate with an Ariel sloper (pre-war) that he bought in it's restored condition gets Best Pre-War every year, but he can't see the problem.