John Dale Motorcycles, K' Rd, Auckland

[scootnz]

Any older KB'rs who remember John Dale Motorcycles? The Master?

The shop closed in 1974.

I am specifically interested in the scooters they assembled and sold, but also any other tidbits, and wondered if anyone on KB had any memories to offer.

This is for a story/article I am putting together about John Dale Motorcycles.

[Taz]

John Dales son Bob Dale went on to run Motor Imports Wholesale which then amalgamated with Forbes and Davies wholesale. Johns bike shop was a little before my time but I did work for Bob for a decade.

[scootnz]

Thats right, and I have been in touch with F & D, and Bob Dale is still around, living on the Hibiscus Coast. Just trying to locate a phone number for him now, he doesn't appear to be in the white pages.




John Dales son Bob Dale went on to run Motor Imports Wholesale which then amalgamated with Forbes and Davies wholesale. Johns bike shop was a little before my time but I did work for Bob for a decade.

[Taz]

Robert was his middle name from memory....... Will try to remember his first name.

[scootnz]

Companies register gives Robert Hinds Dale, which F & D confirmed - still can't find in the white pages though...maybe unlisted.


Robert was his middle name from memory....... Will try to remember his first name.

[Badjelly]

Is that the firm that was said to have lost its Honda (?) franchise because they didn't treat some bigwig visitors in the manner to which they were accustomed? Whatever, there was some franchise-switching in the early 1970s involving them and Bill Russell Motorcycles on Mt Eden Rd.

[Taz]

Bob also owned FFM in waihi. Maybe another avenue for you?

[scootnz]

Thats interesting - yes I've been told they lost the Honda agency in 74, and he closed the shop because Honda was where the money was coming in. He was building a new shop (where Coleman Suzuki is now) at the time.



Is that the firm that was said to have lost its Honda (?) franchise because they didn't treat some bigwig visitors in the manner to which they were accustomed? Whatever, there was some franchise-switching in the early 1970s involving them and Bill Russell Motorcycles on Mt Eden Rd.

[Badjelly]

Thats interesting - yes I've been told they lost the Honda agency in 74, and he closed the shop because Honda was where the money was coming in. He was building a new shop (where Coleman Suzuki is now) at the time.

OK, but I think the shop (at the corner of Karangahape Rd, Ponsonby Rd, Great Nth Rd and Newton Rd) stayed open as a Suzuki dealer for a while. I remember going there to buy parts for my Suzuki 250.

[Badjelly]

OK, but I think the shop (at the corner of Karangahape Rd, Ponsonby Rd, Great Nth Rd and Newton Rd) stayed open as a Suzuki dealer for a while...

Oh, I see from the Yellow Pages that that's where Colemans Suzuki is now. I thought it must have moved. Well, there was a Honda dealer at the same site called John Dale Motorcycles when I bought my first motorised two-wheeler (a Vespa), which must have been 1972. I passed it on my frequent trips to the Vespa dealer (can't remember the name) 50 m down K Rd on the other side.


That interesting - yes I've been told they lost the Honda agency in 74, and he closed the shop because Honda was where the money was coming in. He was building a new shop (where Coleman Suzuki is now) at the time.

I guess what I'm saying is that he lost the Honda agency some time after the shop on the Colemans Suzuki site was opened.

[Ixion]

I don't think Colemans is quite on the same spot as Dales was. As I recall (but it was many years ago), Dales was entered from K Rd. Colemans is entered from that side street. Also, I'm *almost* certain that Dales had an upstairs. Is Dale's old shop now a camping and outdoors stuff shop?

[MacD]

I don't think Colemans is quite on the same spot as Dales was. As I recall (but it was many years ago), Dales was entered from K Rd. Colemans is entered from that side street. Also, I'm *almost* certain that Dales had an upstairs. Is Dale's old shop now a camping and outdoors stuff shop?

I think Colemans also used to be in the camping shop site, but moved to the rear site in the 80s (or was it the early 90s when the cheap Jap import cars arrived)?

[Badjelly]

As I recall (but it was many years ago), Dales was entered from K Rd.

As I recall (but it was many years ago) Dales had a frontage on K Rd and also on Newton Rd. It was quite a big, white building and it may have had a mezzanine or a 2nd floor.

Geez, I hope none of the young buggers read this thread and poke fun at the old blokes reminiscing (or trying to reminisce, if only they could remember).

[Motu]

I used to go to John Dale's bike shop nearly every thursday night back in the early '70's - that's where the new Honda's were to be seen.He used to be a Matchless agent,but as they faded away in the mid '60's I'm not sure what he shifted out the door before Honda became acceptable....possibly Norton,I'm pretty sure there were Commando's to be seen there.

Old John dale himself used to wander around sometimes,but he didn't get involved in the day to day running of the place....just like Bill White,you knew who he was,he might say hello,but wouldn't deal with riff raff tyre kickers with long hair.

I'm pretty sure they occupied the whole new building,there was certainly an upstairs.

[scootnz]

Thanks guys, some of this is helpful.

I have spoken to two mechanics who worked at John Dales.

He had a shop which was 3 storeys, and a central shaft to hoist bikes/scooters down to the ground floor. There was also an assembly factory behind the shop, where nzeta scooters were assembled from CKD. Both buildings are apparently still there and intact, and I will be arranging to get to Auckland sometime this year to check them out. They are on K'rd, about a block in from Ponsonby Rd. I've had a look at google maps street view to try and see, but the lane behind the shop has been closed in to make a pedestrian mall so can't see in there.

John Dales sold the following scooters: Nzeta, Cezeta, Puch, Silver Pigeon, Fuji Rabbit, Ducati Brio (moped), and Honda cubs. Most of the scooters other than the cub would have been sold in the 60's and faded away before the 70's.

Of course he sold motorcycles - but my main interest is the scooters.

[scott411]

i can remember Colemans being on the K Road frontage where r and r sport are now, that would have been early to mid eighties,

[Motu]

I thought Laurie Summers did the CZeta as one of his Iron curtain deals,he was the CZ/Jawa dealer after all...but my wife reckons it was John Dale as she is more in the know on that stuff.

[cs363]

i can remember Colemans being on the K Road frontage where r and r sport are now, that would have been early to mid eighties,


Dunno how you can remember that seeing as you weren't even born then.... :rofl:

But seriously, yes - Colemans was where R&R Sport are now and it was two stories (possibly three, but I can only remember two being open to the public). My memories of it are between late 70's and mid/late 80's. If I recall correctly Colemans moved to where they are now in th early 90's.
When the shop was on K Road it was owned by the Ouerhand(not sure of correct spelling) family (at least in the latter stages, not sure about earlier)and mainly run by the two brothers one of whom was Tim.

[scootnz]

Anything more about Laurie Summers could be helpful too...if your wife knows any more I would like to hear it!


I thought Laurie Summers did the CZeta as one of his Iron curtain deals,he was the CZ/Jawa dealer after all...but my wife reckons it was John Dale as she is more in the know on that stuff.

[scott411]

Dunno how you can remember that seeing as you weren't even born then.... :rofl:.

i know my youthfull good looks make me seem younger than i am, :laugh::laugh:
but i can remember going up to pick up bikes with my old man there, must have been about 85-86 when we still lived in whakatane

[cs363]

i know my youthfull good looks make me seem younger than i am, :laugh::laugh:

Careful, you're starting to sound like your old man.... :laugh:


but i can remember going up to pick up bikes with my old man there, must have been about 85-86 when we still lived in whakatane

Yeah I remember when we were young (shut up!) we used to ride up to Auckland from Hamilton and do 'the rounds' of the bike shops - Colemans, Laurie Summers, Bill Russell, Kingsland Honda, Forbes & Davies, Bob Haldane's and the rest.

[Motu]

Anything more about Laurie Summers could be helpful too...

Laurie Summers real name was something like Lorenzo von Sumaruza,I have the correct spelling somewhere but can't be bothered,they used to call him The Barron.He originally had a used car yard (my wife's father was a car painter and did a few jobs for him).Being obviously of some eastern european decent he must of had some contacts to get import licenses for the bike he brought in.He did Jawa and CZ,DKW,Zundapp,maybe some others.Then he picked up the Kawasaki agency.He also sold Laverda in the early '70's - I remember ogling over the 750.

All the bike shops in the '60's were very small - Bill Russell's shop was about the size of a single car garage.Most of the shops all got bigger with the boom in the early '70's.The mechanics worked in atrocious conditions - at Len Perry's they didn't have a workshop,the mechanics worked under lean too's in the open gravel yard.

[rasty]

Dales used to be on the other side of K Rd from R&R sports, on the next corner along. They were Matchless agents in the 60s and I remember trying to persuade them to bring in 650CSR in about 65 to no avail. (Wasn't easy to get a new bike then) I did buy a CB350 from them in 71 though.

[denill]

Mmmm, most of the foregoing posts are on the button. Myself and partner drove to Auckland one day, talked to John Dale and drove home again with the Honda dealership. The building was an old rambling multi storey structure with uneven wooden floors. John I recall as being rather tall and imposing. I also recall being marched to an adjacent cafe for lunch. He obviously didn’t splurge. Yes, he was previously the AMC importer, but in 1970 motorcycles came off import licensing and boom. It was a pleasure dealing with John Dale Limited until Blue Wing Honda took over, as I suspect they had the necessary capital available for the burgeoning range of Hondas. I understood John raced at the IoM and also, he was once the Mayor of Auckland. Good guy.......

[denill]

Dales used to be on the other side of K Rd from R&R sports, on the next corner along. They were Matchless agents in the 60s and I remember trying to persuade them to bring in 650CSR in about 65 to no avail. (Wasn't easy to get a new bike then) I did buy a CB350 from them in 71 though.

Yes. John Dale built a state of the art motorcycle shop on the other side of Karangahape Road. I recall it had a couple of glass cubes to showcase a motorcycle. I don’t think? Honda’s were sold from there. Coleman’s took it over with Suzuki. Is it still there?

[merv]

Like Denill has said I was going to say wasn't John Dale the Honda importers and not just a local shop as such, until Blue Wing came on the scene.

[Kiwiengineer]

Thanks this has been a very interesting read as I have a 59 matchless g2 that was imported by John dale.

[rambaldi]

Yes. John Dale built a state of the art motorcycle shop on the other side of Karangahape Road. I recall it had a couple of glass cubes to showcase a motorcycle. I don’t think? Honda’s were sold from there. Coleman’s took it over with Suzuki. Is it still there?

No, Coleman's move a year or two ago I think. They are now in Grey Lynn.

[Swoop]

No, Coleman's move a year or two ago I think. They are now in Grey Lynn.

Yup.
About a 5 min walk from the old place. The new location seems larger.

[geoffm]

I think Colemans also used to be in the camping shop site, but moved to the rear site in the 80s (or was it the early 90s when the cheap Jap import cars arrived)?

Yers, Colemans used to be at the front where Torpedo 7 e was until recently. I remember going in there to dribble over new bikes in the late 1980s. They had a Macintosh at one stage for sale as well/. $10k as I recall. "no one would pay that much for a bike!".
They later moved to the back of the building and more recenlty to McKelvie St in PonsSnobby.
Sorry - threead sidetrack.
It is amazing the numbe rof bike shops we used to have in Auckland. Little hole in the wall places everywhere, whcih goes to show how the number of bike riders has dropped off over the last 30+ years.