A history of bike shops in Auckland

[Katman]

P & R Motors - Suzuki dealers in Takanini. Ralph Emson and his son Steve from memory.

Bought my first Katana off them.

[Taz]

And the shop on ponsonby road that had the CZ's and stuff. Think it was Auckland Motorcycles. Used to go in there as a youngun.

[Bikemad]

And the shop on ponsonby road that had the CZ's and stuff. Think it was Auckland Motorcycles. Used to go in there as a youngun.

yeah that was john guerneys? shop........later moved to Rosebank road..............downhill from there

[Pixie]

There were two shops on Ponsonby Rd - Auckland Motorcycles and the shop that sold eastern bloc stuff like Jawa and Ural

I bought my second and third bikes off Whites in Broadway -where 277 is now- off a salesman named Dave? Farquhar I think he went to work for Mollers -the Yamaha importer.
Brians Yamaha in Beach Rd was formerly a Whites Branch and Greenlane Motorcycles was formerly Len Perry's.
Bob Haldanes was know as "The Hole in The Wall" by Mollers Yamaha because the little shop in Manukau Rd outsold Mollers retail dealership (latterly Graeme Crosby and now Red Baron) in tyres and new bikes.
Haldane had a mechanic working for him for a while that moved onto the Honda MotoGP team and is now in a fairly high position.Can't remember his name,he used to come on Auckland Uni Bike Club rides.

Ray Pratt who owns AMPS used to have a workshop in the basement of a factory in Stoddard Rd,I brought and emergency chain link for my RD 350 one saturday -this was when NZ was shut on the weekend

[avgas]

Tis a pity the market changed.
Otherwise we could all still be dealing with a monopoly of Miserable shits.

[Bikemad]

Bob Haldanes was know as "The Hole in The Wall" by Mollers Yamaha because the little shop in Manukau Rd outsold Mollers retail dealership (latterly Graeme Crosby and now Red Baron) in tyres and new bikes.
Haldane had a mechanic working for him for a while that moved onto the Honda MotoGP team and is now in a fairly high position.Can't remember his name,he used to come on Auckland Uni Bike Club rides.

that was Peter Benson............bought my first guzzi from Bob back then..............many years later when Pete was spannering for Rossi when in the Honda Team i used to get a few kicks telling
people my bikes used to be serviced by Rossis mechanic.............heheh

[doc]

Ray Pratt who owns AMPS used to have a workshop in the basement of a factory in Stoddard Rd,I brought and emergency chain link for my RD 350 one saturday -this was when NZ was shut on the weekend

That was Universal wasn't it ?

What about John Hempleman in Onehunga ? As a schoolboy dreaming about bikes I always use to drool over a BMW 600 in the shop window .

[Max Preload]

The mega dredge!

[scott411]

Do not forget " Shaft Motor Cycles" this place was in Otahuhu I did a year of my apprenticeship as a M/C mechanic . We used to get a lot of triumphs from the "45" Gang . I can remember the owner I think his name was David Beckham but don't quote me on the name as it was in the 70's that I worked there. We also used to get the odd Hells Angel bike in for repair I got to know one of them his name was Shane Moore. He was infamous for biting of the head of a sparrow that he caught and spitting the head at a cop. I remember going to their club house and tuning their Triumphs and BSA`s for free I did not feel that it was appropriate to mention money as these guys were heavy and not to be messed around with.

Shaft Motorcycles merged with Ray Pratts Universal Motorcycles to become Auckland Motorcycles and Powersports, the Beckham you name is Ian Beckhuas, he is Triumph NZ now,

[scott411]

P & R Motors - Suzuki dealers in Takanini. Ralph Emson and his son Steve from memory.

Bought my first Katana off them.

When P & R were in Elliot Street Papakura, i took the long way home from school many times to have a look at the shop

[Katman]

When P & R were in Elliot Street Papakura, i took the long way home from school many times to have a look at the shop

Was that after they moved out of the shop in Takanini?

I remember the shop in Elliot Street but couldn't remember who it was.

There was also a Yamaha shop across the road from the P & R shop in Takanini for a little while. Can't remember the name though.

[scott411]

i am pretty sure that was after, it would be around 1990 that i remember them in Elliot street,

i do remember Papakura Motorcycles being Yamaha, on Tironui Road, that was later on tho,

[Voltaire]

What a good read, I spent too much rebuilding a SL 125 at Kingsland Honda in the early 80's....and Lloyd is still there!!!!
Bought my first big bike a 500/4 from Mt Eden Motorcycle Wreckers ( now a bike shop) and parts from round the corner at Russells.
I used to look in the window of Auckland Motorcycles at the brand new Ducati Mille 1000 and the Blue Darmah for 6K.....I went to Aussie a few months later and bought a Darmah for $ 2700.00 and still have it.
I've head stories about a shop in Onehunga called ...Hemplemens....or something like that...

[JimO]

not Auckland but does anybody remember Motorcycle Engineering in Dunedin, they used to be Bland Brothers and went on to become Uptown Motorcycles

[Mom]

The mega dredge!

Cool eh?

I remember wagging school, being picked up by my boyfriend outside of Pakuranga College and going on his parts run into town on a fairly regular basis. Whites in Newmarket, Colemans K Road, can not remember where we went for Honda bits. He worked at what started out as a garage repairing bikes down the back of Fram Filters in Howick and went on to become Howick Suzuki, cnr Moore St and Union Rd. That partnership spawned a Honda dealer at Mt Wellington, on the Panmure Highway opposite what was Masport (Mason & Porter, dear God I am old )

Boyfriend and I went on to become Suzuki and then Suzuki/Kawasaki dealers in Warkworth.

I need a lie down now