Is Papakura a good spot for a motorcycle workshop?

[The_Dover]

anyone who thinks travelling 30km's to get work done on a bike is too far is a fucking fag.

you should do a mobile workshop shaun. why the hell would anyone want to travel to get work done on their bike.

[Shaun]

anyone who thinks travelling 30km's to get work done on a bike is too far is a fucking fag.

you should do a mobile workshop shaun. why the hell would anyone want to travel to get work done on their bike.

Seriously thought about that mate, but the logistics for it are a wee bit tricky

[Shaun]

MANAKAU? Have an option on a brilliant work shop in this area! Lets here the pro's and cons on it

[Nicksta]

thats heaps closer to a more central location.. and easy access from the southern motorway.....

[Ixion]

Pros:

More central.
Near the motorway (probably)
Lots of employment near , for the drop it in on way to work, collect that evening folk
Handy to suppliers and special services
Reasonably close to some affluent areas.
No competition that I can think of

Cons

In the middle of a low decile perimeter
Lot of crime, you might want to check effect on insurance. Budget for a few breakins each year.
You were thinking of living over the shop? Might not want to live in Manukau
What Mr Motu said. No-one ever seems to make a go of bike shops south of the Tamaki
Manukau's a warren of cheap car workshops. But cheap is the fundamental word, $20 WoF types of thing. Expect local clientele to be hard to collect money from.
Manukau's like mangere (though not as bad) in that it's a place where people with money consciously choose to keep away from.

Being as you're from the 'naki, you might want to take a trip up and have a wander round Manukau, get the feel of it. It may be something you're not familiar with. So to speak.

[SixPackBack]

I think you need to experience Auckland traffic for a few weeks to get some appreciation of the logistics involved with dropping off and picking up a bike-in short its a fuckin' nightmare even on a bike, and a severe impediment to business.

Go central Shaun 30K is nowt. And start thinking about staff well before you need them. [like 2-3 months before, competent tradesmen/technicians are as rare as rockin' horse shit!]

[Shaun]

I think you need to experience Auckland traffic for a few weeks to get some appreciation of the logistics involved with dropping off and picking up a bike-in short its a fuckin' nightmare even on a bike, and a severe impediment to business.

Go central Shaun 30K is nowt. And start thinking about staff well before you need them. [like 2-3 months before, competent tradesmen/technicians are as rare as rockin' horse shit!]

Thanks for all your input with this. I already have 2 Qualified mechanics that I would be employing just weighting for me to say the word!

One person will live on the premisses all the time, this will make it a lot easier for early morning drop off's and evening pick up's, as well as there will be a pick up drop service offered

[Edbear]

MANAKAU? Have an option on a brilliant work shop in this area! Lets here the pro's and cons on it

My Company, (well not mine, per se, but the one I work for), is relocating to Manukau early-mid year and will have the largest operating showroom in Australasia, or so they say. It will be interesting to go and see the site, at the moment under reconstruction/modernisation. But they searched long and hard before finding a site they were happy with. Manukau would be better than Papakura, IMHO, but I agree with the views above.

[Firefight]

never worried me to go a bit further for good service, would ride Puke to hamiltron to get R6 serviced at Waikato Yamaha.

think manukau is a good idea, puke is close to the track, but has a couple of new expanded bike servicing facilites and some of the old school small private
bike shop mecahnics, who are well established, no doubt you know who I mean.

good luck with your venture


F/F

[pritch]

Being as you're from the 'naki, you might want to take a trip up and have a wander round Manukau, get the feel of it.

LOL you might attract a crowd though, ginga is not a common hair colour in those parts :-)

[_Gina_]

Lot of crime, you might want to check effect on insurance. Budget for a few breakins each year.

I can back this one up.

One of our refurbishment suppliers who is located in Ryan Place, Manukau has had no end of drama with people breaking in over the years (from memory three a year?).
The place is set up like fort knox, bars across all the entry points etc...and a stones throw from the cop shop too.

The most recent one involved two of our cars;

They managed to make it through the roof and while the alarm was going nuts they used our Primera to smash through the bars and roller door, so they could get the Diamante VRX Ralli Art out.

Their insurance premiums are farkin high.

Something to take into consideration really....

G

[Wytch]

Papakura would rock..

For somewhere that's supposed to be so far out of town we sure saw a shitloads of bikes when we went out today.

South Aucklanders have bikes they care about too and a good workshop out this way would be an improvement.

[Donor]

Woot

Papakura would be hell handy

Nice available location in the CBD recently become available too, handy to the train and bus stations that want to get out an about while waiting for the small jobs, or a shit load of coffee places for those who want to hang around for a WOF or some equally shortish job to be done.

Plus I'm lazy.

[Dai]

Shaun,

Talk to Idleidolidyll. I know that you know him personally as Mike has spoken to me of you a few times.

I started riding here in Sth Auckland (North Bombay) 35 years ago and then there were a few bike shops around. One I remeber was Dave Muller's Honda dealership in Manurewa.

At present there are two shops that I know of here, Moto Extreme on the Takanini straight and there is one on the back streets not far from it.

As far as I know the next closest shop is going to be Haldanes in Ellerslie.

As to customer base. Papakura is one of the fastest growing suburbs in greater Auckland. Pukekohe is booming and growing all the time. When you think of it Puke is only 15 min from the motorway and Papakura is adjacent to such.

I have been back here in Papakura for 4 years now and though the number of bikes no way is as high as it was in the 70's , it is growing.

If I think nothing of taking my bike into central for work (only 31 km to Newmarket) then I can see no reason why others wouldnt think anything of bringing their bike south apart from some sort of prejudiced opinions. Especially for good work, well done and reasonably priced.

This is only my opinion but I for one would frequent your work shop.

Since Mike told me about your work I have been even conlemplating bringing my bike down to where you are now, to get suspension rebuilt and set up.

[McJim]

Papakura or Manukau would suit me - they're both right on the motorway so not much difference in terms of ride time to get there.

If you want to prevent the locals from breaking in in Papakura just put a sign up saying "Tresspassers will be shagged by The_Dover" that will sort them out.