Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Gliderjohn on March 11, 2025, 10:58:06 PM
-
Any of the long timers here are aware of some very interesting "characters" over the years who were dealers or related independents. The one that sticks out in my mind is Don Kitchen. In 2002 I remarried and moved to Hays, KS. Not a Meca for Guzzi folk. When I had mentioned to Frank Wedge that I was moving to Hays he gave me directions to Don's place and told me Don was primarily a BMW mechanic but also knew his way around Guzzis. So...I ride the T-3 over to his place which was an old concrete plant or something like that and he had a shop in what looked like a bunker out of a Mad Max movie. At that time he was a grizzled looking old guy chain smoking unfiltered Camels. I had the T-3 looking quite spiffy. When I pulled in and parked it he came out of his "bunker" walked over and slowly walked around the T-3 looking intently at it without saying a word. He then looked up at me and said "Oh, you are one of those." I replied with "Excuse me, what do you mean?" and he said "One of those who keep a clean, polished bike". End of story was we really ended up with a nice visit and learned he was one of the very first Honda dealers in the US at the time.
-
I think to a degree all the dealers we had in Western New York were characters. Two that stand out are Walter Kohl and his wife Anna who had a dealership near Lockport, NY. His original place was an old farm with bikes inside and outside of a couple of barns. He goes back at least to WWII if not earlier and sold BSAs, later Yamahas and of course Guzzis which he called Guzz ees (rhymes with Cuz eee). He wore bib over overalls and would pull out a wad of bills bigger than a softball.
A number here knew Al Gillen whose shop was in Holland, NY. Al suffered no tire kickers. He wasted no time telling you to get out if he thought you were in there just to waste his time but if he thought you were serious he gave the best deals of anyone this side of the Atlantic. $13K bikes for less than $10k.
Al’s son, Brian, got his ME degree, went over and got a job at Marelli. Al had no problem getting EV TPS’s and selling them for a third of what most US dealers sold them for. Then Brian went over to MV and became chief of development there and now has a similar position at Norton. Very bright guy and has a number of youtube videos about MVs and Norton
Al and Brian.
(https://i.ibb.co/kVbkRS0n/IMG-0351.jpg) (https://ibb.co/kVbkRS0n)
Pete
-
Ace Mallot
Wrenches and rides with crocs, shorts and a tank top and rides fast
Great guy and wrench!
inditx
-
When I first started riding motorcycles I bought a Yamaha from Ralph Strong Motorcycles in Waterford Ct. I visited from time to time to drool over the Triumphs, BSA's, Bultacos, BMW's etc. One day I was at the parts counter getting something from Pappy. A guy walked up to the counter with a Bultaco barrel and piston. He showed Ralph that the piston was much too oversize for it to even fit in the bore. Apparently he had the cylinder bored prior to spec without the piston being present. Ralph calmly reached under the counter and came up with a 2lb hammer. The laughter was quite prevalent all around. Ralph told him to leave it and it would be ready first thing in the morning.
Another fun time was at Aurora Honda in Aurora Colo. A few of us were hanging out in the service area when the common discussion of which oil was the best was taking place, mainly Castrol vs Valvoline. The discussion went on for a bit when the owner, Wayne, piped up with "I've seen more engine damage by lack of rather than brand." Again another round of merriment. I really miss the old time motorcycle shops. Current shops I have visited in Reno, the Harley store is high pressure, I won't even step in to look at a new model even though I have no intention of buying. Visiting the MG shop is as antisocial as a hospital.
kk
-
I miss the old small shops too. Both Emporia, KS and the Wichita area had good small dealers through 70s-80s. For a large modern dealer Motopia here in ABQ is not bad. Is is an established dealer that added MG about a year ago and have sold many. What is unusual is that They only sell and service bikes. No ATVS or lawn equipment nor watercraft. They sell Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Triumph, Royal Enfield, Beta and MZ. Last time I was there I counted 96 new bikes on the floor. The owners and staff are all riders. They sell a lot of bikes. They also will work on any older stuff they are comfortable with.
GliderJohn
-
Regarding the old dealers, of the 7 in the area, closer than 70 miles, none had more than two employees and a few only one who was owner, service, and parts guy.
Pete
-
They sell Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Triumph, Royal Enfield, Beta and MZ.
GliderJohn
MZ has been out of business since 2008.
-
Meant MV Augusta.
-
I think to a degree all the dealers we had in Western New York were characters. Two that stand out are Walter Kohl and his wife Anna who had a dealership near Lockport, NY. His original place was an old farm with bikes inside and outside of a couple of barns. He goes back at least to WWII if not earlier and sold BSAs, later Yamahas and of course Guzzis which he called Guzz ees (rhymes with Cuz eee). He wore bib over overalls and would pull out a wad of bills bigger than a softball.
Pete
Walter.A.Kohl rolled up my driveway on his Guzzi around 1980, I was 17 years old and working on my Harley 350 Sprint (still have it). Guess he thought it was an old Goose from a distance. I went to their Lockport shop many times and Anna was always there. Tough old bird she was. Always on the lookout for a "red frame" V7. One day my pal bumped into her, literally, and he was knocked off his footing, it never altered her stride! :grin: We still laugh about that one. They had other buildings around Lockport with scads of ancient bikes in them.
-
Walter.A.Kohl rolled up my driveway on his Guzzi around 1980, I was 17 years old and working on my Harley 350 Sprint (still have it). Guess he thought it was an old Goose from a distance. I went to their Lockport shop many times and Anna was always there. Tough old bird she was. Always on the lookout for a "red frame" V7. One day my pal bumped into her, literally, and he was knocked off his footing, it never altered her stride! :grin: We still laugh about that one. They had other buildings around Lockport with scads of ancient bikes in them.
They were both tough old birds. Looked like hicks but probably worth more than half the county. I was able to get upstairs at the downtown Lockport location by the canal a couple of times looking for parts. Hundred of mostly junkers. Some years ago a guy did a youtube video of that place, not sure its still on there though.
Here you go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23KHzE_yrFk
Pete
-
Dolezal Brothers sold Guzzis in Chicago in the 70s when I got mine.After Easy Rider came out a Daily News reporter interviewed them about the choppers.which they ridiculed.One of the brothers said he started riding because an old timer told him he could always find a girl who would ride on the back .They also sold me a g5 seat for my t3 for 40$.He said someone exchanged it for a king queen seat.
-
Joe Eish in Salinesville, Ohio ran a dealership out of a large garage on their farm. Joe passed several years ago, I believe his wife Ida Mae is still around. Great folks.
-
Who could forget Joe Eish? Call him up, order some parts. He sends them with a bill, you send him back a check. Who does that anymore.
Pete
-
Marshal Elmer in Menasha WI is who I used to deal with. He had a rather large lot on a corner that included his shop, his personal house, a couple of rental properties, and a bar/pool hall. He sold most European brands except BMW. Later he quit selling new bikes but had a good business servicing all the bikes he sold in years past. He once built a double engine Norton for drag racing. Wasn't the famed Hog Slayer but was just as good. In his later years he was building mostly Triumphs to be mostly in stock form from all the parts he had amassed and sending them back to England. He rode a Guzzi T-3 for his personal bike for well over 200,000 miles and then switched to a Benelli 900SEI that sat on his show room floor for years unsold. He let me ride that bike once. I should have bought the other one he had on the floor.
-
One more story about Marshal Elmer's shop, I was there once when a guy showed up from Florida with a Triumph that needed service. Marshal told me he was a writer/author. I think it was Hunter Thompson.
-
Jim Figgins of Ned's Auto and Cycle in Riverside, IA is among the most decent human beings I've ever met. He was a character and ran a very fine shop.
-
The old Harley dealer in Madison also sold Guzzis in the 80s.I took my t3 in for a ujoint replacement and he pointed to all the shiny Harleys and said ,they’re all junk.He later rode a v 50 to AK with a friend,he was in his 70s .
-
Meant MV Augusta.
Agusta! Tough day John.
-
Who could forget Joe Eish? Call him up, order some parts. He sends them with a bill, you send him back a check. Who does that anymore.
Pete
Joe was the shit. Try to keep up with him on a ride. Too many stories I could tell.
T d F
-
Marshal Elmer in Menasha WI is who I used to deal with. He had a rather large lot on a corner that included his shop, his personal house, a couple of rental properties, and a bar/pool hall. He sold most European brands except BMW. Later he quit selling new bikes but had a good business servicing all the bikes he sold in years past. He once built a double engine Norton for drag racing. Wasn't the famed Hog Slayer but was just as good. In his later years he was building mostly Triumphs to be mostly in stock form from all the parts he had amassed and sending them back to England. He rode a Guzzi T-3 for his personal bike for well over 200,000 miles and then switched to a Benelli 900SEI that sat on his show room floor for years unsold. He let me ride that bike once. I should have bought the other one he had on the floor.
Once upon a time, I went on a lot of "ride abouts" in my home State. I picked out Menasha for a stop, (maybe it was to see where all the manhole covers were made. I know, I know that was Neenah), I set up my tent at High Cliff State Park where the Lime Kilns were, and rode into town to sample the local color. I found this absolute dive skull orchard dump bar at US 10 ad State 114 (I think), that had off kilter pool tables and Karaoke. The bar owner/tender was to say the least, cantankerous. Being single at time, it was a target rich environment as well. Closed it up, went to my tent :evil:, and in the AM came back into town to find the supposed local Guzzi dealer. To my shock, the Guzzi Shop, was right next to the bar I had been in, and the bar owner was also the bike shop owner, who lived in the house in back. He had new Laverdas, Benellis, Guzzis and Brit bikes, most had sat there for years. He liked to put Norton front ends on Guzzis. And you could always tell if Marshal had worked on a bike, because it always had green Loctite on the cardan joint and carrier bearing. Eventually, the State condemned the property, turned it into a Kwik Trip, and he moved to Eldorado WI of all places. Did business with him many times for some time before he passed, Joe Eish like he was, write a check, shake of the hand. Old, old school, sorely missed.......
T d F
-
Characters, huh.. I'll second Ace Mallot, but nobody tops Mark Etheridge at Moto Guzzi Classics. If you've met him, no further discussion is necessary. :grin: Heart of gold and as honest as one gets.
-
Agusta! Tough day John.
Well...you at least know what I Was talking about. :grin:
GliderJohn
-
^^^
I imagine from seeing some of the posted videos on FB that he more than qualifies as a Guzzi Character. I have met Ace several times and he reminds of a "wild and crazy" guy who is also a talented wrench. All make for a more colorful world. When one thinks about it most "Guzzi folk" are a bit off center compared to most motorcycle folk, now to be an exclusive Guzzi dealer you probably "ain't right" but an interesting and colorful bloke.
GliderJohn
-
Even though he was not as out there as some the early Wichita area dealer, Ron Garcia, was a great guy, talented wrench with a great sense of humor. If work was slow he would take on Japanese bikes. One of my favorite quotes from him was..."The greatest procedure for tuning up a Japanese bike is using Armor All on the seat before the customer picks up the bike." I also miss his dog "Shop Rag". Last talked to him a bit over three years ago. Still seems to bedoing well basically truck farming still at his old location.
GliderJohn
-
Anyone recognize the guy who answered the phone with a 2 letter response,then after you identified yourself would pause before saying,What do you want?You had better be prepared to answer a barrage of questions about your bike.After satisfying himself that you had some minimal understanding of Guzzis he would diagnose your problem and tell you what parts you needed.Not many guys knew as much about carb Guzzis .I asked another longtime customer if he disliked me for some reason as I had been a longtime customer and was told no he is like that with everybody.
-
The old Harley dealer in Madison also sold Guzzis in the 80s.I took my t3 in for a ujoint replacement and he pointed to all the shiny Harleys and said ,they’re all junk.He later rode a v 50 to AK with a friend,he was in his 70s .
Al Decker. He started selling Guzzis in the late 60s, getting in on the first shipment Premier got of V700s. I tried hard to get the first one he got, had an engine number of 0012. He was lifelong best pal with my father (later ex, who sold me my first Guzzi) in law. Al RODE to Daytona every year, Alaska usually yearly. Most of the time, it was on an HD. I know he took a V50 once as you say. But told me that he never took the same bike twice to Alaska. Except one.....A green V65C!!! End of the highway 3 times he was proud to say.
T d F
-
Characters, huh.. I'll second Ace Mallot, but nobody tops Mark Etheridge at Moto Guzzi Classics. If you've met him, no further discussion is necessary. :grin: Heart of gold and as honest as one gets.
100% Chuck, we have a winner. Mark is one of a kind!
(https://i.ibb.co/9kNrLhGL/A36-AC585-2130-4252-84-D5-8-C20-C87-FB82-A.jpg) (https://ibb.co/9kNrLhGL)
-
A couple more Ralph Strong stories. One day a guy came in who needed a generator for an Ariel Four Square. Ralph told him give me a few minutes while I go upstairs and look. I didn't know there was an upstairs. I didn't think he could come up with such a thing. He came down with one shortly there after.
Ralph had also been an Indian dealer before they went belly up. He had a large picture frame mounted on the wall. It was labeled "Harley Davidson Parts and Tools." Mounted on it were, Vise Grips, an adjustable wrench, pliers, hammer and other hammer and tongs tools. Also a roll of baling wire and other miscellaneous dubious supplies.
I was looking for a bigger touring bike to replace my 2 stroke Yamaha a couple of months before I had to report to the induction station. I was kind of interested in a used Triumph but he didn't have one and it didn't look like he would get one. He had a 10 year old R50/2 BMW which he dragged out for me to test ride. He told me to take it for a long ride as I would need to give it a chance. I came back in about 5 minutes. He said "What are you doing here I told you to take it for a while." I bought it on the spot. His personal bike was an R60 fully decked out.
kk
-
What?????
No mention of the Haven brothers at MPH?
-
Ace Mallot
Wrenches and rides with crocs, shorts and a tank top and rides fast
Great guy and wrench!
inditx
Yep! been on some escapades with that old boy!
-
Anyone recognize the guy who answered the phone with a 2 letter response,
Cheeze at MG Cycle?
-
Who could forget Joe Eish? Call him up, order some parts. He sends them with a bill, you send him back a check. Who does that anymore.
S
Pete
Yes, ordered dozens of parts from them great customer service, and they usually had some of the more obscure Guzzi items.
John
-
One my favorite guys is a mechanic in a local shop. He's about 5'6" and lost a few teeth, bald and somewhere between 45 and 60. The man is a wealth on knowledge about anything and everything. Funny as hell and will talk your arm off. He has quite a road racing resume. Extremely good mechanic, discovered the cage bearing had come apart in my Greenie's gearbox, might've saved my life. He's had a couple of bad crashes in the last year or so. His leg and ankle were broken pretty bad and his foot was pointed sideway. Just after that he wrecked again going to the laundromat, didn't have gear on went down hard, the bike caught fire burned all of his clothes. I think he spent some time in ICU, he's coworkers had to bring him some clothes. Anyway, he's back at it. He didn't miss much worse considering how bad of shape he was in. He's been working on my Duc and Greenie (hopefully we'll get the SKF tools to disassemble the gearbox soon). I was there yesterday and he was parting out his Tuono that caught fire. He was bright, cheerful, talked my ear off and funny as hell. When I mentioned the shop was waiting for the socket from SKF, he was surprised, made a joke and said he'd just make one.
-
Eventually, the State condemned the property, turned it into a Kwik Trip, and he moved to Eldorado WI of all places. Did business with him many times for some time before he passed, Joe Eish like he was, write a check, shake of the hand. Old, old school, sorely missed.......
That's not quite how that went down. That Kwik Trip wanted that property for a long time and Marshal wouldn't sell. The Kwik Trip lawyers located his ex-wife who was quite the looker. They hired her to romance Marshal. One night when he had to close the bar she refused to leave and he had to physically push her out the door to lock up. She fell and "bumped her head". She (They) sued him for everything he had. That's when he was forced to move to Winchester.
-
Larry Klien at GT Motors in Lansing Michigan. Very intelligent and very honest. Guzzi drove him out with their bs in 07-08. He then concentrated on service and his growing book business. RIP 2015.
Brian
-
I think Manfred Hecht deserves a place here. Not that I have spent a lot of time with him. I dropped off parts at his fortress in Williamsburg and picked them up. Chain smoking, intense, definitely one of the best Guzzi tuners out there.
Maybe a few others have deeper insights.
Pete
-
Anyone remember Franz, the first owner of Spare Parts in Philly. The only Moto Guzzi dealer within 200 miles. Only shop to get parts quick back in the day, but you might have too wait outside the shop on Vine street, until he decided to open, irrespective of the posted hours. Pricing was also somewhat subjective. His protege took over a few years ago, and has a great reputation.
-
Larry Klein would bring Italian pastries to the Michigan rallies for dessert at the pasta dinners.Generous guy.
-
As a kid fresh out of College I had the fanatasy of riding a motorcyle accross the USA. In the mid 70's it was not an everyday thing and seemed quite exotic to me. Watching Easy Rider probably had something to do with that. I fell in love with a 1965 BMW R50/2 with a blown motor which I bought for $600. Having always tinkered with motors I thought it would be a walk in the park to rebuild it myself. Long story short, it was above my pay grade. I wound up meeting a fellow BMW fanatic, Phil Cheney, and he took me under his wing and helped with the rebuild. Off I went for the better part of a year with $300, a half worn out tire strapped to the rear rack (for when the other half worn out tire was worn out) and had a life changing adventure. When I returned Phil was working at Lindner's Cycle Shop in New Canaan. CT. The owner was an old timer named Gordon Lindner and he had a side kick named Dick Sanderson. They were both still riding in their 70's (seemed ancient to me then). I wound up hanging around the shop quite a bit since I had become a shop teacher in the same town. Lunch breaks were often spent at the shop . Back then you could grab a part you needed from stock and they would put in on your bill to pay later. They had a small group that did a Sunday ride and I felt privileged to be invited to join in. Over the years this ride grew to become a major event in Danbury Ct. Anyway, not many shops left like Lindner's. I am now in the age group that Gordon and Dick were when we met. How did that happen?! I feel fortunate to have connected with some great folks at that small old time shop. It was later sold and grew in size and last I heard is now history.
Ken