old dealerships

[OhioTed]

Paul Danik commented in another post about old dealerships.  This got me to thinking about some of the cool old shops I have known.

Just two for starters, which I stumbled across one day on my way to a job interview in the Beaver, Pennsylvania area.  First was Ingram's Penton.  I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ingram at Penton Day at the AMA a few years back.  Great guy, and the shop was in the garage/basement of his lovely, rural home.  Had a very pleasant visit with Mr. Ingram that day, and still have the two, awesome stickers he gave me.    

Later that day, in downtown Beaver, I spot a little, store-front shop with a Zundapp sign out front.  Well, I was of course drawn into that place as if by a magnet.  Don't remember the propriator's name or much else, but he did have some very cool, very enduro-ish Zundapps on the floor.  For a woodsy guy like me, it was fascinating, indeed.  

Would anyone else have knowledge of these shops - especially the Zundapp store?

[Kip Kern]

Don't know about Zundapp but there is still and original Bultaco shop here in Indiana that just closed the doors and left everything in the shop.  Oak trimmed glass cases full of stuff, complete dealer inventory on the shelves.  No bikes but some other neat stuff here and there.  I like to visit it whenever I am in the neighborhood, just for a pick me up (I also bought a cool Bultaco visor and fanny pack)!  Also, Jake Fischer's shop is still original as if he just closed her up in the late 70's.  Another nice place to visit in PA.  There are a few still out there, I can think of another one in central Ohio but not sure what they sold as my boss told me about it.

[garrettccovington]

About 5 years ago, I had a job where I had to travel around the country. I also have several "Airhead" Beemers and I would try to get a T-shirt from every BMW dealership.  At the time, BMW was trying to get all their Dealership to "Modernize"  I found this 1 dealership in Lake Crystal MN called Judson's.  This place is in the middle of nowhere and was sooo neat. The showroom was in a barn.  Loved it.
 
Funny Story,  I was in Cleavland and was driving my boss and her young assitants around and we drive past the "Penton Publications" building.  I slam on the brakes, park the car out front and tell the ladies.  "I've got a Penton back home, maybe these guy's are related, I got to check this out!"  I run in the building and tell the guard, "I got a Old Penton motorcycle is there somebody here I can talk to about them?"   The guard looks at me like I'm crazy and my boss walks in, starts yelling at me and says lets go!!! As we were walking out the door, the guard tells me, "I think its the same family."  Unfortunatly, we had to leave that day.  I often wondered about that.

G

72 six-day
79 KTM MC80 250

[sachsmx]

Unfortunately my favorite dealership has been out of business since the early 1980s, but in its day it was a dirt biker's paradise. Does anyone remember United Motor Sales in Mansfield, Ohio? I used to visit there at least 3 times a week during the late 1970s to early 1980s. I used to walk the 2 miles from home to the shop for parts or to just sit and dream about new bikes. I can remember going into the back room where all of the dirt bikes were kept, as many as 30 or more in its hey day. there's nothing like a room full of spanking new Penton/KTMs, Maicos, Can-Ams, Huskies, etc. They carried up to 28 brands at one time, including most of the Euro stuff and Honda.
I've always liked dealing with the Laidigs in Akron, as well. I've spent a lot of money there over the years. Denny always comes though with my parts requests, even to the point of breaking down wheel assemblies to sell me spokes, rims, or hubs when needed. I just wish they would focus more on vintage stuff these days.

[atk114]

I seem to remember Ted writting a nice piece about this wonderful dealership down in Florida, called Dirt Rider of Naples. They carried Penton & Can-Am bikes and were in business from 1972 to 1977.

Maybe he can add some of his memories here .

I wish they were still in business...




Keith R. Larson

[Mike Lenz]

I have a funny story about my local Penton shop from about 1975.  It was called Dupage Cycles, in Lisle IL.  A Penton and Tyran dealer.  It was run by this big burly guy (Dale maybe) and one day a few youngsters came in and were looking around and were talking among themselves about how much better their Honda's were than Pentons.  Well I saw the anger building up in Dale, building and building. And they kept talking trash and talking.  Finially Dale screamed at them " All you f***** Honda riders, get the hell out of here!  Man they flew out that door!! I fell down laughing!!!
We also used to have friday nite parties there.  We were open late on fridays and everyone who came in (that was of age...I have to say) had to have a beer or six on the house!
The guy that owned the place was a very good cylinder porter...but only if he was drunk! Man those Pentons ran. Just for the hell of it he ported a 400 as radical as possible.  I raced that bike at I think Verona Wi. and was told I broke the track record at the time in the first moto.  In the second moto it blew up chunking the rod right out the bottom of the motor!
That place was crazy! Went out of business the next year due to the owners drinking more than working. But that was a fun couple of years.
Mike

[OhioTed]

Ok, you twisted my arm, Keith.  Yes, DRoN was a great little shop.  I'm not sure how many Pentons were in SW Florida back in the 70's, but Keith and his family sure kept my Hare Scrambler well taken care of with parts and supplies.  Like many shops of its type, DRoN was small, but nontheless well-stocked and always there for us with support and advice.  I miss it too, Keith.

[atk114]

Ted,

Thanks again for the kind words. It's a bit different for me, as I was lucky to have my dad own a shop and I got to spend all my time there. Believe me, it was a wonderful time in my life and a great experience. I'm not sure if you remember, but just around the corner from DRoN was B & B Bikes who sold Maico and CZ. Their shop was really small but it was always fun to run over to see their bikes, and compare. We kind of shared a back street/alley and at times you could catch us drag racing each other.

Ted, I'm so happy your memories of our shop are good ones. Mine are too.

Keith R. Larson

[papur709]

How's about Honda of Piqua in Piqua, Ohio.  Sold Hondas, Pentons, Husqvarnas, Maicos, and for a while BMWs.  Stocked parts and had a large mail order business.

[dennis brown]

my friends shop was chuck bolhers shop in jamestown  ny.chuck and his wife cookie ran it. i started riding greeves there then huskys and  penton. was a good mentor and very good enduro and hare scrambles rider he won a silver medal the the isle of man isdt on a dalesman 175 he won the overall at the berkshire event yr before the isdt. he and cookie died quite young

dennis l.brown

[hanksie]

My favorite old shop was Mathias Cycle just outside Dover,Ohio. Owned by Don Mathias,Hugo`s son,it was the the place to go for BSA,Bultaco,Penton,Husky&Triumph. Don sold the dealership to Gene Robinson in the mid 70`s who took on BMW and still runs the shop today on the Southside of New Philly.  Bill

[400gs6]

Great thread, great memories!

Our local cool dirtbike shop was Cape Ann Cycle in Beverly, Mass.  It was the classic old little bike shop with a tremendous amount of inventory stuffed in.  Barbour jackets of all sizes, stacks of Hi Point boot boxes and Preston Petty products all over the walls and had a thick cigar stench at all times. Cape Ann was a Penton,Hodaka,Rickman dealer.  I had a Hodaka Wombat spring of '74 and would 'thumb' my way there from out home in Danvers al least once a week to buy parts for my always broken (mostly through fault of my own) and thrashed Hodaka. Even put a GEM reed kit on lay-a-way! Always drooled over the new Pentons but my paperboy salary did not allow for what seemed like such an unattainable goal at the time!

Kurt

[rich allison]

hanksie do you remember that bike in Mathias's showroom that had the V-8 in it? It set there forever I think the frame was painted green.

Rich
Millersburg,Ohio

[OhioTed]

I'm glad you mentioned the Mathias shop, Bill.  I never had the pleasure of visiting the old shop out on Rt 800 back when it was open.  It had to be a cool place.  

"My" Penton shop was Dale Burton & John Hochman's Lisbon Honda.  They also sold Pentons & Huskys.  That's where I bought my '75 250 Hare Scrambler, as a used bike, in '77.  My first visit there was in '74, and all I remember seeing was a whole row of new Pentons lined up against one wall, each one with the enduro kit installed.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  

Purchase of the HS went like this:  I went in, told Dale I was looking for a 250 Enduro.  He showed me two Hare Scramblers and a Husky WR.  I picked the cleaner of the two Pentons, rode it down the street behind the shop and across a field.  Turned around and rode back, wheelying the last block back to the shop, and told Dale I'd take it.  The best 800 bucks I ever spent.

I still remember hauling arse to the shop for parts and supplies on old twisty, windy St Rt 170, in a '68 Plymouth Satellite.  Skinny bias ply tires squeeling in the turns, slippin' back and forth on the bench seat, and no seat belt, averaging 70 mph.  Oh, those were the days . . .

[desmond197]

I remember going to GKR in Spring City PA and drooling over the Pentons and Husky's they sold. I remember it was an older couple that ran the place. Very small shop with about 5-6 bikes on the floor. I have more Pentons and Huskies in my entertainment room now than in their shop at the time  I could not afford one of those bikes but they were very nice any way. When I played Spring City with my band the old building they were in was still there.

My dad and I used to drive past the PUCH headquarters in Downingtown PA as well.

Also mention the OSSA dealer in Exton and Devon Honda in Devon PA with all those Bultacos and Huskies.