Little old fashion MX stores

[Tony Price]

Two shops come to mind, one from the past and one present.

I would have loved to have visited John Durrill's Penton shop, and I bet that Speedy's KTM shop in Canada is a fun visit.

I delivered parts for the now gone Fox Distributing back in the late 70's.  I delivered all over the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  There were some great shops in those days and I made a lot of friends.  

Sadly, of all of those shops the only ones that remain are now only parts and accessory shops that sell a limited inventory of used bikes.


Tony

[firstturn]

Tony,
  What was the name of the old shop either south of Denton???  He had a flat track behind his shop?  any clues?  If not I will find out the name.


Ron Carbaugh

[Tony Price]

Ron,

Was it off of I-35?  

I remember a couple of shops that had tracks, or something like a track.  

I do remember a shop around the Lake Dallas/Lewisville area that reveived a lot of flat track parts but I don't remember the track.

I was in school at the time, and some of those memories are a bit fuzzy! []



Tony

[taxman]

Avon/LaPorte KTM has always been fair. Randy & Barney are always helpful, only place you can interrupt the machanic (Barney) and he'll answer your questions. Fun place to bench race. Sorry....KTM purchased them and will take over in January 2005. Not sure what they are going to do. Refab dealer buy backs or something? You guys are right Dale Barris is the best. Bought my boy his first bike (Honda 80) there and whens he's ready for a KTM I'll buy it from Dale.

Jim

[Jeff D]

Gotta put my vote in for my local KTM/Husky/Ducati dealer...LETKO COMPETITION CYCLES in Kansas City, KS.  Jim Letellier is the off-road half of LETKO (Jim Koenig is the Ducati guru there) and he is everything a dealer should be, in my mind.  They are not the biggest, the newest, the cheapest, or any of that, but they have always treated me with HONESTY and FAIRNESS and they will do their best to help you with any problem you have.  Back when I was actively racing on a Husaberg (they use to handle those, too) my bike was in the shop for valve work and they couldn't get the parts in time, so Jim let me use his personal bike (ex-Team Mexico '94 ISDE bike) for two consecutive weekends of hare scrambles...all I did was show up and ride.  My closest thing to being a sponsored rider ever!  How many dealers will let you do that?  In return, when I bought the first RFS KTM Jim sold, I let him have it for a month to ride so he could see if he wanted one for hare scrambles and enduros (he waited a couple of years and now has a 250 RFS).  Anyway, if you need KTM or Husky help in Kansas City area, LETKO is THE place to go (there is another KTM dealer in town, but they are big multi-brand cycle-atv-watercraft dealers who only care about selling you a bike, nothing else).

Jeff DeBell

[Larry Perkins]

Amen Jeff!

Jim and Jim were always real good to me when I raced KTM's out of their shop in the 80's and I lived in Lawrence Kansas.  I strayed once and got one from Freedom and learned the hard way that cheaper isn't always.  LETKO hooked me up with the now famous 495 Dirtbike Magazine cover bike after it went back to KTM to be refurbished.  I raced it then in the 84 World Championship Desert Race put on by Casey Folks.  

Yep Jim and Jim at LETKO get my vote too.  Good call Jeff.

Larry P

[robbersroost1]

So many great stories, of the ultimate store. If anyone deals in Trials you know there are still alot of small sell out of your barn stores left. If you call Ryan Young Products (Sherco) you might just here Ryan answer the phone, or call Rising Sun Imports (Gas Gas) you will talk to Jim Snell The best trials mechanic anywhere in the world. I bought from both and they are the best.
  Who was the favorite Penton dealer and the worst?

Terry Laible

[James]

Tony, Ron this is neat. I am from Dallas/Ft Worth and I would vote for Les Stults and the old Bultco/KTM on Lanacaster near downtown Fort Worth. What is sad.is like you said after the lean years these guys were dropped. I remember one day in 1993 when7-8 bikes went out-then I helped pick up two more. We uncrated, set them up,and even a few runs down the sidestreet. When I looked for a bike in 99 he was not around. I decided to pass.
          Anyone else remeber this shop?
 I think the one woth the track is now Bates cycle parts(or is it still there? I haven't been home to look in a few years).
 How about Sammy White's Kawasaki City in my hometown of Irving, Tx.?
 Phil Plymale still there? Those guys took care of people and sold a lot of bikes. I guess if I ever get a new one I owe it to them.

  One last shop..Anyone remeber Maico of Dallas in Irving on Irving blvd? that is where I firtst drooled over European Mxers that were so tall I could not imagine riding them. I am 6'2'..but they are long gone. Anyone else remember them ?  James


You dont stop racing because you get old..you get old because you have children

[Larry Perkins]

When it comes to old Penton dealers back in "The Day" in Texas there will never be one more notable in my mind than Bill Kasson Yamaha in Austin.  This was a true racing shop with Bill, Mike(LG), and Joe Kasson all racing at one time or another.  They opened late on Mondays and stayed open late so racers could gather and bench race or look at Sundays race prints sold by several photographers over the years.  One of the most notable was Richard Creed who shot the famous Penton poster with the two jumping 125 Pentons.  Many great riders rode out of this shop including Steve Stackable and Jack Hicks both of which I went to High School with.  Another good one was Mark Wheeless.  This was a great shop in a great time.

Larry P

[KTM495CH]

Browsing through the net I've found AMS racing. I've bookmarked this page months ago, because I felt it's worth to check back now and then to read the sentences below: Dave from AMS describes exactly what I (we) feel should be a real Motorcycle shop:

For a long time now the motorcycle industry has been dominated by big chrome and glass shops staffed by people who are more likely to be found on a golf course than a race track come the weekend. If you've been riding a long time, you might remember when motorcycle shops were run by people who actually rode and loved motorcycles.  There used to be shops where you could hang out on a Saturday--even if you didn't buy anything--a place where the guy's behind the counter knew your name and what you rode.
There are still a few shops around that run the way shops should be: by people who are motorcycle enthusiasts above all. AMS Racing isn't the fanciest place around, but high dollar decor, slick salesmen, and carpeted floors are no substitute for knowledge, experience and real world bike-sense. If you need a great bike restored or just need your favorite ride tuned up, give AMS Racing a call. And if your in the Mesa, Arizona area and have a little time to spend, stop in and say "hello" to Dave, Tim, Neil or Norm or anyone else that is hanging around doing some "bench racing"

To visit dave @ AMS: http://www.amsracing.com/inside.htm

My KTM dealer here in Switzerland lives with and loves racing KTM. He is  in business since 20 years, and we can meet us on Saturday there (even if we dont't buy anything) and make plans for Sunday. But KTM doesn't like him too much, there is no clean show room, people can walk through the garage, no slik sales man around...and maybe the worst: he has knowledge and experience!

Tom

KTM 495/81
KTM 495/82, Works bike from Kes Van der Ven
KTM 495/84
KTM 500/85

[firstturn]

James,
  I actually went to see Les in the early 90's to buy anything he had left for early Pentons and I ended up only buying a few thins..pipes etc.  I never did any other business pror or after that with Les, but I wish that he had more time to share some stories.  Thanks for the memories.

Ron Carbaugh

[Big Mac]

Tom, You're right, Dave Boydsun of AMS is a treasure for vintage MXers and the closest I've met to a real life little ol' mx store. He's steered me right several times---call for a simple Bing jet and you'll get a 20 minute course on the pros & cons of carb swaps, fixes for old carbs, carb setups, you name it. Besides maybe Robert "CZ Bob" Borg and Larry Perkins when he was more into parts supplies, I've never talked to any more helpful and knowledgeable suppliers that had real racing experience to offer and would spend time steer you right. Plus Dave has invested countless hours as an AHRMA regional rep plus attended probably every Western States AHRMA MX event put on over the past 5 years. Will cost more to have your parts bought from AMS shipped to Europe, but I'd say the extra touch would be worth it. Of course, Al Buehner does a bang up job on Penton parts too.

[Tony Price]

James/Ron,

Les is still around.  He's a mechanic in Ft. Worth at an "Italian" shop.  Everything else I know, I'm not tellin'![^]

The Bates shop is the Bates #2 shop on I-35 in Carrolton.  It's still there, but no track.  It's been somewhat modernized, has a spiffy accessory show room and a small salvage yard.  Most importantly, they have a tire change machine and don't blink when you bring in a 30 yr old Metzler thats harder than diamond plate!

Bates #1 is still in business in Garland, and it would give any new sales rep for any of the manufacturers a heart attack before they ever got out of their car, much less through the front door.  It aint clean, there's stuff in there with more dust on it than a well used Malcolm Smith fender bag.  It's a real throw back and very Vintage friendly.  

Another couple of shops still around are both of the Two Wheel World shops.  One in Arlington and one in Garland.  The one in Arlington is a great supporter of the Texas Vintage Racing Club, and the one in Garland is more into the Enduro scene.  

I make it a point to try and support the Two Wheel World and Bates in Garland every chance I get.  Both have been very helpful in the past when I was in need of a modern replacement trinket for a vintage bike.  I must admit though, the tire change guy at Two Wheel World in Garland runs when he see me walk through the door with an old wheel and tire........something about a hour long struggle with a desert raced Piner rear wheel and Metzler from a while back.






Tony

[Tony Price]

quote:Originally posted by taxman

Avon/LaPorte KTM has always been fair. Randy & Barney are always helpful, only place you can interrupt the machanic (Barney) and he'll answer your questions. Fun place to bench race. Sorry....KTM purchased them and will take over in January 2005. Not sure what they are going to do. Refab dealer buy backs or something? You guys are right Dale Barris is the best. Bought my boy his first bike (Honda 80) there and whens he's ready for a KTM I'll buy it from Dale.

Jim

I read somewhere that KTM was going to continue to run it as a dealership with Randy and Barney running the day to day business.  The shop will also be used to train new dealers, sales and marketing staff, mechanics, and as a pilot store for promotions and marketing projects.  It's going to be kind of a KTM University as I understand it.

Tony

[terry]

There is a new little bike shop in New Philadelphia, Ohio. It is called Ohio Moto. They currently stock new Sherco, Beta and Scorpa Trials bikes. Also they have in stock Kasea 4 wheelers. They claim they are working on getting a motocross line and maybe someday a street bike line also. Nice guys. A great place to hang out. Just like the old days. They even have a little vintage corner with PENTON and BULTACO stuff.The sign on the window has the phone number as 330-339-3486. They said that they want a place for guys to hang out all the time. More vintage PENTON and BULTACO stuff coming. Complete bikes. Worth a look if in the area or take a drive.