Who was your favourite dealer years ago. I have fond memories of Pegasus in Reading, chap they're called David and I must have bought four Ducs from him, always up for haggling and a bit of banter. I live in Birmingham and for years I would'nt go anywhere else. sometimes I'd just ring him, he give me an unbelievable price and that was it. He used to give you a hand written receipt .............. ahhh they were the days. Who remembers Greens in Stoke ? Devimead in Tamworth ?
Not ducati agents but my favorite shops were Wilf Green of Sheffield and David Tye of Cromford, great times wishing I had a bit more to spend. I remember buying a new piston and barrel for a Tiger Cub from Tye's for the princely sum of £5-10s Steve
who remembers 3cross when they sold ducs-you had to love ducati's to put up with that! 2-4 italia in ringwood small independent long gone l think Steve B
Yup - used to do a run down there with me ole mucka.... Me on my 748 him on his 900 blade later changed to a 916... Sadly he died suddenly 5 Christmases ago of meningitis...:frown: Sorry, I digress.
3X were the importers and at that time to register the bikes for warranty you had to fill out their PDI forms. Same with Harley Davidson Laverda, MVAgusta, MotoMorini, Peugeot & Sachs etc...........oh and Benelli! The owner put a lot of sacrifices on the line to bring italian manufacturers to the UK.
I used to love visiting Alvins in Edinburgh when I was a kid. The old place off Leith Walk, before they moved to Seafield Road (then subsequently went bust). It was an awesome shop, especially for a kid my age 10-12ish at the time. They sold Ducatis and Harleys as their main franchises but they did other stuff too. I remember my Dad taking me in there one Saturday and we both stood for ages looking at the newly released 888. I remember thinking that day that Ducatis were the most awesome bikes ever. Have loved them ever since, but truly didn't believe of wee own one.
I bought my Foggy rep from Greens of Longton........& a 996BP......he once said "we can't live upto your high standards.....can you use another dealer for your serviceing please?"......needless to say.....I did.....JHP.........never looked back!!! They went bust a few years ago....can't think why!!!!
Strikes me that Pete1950 must remember Oxford Motorcycle Engineers in Hythe Bridge Street where I bought my Pantah in 1985. I bet he remembers a lot more than me. Did the guys who worked there really all have degrees?
No, they didn't start up until later. There was just Faulkners and several old fashioned bike fanglers in Oxford in my day, now all long gone. And no Ducatis. I did go to a bike club where nearly everybody had a first degree at least, if not postgrad. One of the few who didn't was Adrian Reynard who years later manufactured a lot of racing cars; he was an apprentice at Morris's then, but he ended up with a doctorate.
Alan Cathcart did attend one of our CUMCC dinners as an honorary guest. He did law, I think, at I can't remember which college. Nice guy, although I always took his reviews with a pinch of salt. He wouldn't have been first to ride all the exotica if he had posted less than glowing reviews about them. You will remember that the Paso 750 was easily as capable as the 750 F1, not to mention the Paso 906. Whatever. I digress. Yes, I can imagine that the folk at Oxford Motorcycle Engineers might have been contemporaries of yours, and thus not in biz when you were flitting about between the dreaming spires.
Not a Ducati dealership but I remember just looking round Armstrongs Motorcycles, on Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough when I was a kid.Not been there for years as I moved away some time ago. I think they closed in 2009, which was sad as the business was started/established in 1893, and was possibly the oldest established Motor Cycle business in the U.K at the time according to the local press. :frown:
Was that before or after Steve Wynne was in Macclesfield (where I used to take my Pantah). Before, wasn't it? Didn't he get bored of the whole big dealership thing and move to the sticks?
I bought my Pantah from Steve Wynne in May 1980. After Sports was liquidated, Steve set up in Bollington near Macclesfield for some years.
Ah yes. Bollington. That's where I went. He prepped my 500 Pantah with 600 barrels and pistons, paint job and Harris 2 into 1 (loud). He also fixed it when I managed to trash it at The Bungalow on the Island.
