Motorcycle Dealers - Gone But Not Forgotten

Twist Grip and Spanners used to do work for Eddy’s in Leeds back in the day. The could never get my Yamaha RD250B working properly. It spent most of its time just being a 125.
I remember the guy who owned TG & S used to have a Reliant Regal with bike trailer.

 

As a skint early teenager I used to work weekends at Twistgip and Spanners stripping bikes for stock. No money changed hands and they paid me in parts for mine and my mates off road bikes.

Happy days.

 

Steve Rhodes crew were heavily hells angels. Powersport evolved from a bike breaker call ‘strokers’ doing mainly two stroke nr Barry st Bradford central.

 

I do believe, rightly or wrongly, that Steve Rhodes was heavily associated with 'Satan's Slaves'. Not totally certain, but I'm sure I read that somewhere in the not too distant past.

 

Pride & Clarke London.

 

Ooh those 1970s prices. If only ......... !

 

Totally correct! My old school friend worked there.

 

Struggling to remember now as it is nearly 40 years ago but didn't he have a massive knife slash scar down his face?
Must have been a right cut at the time of happening.

Unless I've mixed him up with someone else.

 

What was the bike shop that got burnt out on Regent Street Leeds (Powersports maybe)?
About halfway between what was the Gaeity (spelling?) drug pub (long gone, pulled down) and where "Thesportsbikeshop" has just opened.
Apparently that was a Hells Angel/Satan Slaves revenge event.

 

Don’t remember that, as you say it was 40 years ago. I was a passenger in the Reliant once when we went to collect my RD250. Don’t remember much else though, except Twist Grip was down an old snicket/alleyway close to the motorway

 

Wasn’t there and still is ‘startrights’

 

Sounds familiar but I don’t remember anything about them

 

Yes Startrights still active on same site.

Once bought a Suzuki M30 gearbox from them around 1980 for £15. No transport so collected it and took it home on the bus.

Can't see many 13 year olds doing that these days, most of them can't even catch a bus and need mum and dad's taxi everywhere

 

Was Startrights near Yorkshire Chemicals and sold scrap bikes and second hand parts

 

Yep opposite side of road to "Braimes" pressings, as in metal.
I think Yorkshire chemicals were behind it on what is now a "Costco" site.

 

Thanks confirming that. I went there once to look around but can’t remember if I bought anything

 

They really did have a shed full of shit but there was the odd diamond hidden amongst it.

 

I guess you didn’t buy anything Nikki, cos coming from Yorkshire you certainly would have remembered spending money even if it was years ago

 

A buyer at work is a Polish Yorkshireman , wow he takes some beating even by my true Yorkshire standards.
I don't think Bonniecat could rival him?

 

Now there were two guys that worked for Jack. I didn't know them well as I did all my own repairs, and it was also a while ago. I also think I'm getting a touch of Alzheimer's, as my memory is shit.
One was taller and had dark very curly hair and the other was shorter and had mousey coloured hair. Which one was your Brother, and what is his name please?

I seem to remember he had a manager too. Think his name was Tom.

When we couldn't get the current Scottish champ to compete, Jack even competed (on the QT - under an incognito name) on the Cosworth Nortons we resurrected and ran in the Battle of The Twins series. Really liked the guy.