Are you old enough to remember these motorcycle shops in To?

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jm1 said:
At 2155 Queen St East was a Noble location that closed. They removed the Noble sign recently. I thought this forum's members would be interested in what was behind it:

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And before that it was Nelson`s, owned by John Nelson who got Shannonville going. I bought my first bike there, beautiful red CB 350F in June `73. Used to hang around there a lot, great shop, run by good guys heavily into racing. Anyone know what happened to Stan Forrest, English guy who sold me the bike? Correction maybe....don`t quite recall if it was Nelson Motorcycles or Nelson Honda,.....anybody?
 
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busabim said:
Ah remember the day when you could go to yonge/davisville for bike parts at Canada cycle sports? Or GP cycle on O'connor? Cycle World East + West!!
Competition wheels on Ellesmere? I heard Steve Crover died years ago .

The only original shop left is Snow City cycle...

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Wow. Totally forgot about the Davisville shop. That goes back.
 
I am old enough to remember buying Norton parts at Firth's on Dundas.
My first new motorcycle was purchaseded from Quinte Sport in Picton.
It was a 1967 Honda CL175 K0
 
guzzirider said:
I am old enough to remember buying Norton parts at Firth's on Dundas.
My first new motorcycle was purchaseded from Quinte Sport in Picton.
It was a 1967 Honda CL175 K0
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Harry Firth's shop was on the south side of Danforth Ave., # 1857, if I recall correctly.
Bought my first motorcycle helmet there in Sept., 1958. An Everoak TT .
Had just bought my first motorcycle, a used year-old '57 Ariel Colt, in a private sale.
 
Danforth is correct.
Sorry for the brain fart!
 
Did anyone mention the short lived Yamaha dealership in Highland Creek on Old Kingston Rd. in Scarborough? I remember going there in the late 70’s, they sold quite a few RD400’s in my neighborhood. I think I remember them being about $1600-$1700 at the time. I just had a ‘77 RD400 given to me that I’m considering doing a restoration on, it’s in pretty rough shape but all there.Anyone got any parts for sale?
 
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Bobo said:
Did anyone mention the short lived Yamaha dealership in Highland Creek on Old Kingston Rd. in Scarborough? I remember going there in the late 70’s, they sold quit a few RD400’s in my neighborhood. I think I remember them being about $1600-$1700 at the time. I just had a ‘77 RD400 given to me that I’m considering doing a restoration on, it’s in pretty rough shape but all there.Anyone got any parts for sale?
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Check out Yambits in the UK
 
Anybody still online here who was a customer - or potential customer - when Percy McBride was still running his motorcycle shop (McBride's Cycle) on Queen St. East? I think his son took the business over in 1963. Percy had started it in 1909 on Yonge St.
 
no, I dont remember Percy in person by the time i was olde enough to ride, john had taken over the Biz.
but i did start this thread 12 YEARS ago....
 
AFJ said:
Anybody still online here who was a customer - or potential customer - when Percy McBride was still running his motorcycle shop (McBride's Cycle) on Queen St. East? I think his son took the business over in 1963. Percy had started it in 1909 on Yonge St.
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Percy McBride's store from 1908 to the late 1920's was on Yonge St. below Wellsley and when he moved down to Queen St. E., one of his employees (who was his book keeper) took over the Yonge st. Store under the Brown's Cycle name. In the 50's and 60's Browns was the Triumph motorcycle dealer (and a bicycle dealer) but did much more in the hockey line as they had the Toronto Maple Leafs business.
The firm is still, I think, in business, in the bicycle line of things.
AFJ
 
Used to buy all my RZ parts through Ontario Honda and tires were bought through Parker Brothers in the west end. Those were the days!
 
Murray, Bill and Scotty at Ontario Honda. Rick Andrews was the chief mechanic. Sold for condos I think Murray Brown told me
Amazing what Ai can turn up....Formerly Nelsons, closed in 2003.
 
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adv_round said:
Also remember some smaller shops - The Motorcycle Store in Mississauga (off Dundas), S&L on Dunwin, shop/store on River Road... Zdeno in the junction...
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Yup, guess I'm pretty old! I visited probably all the shops mentioned, lots of favorites like Sonic, I didn't get far enough in the post to see if anyone remembers Ro-Don Sports on Danforth east of Vic Park and Ernie White Cycles on Old Kingston Rd, also a Honda dealer that I can't recall the name on the east side of Young St just south of Steeles where I got my Z-50 Mini Trail, sure miss the bike shops of the 70's! there is nothing like them now! LOL!
 
Rob MacLennan said:
Can't really say that I've heard complaints about GP Bikes, as an example, and when I've been there the staff members I've dealt with have been knowledgeable, and the selection of gear is good. I would say that it's the model that's working, for brick and mortar. Go big, provide good service, and have a good selection of product that customers can paw through. Maybe the little motorcycle shop model is dead and the Big Box Store is the way to go?
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have to agree with you, as far as modern bike stores go GP is not bad
 
gixrider said:
LOL! yes, I'm old too! the place and the Honda's in the window for years, was the guy just a collector or an actual shop? I always wondered, never saw anyone in there or saw it open.
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That was Dick`s Sales and Service. My cousin bought his new `70 CB750 there. Dick passed a few years, not long, ago.
 
gixrider said:
Yup, guess I'm pretty old! I visited probably all the shops mentioned, lots of favorites like Sonic, I didn't get far enough in the post to see if anyone remembers Ro-Don Sports on Danforth east of Vic Park and Ernie White Cycles on Old Kingston Rd, also a Honda dealer that I can't recall the name on the east side of Young St just south of Steeles where I got my Z-50 Mini Trail, sure miss the bike shops of the 70's! there is nothing like them now! LOL!
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I rode a friend`s RD350 home from Ro-Don, went to Ernie White`s a number of times, he sponsored many racers. I`ve been to the Honda dealer where you got your Z-50. One more...anyone remember the Yamaha dealer on Yonge, west side, just below Cummer, above Finch I recall. They had a beautiful black/gold RD400 in the window for a while...that was `77 I think.
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