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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Are you old enough to remember these motorcycle shops in To?
- Thread starter busabim
- Start date
Malks
Well-known member
That name rings a bell, thanks. I think they closed in the late 70's.
Actually, another post notes the shop was Gunter's and Cycle Canada link has an ad for the shop. Was only in there once or twice and couldn't remember the name. Hurst was on The Queensway.
So my answer to the title question is Yes.
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CanadianBiker
Well-known member
I moved to the GTA in '83, so missed out on some great shops. But I bought bikes at CycleWorld West, CycleWorld East, and McBride's. Kai at McBride's was great. John McBride not so much.
My first new bike, Honda minitrail 50 came from Cycle World west in 1970. Yeah I'm that old. My mom said no, so Dad bought two, one for me and one for my brother. For all you new Milton Guys, we had a great shop, The Racers Edge that was here for 20yrs, Honda/Yamaha/ Polaris sleds and H-D before they crashed, rumour is the very successful owner drank the place.
Check out the shops in this old issue of Cycle Canada.http://storage.passionperformance.ca/scans/cc/Y0VmYFy6l/cc-0210-October_1972.pdf
I grew up in the east end,there must have been a dozen bike shops there in the 70's. Sonic Motorcycles(by far the best),Pit Shop(crusty old Czech owner),Bar Hodgson's Superbike Center(always a good selection of tricked out Kawi H2's and Z1's,saw my first Z1R Turbo there),a Kawi shop on Eglinton near Markam(short lived,foregot the name),Metro cycle in west hill,Dick's Sales And Services on KingstonRd,Ontario Kawasaki,Cycle World and of course SnowCity.The Seventies called...they want their bike shops back!
CanadianBiker
Well-known member
The old magazine was great, thanks for posting the link. Interesting to see the letters to the editor; concerns about some riders going to fast, excessive noise. Some things never change.:mrgreen:
Remember all of them. While we are at it how about Kelly's Cycle in Brampton. Them along with Zdeno were my first race sponsors. As far as I know Kelly's did the first trackdays in Ontario around 1988 at Shanny.
Stephen W.
Well-known member
Ric, thanks for the Psyco Canada memories. I have that issue, (and many more) packed away somewhere. Yep, lots of good shops now long gone. Abs was an institution but hard to find as the shop moved 5 or 6 times during it's lifetime. I was surprised though that I didn't see an ad for the other BIG shop in Oshawa from back then, Cycle Sports Unlimited.
I see someone finally mentioned Ontario Kawasaki. It was located just a few steps west of Cycle World East. That's where I purchased my first bike, a 1974 G4TRD100 dual sport with 10 speed transmission.
My memory is a little fuzzy on shop names. I do remember the Montesa store on the north side of Eglington. It was the center unit in small plaza which later became an exotic car dealer, perhaps Gentry Lane before they moved to Dupont. There used to be a shop on Old Kingston Road right where it split for Danforth. Also farther east on old #2 was Ernie White's shop. And we can't forgot Frank Mrazek's business out in the west end. Funny how many shops were run by racers or had one or more on staff.
Hmmmm..... make ya wonder if there's some correlation between the two, eh?
The cycle canada issue with the z-1 really was the forebear of the great kawy big motors . You can "get in to" the girl in the shirt for $3 according to the ad. The Cycle canada test with the 2 girls on the Suzuki 550 when it was politically correct to do so...
I remember Hurst Yamaha on the queensway,
I bought my first FZ750 from them for $5250 in 1985. Chris Hurst and Andy Knowles (who became head of Canadian Kawasaki) worked there at the time in sales. JAcox moved in later in the same plaza.
Kind of sad no one can make a go of it in Toronto area.
BB
I remember Hurst Yamaha on the queensway,
I bought my first FZ750 from them for $5250 in 1985. Chris Hurst and Andy Knowles (who became head of Canadian Kawasaki) worked there at the time in sales. JAcox moved in later in the same plaza.
Kind of sad no one can make a go of it in Toronto area.
BB
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Malks
Well-known member
Now there is a name that I had not heard in a while! Back when I was living in Brampton I bought an '84 FJ600 from an old guy who lived in the apartments just east of the Bramalea City Centre. This fellow was probably in his mid-70's at the time and I asked what he was doing with the bike. His reply, "Riding It". As it turned out his name was Ernie White and his apartment was loaded with trophies and photos of racers dating back to the late 50's. It was the most interesting bike purchase I have ever made.
Rocket is still there ... although the address is on Oakdale Road. It has been there as long as I can remember. They're just not a Kawasaki dealer any more.
I bought my '94 ZX9R at Competition Wheels.
I bought its replacement, '04 ZX10R, at Cycle World West.
A number of the good folks in those shops from way back are still around. Robbie Meiklejohn (sp?) has always owned and operated Rocket - still there. Salesman at CWW who I bought the ZX10R from, Jeff Lowe, is now at Milton Honda. Ontario Honda had a fine racer and mechanic, Zaid Saleemi, who now operates Z1 Cycletech. Mark Ferreira went between several of the shops in the old days, including CWW, is now at Brampton Powersports, and is a really good mechanic.
I bought my '94 ZX9R at Competition Wheels.
I bought its replacement, '04 ZX10R, at Cycle World West.
A number of the good folks in those shops from way back are still around. Robbie Meiklejohn (sp?) has always owned and operated Rocket - still there. Salesman at CWW who I bought the ZX10R from, Jeff Lowe, is now at Milton Honda. Ontario Honda had a fine racer and mechanic, Zaid Saleemi, who now operates Z1 Cycletech. Mark Ferreira went between several of the shops in the old days, including CWW, is now at Brampton Powersports, and is a really good mechanic.
Isn't that the Honda dealer that sat for years untouched? Wonder if it's still around.
I think Zdeno is now in London area.
CanadianBiker
Well-known member
It's in Kitchener, on Victoria Street, near the Guelph border. Just keep going west past Royal Distributing for a few miles. It's in a chalet-style building.
There was a Yamaha dealer also on Weston road, closer to the 401.
Can anybody remember the name of that place?
Can anybody remember the name of that place?
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