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Tuesday 28.05.2011 - We reached Padgetts after negotiating a traffic jam on the motorway, due to a crash we presumed as we saw an ambulance and police flash by with bells and whistles going off.
Padgetts is probably the UK's most famous motorcycle dealer shop.
Peter Padgett and his brother Don started up the dealership in 1958 and started selling Hondas soon after in the 1960’s in Batley which about 15 miles from Leeds.Peter's son, Clive took over the business and soon developed an interest in motorcycle racing and in 1993 his shop became the first HQ of the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) outside Japan that competed in the World Motorcycle Championships. Padgetts now have three shops all side by side selling Hondas, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki.
In the 80’s and 90’s Padgetts also ran a team in the 500cc Grand Prix series as a privateer , not a bad effort given the cost to compete against the factory sponsored teams! Currently, Clive Padgett runs multiple teams that compete in the British Superbikes championships and the World Road Racing Championships that includes the Macau Grand Prix and the Irish Road Racing series that includes the famous Northwest 200 which is a lead in to the Isle of Man TT.
Some of the famous British motorcycle legends to ride for Padgetts include Mike 'The Bike' Hailwood, Bill Ivy, Phil Read, Ron Haslam, Carl Fogarty, Leon Camier, John McGuinness and Ian Hutchinson.
In 2010 Padgetts rider Ian HUTCHISON won all five IOM TT races, the first time in the 101 year history of the event that this has happened.
This year John McGUINESS, the "King of the Mountain" is again riding for Padgetts. McGUINESS is the most successful TT rider of recent times with 15 wins and he was named, together with Valentino ROSSI and Matt MLADIN as the three outstanding riders of the first decade of the 21st Century after a pole of international motorcycle journalists. We saw all 5 victory wreathes won by Hutchie hanging on the wall and also a special IOM Honda Fireblade for sale painted with the Mountain Circuit route and signed by Hutchie.
Today Padgetts is more famous for the brand new bikes they have in stock that they DIDN’T sell in the 1970s and 80s.
We met an English guy who gave us an explanation of how Padgetts came to have so many brand new 'old’ bikes in stock. He said that Clive Padgett, being a typical tight fisted Yorkshire man, refused to turn over unpopular bikes by selling them at cost and instead hung on to them expecting people to pay the full floor price. This resulted in dozens of brand new bikes with zero miles on the clock being in the shop. In fact, many are still in their original factory crate some 30 years after manufacture! They are all for sale but don’t expect to pay original prices as being collector items they now demand top dollar.
Chris, being a collector of classic bikes, drooled at seeing such brand new pristine bikes with zero miles, all of which were for sale. Greg & Chris wandered upstairs where clothing and leathers were for sale. There they met the sales lady who they later found out was Cath Padgett, daughter of Clive. She told them that Padgetts have a warehouse nearby that has been closed for 20 years and not opened because they have an inventory of stock including bikes that’s in there! Can you imagine the value? Not surprisingly, Cath said they don’t tell anyone where the warehouse is! Cath pulled out a set of brand new white Pepsi leathers from the 1970s that were for sale between 300-400 pounds.
She said she sold a similar set a few weeks ago to Japan for 700 pounds. She also had Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha leather jackets and suits of the same vintage – all new! Cath said that as classic bikes have become collector items so have leathers from the same era.
Chris was itching to see the new, crated bikes and kept talking to Cath about them. Greg wandered off to find Kerrie and then came back – no Chris! After 5 minutes he returned smiling like a Cheshire cat as Cath had taken him out the back and shown him the crated stock, all brand new, all made in the 70s & 80s and all for sale! Greg was ******.
After spending about 3 hours looking at their bikes we started to saddle up to leave when Chris suddenly disappeared inside and re-emerged with Cath Padgett for a photo shot in front of the shop.
Pleased with ourselves and planning on returning after winning Tatts to buy the bikes of choice, we headed to our digs nearby at Bradford to be followed tomorrow by the ride to Heysham to take the ferry to the Isle of Man. Bring it on.
Padgetts is probably the UK's most famous motorcycle dealer shop.
Peter Padgett and his brother Don started up the dealership in 1958 and started selling Hondas soon after in the 1960’s in Batley which about 15 miles from Leeds.Peter's son, Clive took over the business and soon developed an interest in motorcycle racing and in 1993 his shop became the first HQ of the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) outside Japan that competed in the World Motorcycle Championships. Padgetts now have three shops all side by side selling Hondas, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki.
In the 80’s and 90’s Padgetts also ran a team in the 500cc Grand Prix series as a privateer , not a bad effort given the cost to compete against the factory sponsored teams! Currently, Clive Padgett runs multiple teams that compete in the British Superbikes championships and the World Road Racing Championships that includes the Macau Grand Prix and the Irish Road Racing series that includes the famous Northwest 200 which is a lead in to the Isle of Man TT.
Some of the famous British motorcycle legends to ride for Padgetts include Mike 'The Bike' Hailwood, Bill Ivy, Phil Read, Ron Haslam, Carl Fogarty, Leon Camier, John McGuinness and Ian Hutchinson.
In 2010 Padgetts rider Ian HUTCHISON won all five IOM TT races, the first time in the 101 year history of the event that this has happened.
This year John McGUINESS, the "King of the Mountain" is again riding for Padgetts. McGUINESS is the most successful TT rider of recent times with 15 wins and he was named, together with Valentino ROSSI and Matt MLADIN as the three outstanding riders of the first decade of the 21st Century after a pole of international motorcycle journalists. We saw all 5 victory wreathes won by Hutchie hanging on the wall and also a special IOM Honda Fireblade for sale painted with the Mountain Circuit route and signed by Hutchie.
Today Padgetts is more famous for the brand new bikes they have in stock that they DIDN’T sell in the 1970s and 80s.
We met an English guy who gave us an explanation of how Padgetts came to have so many brand new 'old’ bikes in stock. He said that Clive Padgett, being a typical tight fisted Yorkshire man, refused to turn over unpopular bikes by selling them at cost and instead hung on to them expecting people to pay the full floor price. This resulted in dozens of brand new bikes with zero miles on the clock being in the shop. In fact, many are still in their original factory crate some 30 years after manufacture! They are all for sale but don’t expect to pay original prices as being collector items they now demand top dollar.
Chris, being a collector of classic bikes, drooled at seeing such brand new pristine bikes with zero miles, all of which were for sale. Greg & Chris wandered upstairs where clothing and leathers were for sale. There they met the sales lady who they later found out was Cath Padgett, daughter of Clive. She told them that Padgetts have a warehouse nearby that has been closed for 20 years and not opened because they have an inventory of stock including bikes that’s in there! Can you imagine the value? Not surprisingly, Cath said they don’t tell anyone where the warehouse is! Cath pulled out a set of brand new white Pepsi leathers from the 1970s that were for sale between 300-400 pounds.
She said she sold a similar set a few weeks ago to Japan for 700 pounds. She also had Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha leather jackets and suits of the same vintage – all new! Cath said that as classic bikes have become collector items so have leathers from the same era.
Chris was itching to see the new, crated bikes and kept talking to Cath about them. Greg wandered off to find Kerrie and then came back – no Chris! After 5 minutes he returned smiling like a Cheshire cat as Cath had taken him out the back and shown him the crated stock, all brand new, all made in the 70s & 80s and all for sale! Greg was ******.
After spending about 3 hours looking at their bikes we started to saddle up to leave when Chris suddenly disappeared inside and re-emerged with Cath Padgett for a photo shot in front of the shop.
Pleased with ourselves and planning on returning after winning Tatts to buy the bikes of choice, we headed to our digs nearby at Bradford to be followed tomorrow by the ride to Heysham to take the ferry to the Isle of Man. Bring it on.
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