Should police be allowed to chase motorcycles ?

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

The Coalville police were a decent lot when I was there...I managed the motorbike shop opposite Coalville nick.

[BlueUK]

The Coalville police were a decent lot when I was there...I managed the motorbike shop opposite Coalville nick.

That's going back some years(before my time), I can remember it and probably gawped through the window. Was the scuba diving place part of it, next door or did that come along after the bike shop?

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

The shop I ran was Action Honda: part of a chain that was then the largest Honda motorcycle dealer in Europe. It had a few Kawasaki dealerships too. Owned by a notorious guy called Steve Galpin. His shops had a habit of catching fire if times were hard (the first one had been where Coalville Post Office is now)...and shortly after I left he sold the business to a 'fall guy' and cleared off to Switzerland with a Toyota Land Cruiser laden with cash and jewellery.
He'd left behind a debt bomb...it was the time when Honda had a lot of mechanical problems from the first generation of V4s. He'd told Honda he could shift all their unsold (and pretty much unsaleable) stock. But there was a catch...Honda had to give him a 'stocking loan' so he could buy them.
Then he went to two finance companies...and told them that Honda had done a fantastic deal with him and sold him these bikes for virtually nothing. But he would have to pay cash up front. If the finance co could lend him the money, he'd buy them, then sell them on to customers wit the finance co providing the finance to the customer.
So he's now got a stock of motorcycles which he hasn't paid for, and he's got loans to the total of their trade value x2. He flogged a good few of the bikes, took the money he'd been loaned, and ran!
There was a motorcycle accessory shop next door...but no connection between the two businesses. It may have been or become a diving shop.
Times have changed a lot since then...there were two franchised Honda dealers in Coalville, plus a motocross shop, plus North Leicester Motorcycles up the road. NLM are still there, still thriving. Stuart who ran it then (and run it still, I think) did warn me against working for Galpin, but it was desperate time for me and any job was better than no job.
I was only there for about five months, and I left just before Galpin pulled the fast one. I'd been banging on the door of EMAP (now Bayer Media) for years. It finally opened and I landed on job on Classic Bike magazine.
I've been being paid to have fun and write about it ever since!
The plod ran Galpin to ground in Spain. He spent some time in a Spanish nick fighting extradition to the UK (Honda UK was after his blood). Eventually he came back to the UK, was put on trial and found not guilty!
Sting in the tale...he'd spent most of his cash on his defence...and when he asked for costs the judge told him no, because he had brought all these troubles on himself by his dishonest conduct.
I heard he went into time-share sales after that.

[BlueUK]

The shop I ran was Action Honda: part of a chain that was then the largest Honda motorcycle dealer in Europe. It had a few Kawasaki dealerships too. Owned by a notorious guy called Steve Galpin. His shops had a habit of catching fire if times were hard (the first one had been where Coalville Post Office is now)...and shortly after I left he sold the business to a 'fall guy' and cleared off to Switzerland with a Toyota Land Cruiser laden with cash and jewellery.

He'd left behind a debt bomb...it was the time when Honda had a lot of mechanical problems from the first generation of V4s. He'd told Honda he could shift all their unsold (and pretty much unsaleable) stock. But there was a catch...Honda had to give him a 'stocking loan' so he could buy them.

Then he went to two finance companies...and told them that Honda had done a fantastic deal with him and sold him these bikes for virtually nothing. But he would have to pay cash up front. If the finance co could lend him the money, he'd buy them, then sell them on to customers wit the finance co providing the finance to the customer.

So he's now got a stock of motorcycles which he hasn't paid for, and he's got loans to the total of their trade value x2. He flogged a good few of the bikes, took the money he'd been loaned, and ran!

There was a motorcycle accessory shop next door...but no connection between the two businesses. It may have been or become a diving shop.

Times have changed a lot since then...there were two franchised Honda dealers in Coalville, plus a motocross shop, plus North Leicester Motorcycles up the road. NLM are still there, still thriving. Stuart who ran it then (and run it still, I think) did warn me against working for Galpin, but it was desperate time for me and any job was better than no job.

I was only there for about five months, and I left just before Galpin pulled the fast one. I'd been banging on the door of EMAP (now Bayer Media) for years. It finally opened and I landed on job on Classic Bike magazine.

I've been being paid to have fun and write about it ever since!

The plod ran Galpin to ground in Spain. He spent some time in a Spanish nick fighting extradition to the UK (Honda UK was after his blood). Eventually he came back to the UK, was put on trial and found not guilty!

Sting in the tale...he'd spent most of his cash on his defence...and when he asked for costs the judge told him no, because he had brought all these troubles on himself by his dishonest conduct.

I heard he went into time-share sales after that.

Wow, only in Coalville!! Haha.
My mum bought an Honda melody around 1982/3 which I always thought was Brewins, could it have been Action Honda? I'll check with my dad later about where it came from. He probably knows this Galpin.
I messaged my brother with this and he says that my mum did have her Melody from there!! Haha.

[vRSG60]

ITV4 coverage of Le Tour last might.
A guy running alongside the cyclists , as some do, only to be pushed into a ditch by the Gendarme on a motorcycle :laugh:

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

I might have sold it to her....I ran that shop from Oct 1983 to Feb 1984.
It seemed to be snowing or raining most of the time.
Brewins were the 'other' Honda dealer...they were switching over to cycles at the time; which with hindsight was a very wise decision...but they were certainly still selling smaller motorcycles and mopeds.
One of the most frustrating aspect of that job was that Honda had run out of C90/C70/C50...having run down stocks because they they thought they were 'old fashioned'. The Honda rep told be to sell Melodys instead...Honda had invested about half-a-million in promoting the Melody, including a sponsorship deal with Twiggy.
Which was a problem for me...just imagine trying to sell a middle-aged coal miner of traditional outlook a bright yellow plastic scooter advertised by a 'posh' woman from London, when he'd come in wanting to buy a Honda 90 to ride to work on.
The Honda rep and I had some interesting conversations about that one.
Him: "It's a segmented market now."
Me: "You're telling me...I've got a segment of lemon here (row of yellow Melodys) and my customers all want orange."

[BlueUK]

I might have sold it to her....I ran that shop from Oct 1983 to Feb 1984.

It seemed to be snowing or raining most of the time.

Wow, small world. She loved that bike as it gave her much independence. I'll see if I can locate a picture.

My brother just messaged again and said "you have remembered my dad, he'd have paid cash for it and she had a red piss pot helmet to go with it!!"
She rode in all weathers and came off it on the ice on Spring lane on her way home once as we lived in Swannington. She never told anyone until years later.
She'd often mention her Honda and I offered to buy her another moped so she could ride but at 60 odd years old and many years of cancer treatment made her unsure.
Anyways, unbelieveable that it's such a small world.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

That was one of the best parts of the job...getting people the freedom of personal mobility.
The worst bit, of course, were the accidents. Before the days of the Police National Computer, you'd sometimes get a call from the police. "We've got a bike RTA...one of your reg plates...Reg number XXX XXXX...do you have a phone number or address for the owner."
You knew, without being told, that it probably meant a KSI accident.
And it wasn't unusual to then have a visit from the next of kin wanting to know about was the bike on finance, who was it insured by etc.
One aspect of the motorcycle trade I was glad to leave behind. It didn't happen often, but it was always a bad day when it did. Made a few people cups of tea and gave out tissues .... and then you go out onto the showroom floor and sell more bikes!

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Sorry for the thread hi-jack, everyone.
:)

[BlueUK]

That was one of the best parts of the job...getting people the freedom of personal mobility.
!

When I see those pictures of the Thai's with the whole family on the moped that get posted at times, I often think, 'that's nothing' as my mum would get the weekly shopping on hers, basket on the front full, top box on the back full, 2 shopping bags on each side of the handle bars.....and a 25kg bag of spuds on the step thru. Luckily it was downhill to Swannington!!
I remember when we moved house in 1984....!! Yes I'm serious, everything we took was moved on that bike.
You just don't see folk utilising their vehicles these days. :laugh: