1955-2024
Former Kawasaki and Yamaha dealer Steve Alderton of Portman Motorcycles, Guildford, Surrey, has died aged 68 following a brief illness.
In 1971, he took to the road as a 16-year-old on a Lambretta scooter, joining major dealer and Bultaco importer Comerfords of Thames Ditton, Surrey, as a trainee mechanic.
Comerfords was the UK’s key off-road dealer at the time, so it was no surprise that Steve took up motocross on a brace of new-season Bultaco Pursang two-strokes.
In 1977, at age 22, he and his older brother Rob seized the opportunity to run their own bike business by buying Portman Motorcycles in Woodbridge Hill, Guildford, Surrey, from retiring Bert Portman, who had started the business in the 1960s.
At the time, Portman specialised in sports mopeds and Fantic motorcycles. Within a year, the go-ahead brothers had become Kawasaki B-dealers, securing stock from existing Kawasaki outlets. By 1981, they were Kawasaki main dealers, adding Yamaha in 1984 and Vespa scooters for a period in the 1980s.
By this time, Steve Alderton had been exercising his competitive instincts by taking up rally driving and then going on to circuit racing in Renault 5 Turbo and Honda CRX cars, winning five championships.
The brothers’ most successful year at Portman Motorcycles was 1998 when they sold nearly 300 new and used bikes. The previous year, they could get their hands on only six of the new landmark R1 Yamahas and sold them straight away. In 1998, they were allocated 50 R1s, selling them all during that golden period of ultra-high-performance sports bikes.
By then the brothers had tripled the size of Portman Motorcycles, buying properties on either side of the original showroom and workshop and taking on four staff. They had also built up a fine reputation for sales and workshop standards.
In 2020, the brothers, now in their late 60s (Steve 65, Rob 68), decided it was time to retire from the motorcycle trade and rent their premises.
Steve kept up his fitness regime which included mountain biking. He also continued to take part in motorcycle track days, riding a Suzuki 1000 at Brands Hatch last year.
Paying tribute to his youngest brother, Rob said: “Steve was a great brother and business partner. He was very popular, active, fit, and meticulous about machine preparation. He had very high standards all round. He always enjoyed track days with customers. Being a motorcycle dealer was hard work but very rewarding. We reckon we had the best years in the motorcycle industry.”
A Steve Alderton Celebration of Life service was held in July at Liphook, Hampshire, for family and close friends.