What a great read for me, and probably many others, was Eric Sulley’s Industry Greats profile in the March issue of BDN. I liked the comment: “Sulley had the charisma, the balls and, of course, the budget to make things happen”, and also the reference to PTWs, motorcycles and scooters now being called units rather than what they are, exciting, fun, products of adventure and convenience.
Yes, it certainly gave me lots of memories. An example: In my late teen years in the 1950s, I was delivering motorcycle accessories to North West dealers from local wholesaler Leonard Heys, based in Blackpool, and continued to do so into the 1960s as a budding sales rep, meeting dealers like Tom Loughridge and Bill Smith. What a character Bill is. A straight-faced bullshit exponent, as well as a clever, talented guy, well ahead of his time.
I went on to ride a 350cc Triumph for the police, complete with fairing and blue light. It could get to around 70mph tops – not quick enough to keep up with a Yamaha 250 or any of the other Japanese two-strokes that were killing or injuring a lot of youngsters before Lynda Chalker stepped in.
I still live in Lytham St Annes, where Phil Newbury, a young budding entrepreneur, set up Tower Carriers in the late 1950s, quickly spotting the potential for a dealer to double his, then around fifty quid, sales margin on a Lambretta or Honda C50 with a carrier, crash bars, top box and whatever else could be bolted on. It took years for the Japanese importers to wake up to the bolt-on potential.
Before they did catch on, I must have delivered and taken orders for thousands of Lambretta backrest carriers at £4 19s 6d each, and the deal was a baker’s dozen!
Really enjoyed the read and the way Mayo is portraying Eric. Looking forward to part two.
John Featherstone
Lytham St Annes