Cycle Improvements

cided to open my own shop. I rented 1,000 square feet of space on Bridgeport Road in Waterloo, hung out a hand-painted sign, but had no idea how to get parts or which suppliers to call. Desperate and under the cover of darkness, I jumped into the dumpster of a competitor, ripping labels off boxes to get the names of suppliers to call for parts. Initially, suppliers wouldn’t sell to me because I didn’t have a track record in the business. Eventually, an Aurora-based company agreed to sell me parts. I made money my first year, an accomplishment I credits to two things. First, I opened on Mondays when my competitors were closed. Second, I ordered parts as needed and provided next day service. Other bike shops ordered weekly back then.
“The bike season is so short and people don’t want to wait for parts.”
I always have been a believer in investing in cutting-edge equipment to repair bikes. I was the first local shop to offer such things as aluminum welding, machining, crank rebuilding, Cyl head work, dyno testing, etc
“It has been our calling card.”
Nothing makes me happier than a customer coming in with a bike saying he has been to two shops and they couldn’t fix it. “That is the ultimate challenge,”
My decision to start selling motorcycles — KTM — was sparked by personal tragedy. My wife, Alma, was diagnosed with cancer in 1997 and I thought selling motorcycles would generate enough money so I could hire more staff to run things, allowing me to spend more time with my wife. My staff grew to seven from three.
“I did it for what I thought was all the right reasons.”
My wife died in 2001. I became was Canada’s largest KTM dealer — selling about 130 bikes a year — but I felt I was no longer true to myself so I have returned to my roots..Parts & Service
“I started because I wanted to be a little bit different,” he says. “I couldn’t care less about the money. The bottom line is if I can make a decent living and enjoy the job, that is more important to me.”

James Hunt