Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - November 2008 - (Page 62)

MONTHLY FEATURES BIKER OF THE MONTH Getting the Nous Dave Quinn Has a Hagon Shock Just Right for You By Mike Brown “ M y first batch of Triumph parts sealed my fate as to what I like to do for fun and that’s ride,” Biker of the Month Dave Quinn said in jokingly describing himself as a “one trick pony” who nevertheless finds himself now running a motorcycle diversified business specializing in Hagon shocks. Far from one trick, if it rolls on two wheels, most likely Dave Quinn Motorcycles has a shock that fits perfectly. Equally important, the shock will be custom matched by an expert for each individual application and rider. Like many businessmen catering to motorcyclists, Dave has a fierce passion for what he does that goes back decades, in Dave’s case, back to 1971 and his first Triumph, a T100C. “It had TT pipes on it,” Dave recalled. “I used to terrorize the neighborhood with it, but you can only have so much fun with a British bike for so long until the uninitiated gets bitten.” In Dave’s case, the bite was catastrophic. “I ran mine out of oil,” Dave said. “I wasn’t even sure where you were supposed to put it in. I decided right then and there I was going to have to get a lot smarter.” Dave’s journey to knowledge took many years and multiple paths to what he calls “nous,” a rather obscure word on this side of the pond and one more common to our English cousins. Nous rhymes with mouse and according to Webster’s Dictionary means both understanding and knowledge. One of Dave’s earliest nous givers was Ray LaPointe, shop manager at Schuster’s Cycle in Southington, Conn. Dave said LaPointe “took a snot nosed kid under his wing who didn’t know one end of a hammer from another” and took a chance by allowing Dave to turn wrenches at his shop, something he did for free during winters after “banging nails” for pay during better weather. Another significant nous contributor was Cycle Salvage in West Haven, Conn., specifically Doug Mathewson and Jack Clarke. Dave became familiar with these gentlemen by way of commerce. By now Dave worked full time in the auction business, one of his duties being cleaning out houses after estate sales. Dave thought he saw redeemable value in many items Dave and Maggie on their wedding day. slated for the dump, so he started his own informal flea market. As it turned out, Doug Mathewson collected old group photographs; Dave started trading the ones he salvaged for K81s for his Triumph. Ultimately this lead to Dave’s first big purchase of parts, a large supply of BSA A-10 parts long since disposed of. The Cycle Salvage guys also imparted business philosophy, an essential bit being the wisdom of keeping a small profile in terms of street visibility to allow saving money for inventory and concentration on mail orders instead of retail space. The practice continues today. After the A-10 score, Dave took on a partner and began to acquire many more Brit parts, something fairly easy, Dave said, because “these things (Brit parts) were just dead in the water. We were saving stuff from dumpsters, practically.” Up to this stage, the parts mission was as much a part time avocation motivated by personal interest as it was a business. “We just wanted to keep our bikes running,” he said. “I was like the guy with the bird with a broken wing; people would bring me stuff.” 62 November 2008 | WALNECK’S CLASSIC CYCLE TRADER® I WALNECKS.COM http://www.WALNECKS.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - November 2008

Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - November 2008 Contents American The Buzz w/Buzz Walneck Our Winners Stories! By Rick Weiler 1962 Henkel Tourist Motorcycle Tips w/Mike Brown Our Winners Stories! By Tom Sutherland Event Listings & Advertisements Bench Racing w/Mark Zimmerman British Biker of the Month: Hagon Shocks European Japanese Davenport Show Recap Motorbikes & Scooters 1956 Maico Mobil 197cc 1952 45cc VeloSolex Memorbilia Antique Cycle Clubs Parts, Accessories, Want Ads How to Place a Word Ad How To Place a Photo Ad Area Code Directory How To Subscribe Let Us Help With Your Event

Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - November 2008

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