Classic Bike Guide - Real rides, real riders

Notts bike shops

I can't recall W Humphrey Ltd but I remember that Wraggs Motorcycles traded from 2 Albert Street and that's where I disastrously traded my old Ariel Leader for a Norton 88SS cafe racer and later a Tiger 100SS with kamikaze tendencies. It was next to one of the many viaducts in town and opposite White Hart Street where Copes Motorcycles were. All long gone now.

Wragg's place stunk of petrol in the showroom but it didn't stop the salesman from smoking. I never lingered long inside in case it burst into flames. The workshop was upstairs and accessed from a lane where other shops stored their bins, a bit of an obstacle course some days. (I was a regular in the workshop due to having Brit bikes and a father who was very keen on the sale of goods act).

Wragg's was demolished in the 70s. I worked for the planning department then and tried – and failed – all ways to route the road differently. Copes only ever seemed to have scooters and small capacity bikes. Those premises became a shop with black windows specialising in marital aids and mucky magazines... or so I'm told.

The only other bike shop worth remembering was Henstock’s, on Chesterfield Road, and they soon latched onto Japanese bikes and sponsored Neil Tuxworth on the track. Wonder what happened to him.

There were small repair shops but none seemed to stay for long. I moved to Nottingham and can barely recognise Mansfield now.

Graham Rowley
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