Century Motorcycles San Pedro, CA (w/ Guzzi content)

[bbolesaz]

So, I happened to visit Century Motorcycles in San Pedro, CA.  They claim to be the oldest continually operating motorcycle shop in the country. It is now run by 3rd generation in the family, Tim Rutherford.
Definitely one of the last "old time" motorcycle shops.  Are the clean, well lit motorcycle Wally Worlds better than the old school?



"Showroom" floor with some very tasty motorcycles for sale.







Snortin' Nortin


More modern Norton


850 Commando


Triumph flat tracker custom


GT250, little brother to the GT750 water buffalo.


Vincent single (sorry don't know Vincent models by sight)


I know what this single is, I can read !


And a 3rd single, yes 3 zeros in that price !!


Vincent twin with some customization


Another twin, yes, that's 5 Vincents in one place.

[bbolesaz]

Jawa 2 stroke street bike


Single Indian (didn't know there was such a thing)


Indian I'm more used to


Triumph Hill Climber


It reads "Conquistador", guess it's Spanish?


Ariel square 4 with sidecar


Engine close up


Ring ding. Tourer or chopper or ???


Maybe started life as a CB750 or Nighthawk


Honda GB500 Repli-cafe


Last but not least, 2000 Guzzi V11 Sport (needs some love)


Shop owner Tim trying to find the seat lock.


 

[docc]

Oh, man, a love-needin' silver V11 Sport and a GB500 eight feet from one another?

 

Seems like *home* . . .

[bbolesaz]

So, here's how I came to be at Century Motorcycles.

 

Some of you may remember a for sale post on a Magni fairing, by Shinji.  So, Shinji was the owner of the V11 Sport shown above and the Honda GB500 shown earlier.  For whatever reason, he had to leave the country and return to Japan.

 

He didn't want to box and ship the fairing.  My daughters live in Long Beach, so OK I'll just pick the fairing up if it can be left somewhere. He was apparently a regular customer of Tim's so he left the fairing in a box at Century Moto.

 

He also sold (or left, not sure which) his 2 bikes there.  Tim says that Shinji rode both bikes to his shop. But when we tried to start the V11, of course we got a click, but not much else. I suggested going under the seat for a quick relay wiggle, hence the pix.  Didn't help, relays would click, but no joy from the solenoid.

 

Tim, knowing I have a Guzzi interest offered the bike for sale to me. He started at $2500. As I was leaving, he was down to $2000.  Normally, I couldn't pass up a deal like that, but I'm a bit in the doghouse on the bike purchasing front anyhow.

 

It's a bit ratty, but would probably clean up nicely.

[docc]

Comes with a free GB500?

[Scud]

Great shop, I must go visit one day. You could hide the Silver Sport at my house for a while...

[docc]

I'll hide the free GB for you.

 

Win-win!

[swooshdave]

Velocette branded as an Indian. There was some wacky Indian stuff in the late 60s-early 70s. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Motocycle_Manufacturing_Company and what Floyd Clymer did back then.

 

 

Shop owner Tim trying to find the seat lock.

I'd eat Alpo to be in the doghouse for $2k.

[footgoose]

Thanks BBz. Love that. What's in the "Bike Palace" next door?

[swooshdave]

Snortin' Nortin

Pretty rough "cafe" Commando. That fiberglass tank will need to be tossed. 1973-early 1974.

 

 

More modern Norton

Still the same age (1974)as the one above just slightly better condition. 1975 was the first year for electric start and the last year for the Commando (they bleed on for a while after 1975 but those are mostly unsold 1975s...) Custom paint and Corbin seat.

 

 

850 Commando

1973-early 1974 and the most stock of the three except for the wheels (alloy) and the seat doesn't look right.

 

 

 

Vincent single (sorry don't know Vincent models by sight)

 

I know what this single is, I can read !

 

And a 3rd single, yes 3 zeros in that price !!

 

Vincent twin with some customization

 

Another twin, yes, that's 5 Vincents in one place.

The singles are the Comet. If it says HRD then it's pre-1950ish. They changed from HRD to Vincent when too many people confused HRD with HD.

 

That last Vincent is probably a real Black Lightning ($$$$$$$$$) or a Black Shadow ($$$$$) dressed as a Black Lightning.

 

Pretty steep price on that Comet. Were there any prices on the Nortons?

 

Awesome shop and thanks for the pictures!!!!

[bbolesaz]

Bike Palace is a large bicycle shop.  I didn't ask any prices on the other bikes.

[Kiwi_Roy]

If I recall correctly the Vincent 500 singles were the Comet and the rare Grey Flash a racing model.

I owned a Comet as an apprentice, it was rooted when I got it and barely running when my Brother sold it to a mate for $500 around 1970

The fork bushes suffered from electrolysis which chewed the shafts away, and the cams and followers would wear like crazy

make the worst Guzzi flat tappets look pristine by comparison I did enjoy riding it though I must say.

The new owner pulled it to bits and it was still that way last I heard.

 

The forks had a way of changing the rake for a sidecar, you could flip it over in seconds

Both wheels remove without the use of tools apart from something to remove the chain link, the rear allowed for a different sprocket by flipping it.

The tool tray slides under the seat, I remember hitting a large bump one night and the tray tore out scattering tools in the dark.

Pin striping on the tank was real Gold leaf, Prince of Darkness electrics.

 

My older Brother refused to sell me his Rapide, figured I would kill myself, probably right.

[luhbo]

More a sort of asylum rather than a shop. One has to call up high prices there to keep the flock together. Then the trick is to survive as a shop anyway.

[droydx]

Those very same bikes were for sale when I had my 1974 Norton Commando, back in 1976......its kind of a museum, but still a cool place!

[bbolesaz]

And it's just up the hill from the San Pedro Fish Market.  Yum !