Dave’s expertise with classic bikes leads to impressive global success

IN retirement, keen biker Dave Young of Pulborough has found the pull of classic and vintage motorcycles too great to resist.

He has been lured back to the world of restoration, where he once worked for the legendary firm Bol D’or Motocycles in Worthing, That firm closed down in the late eighties, disappointing many local enthusiasts.

Under him, the Bol D’or banner, named after a motorcycle endurance race held annually in France, is back once more at a character barn in the heart of Pulborough.

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Dave, and his wife, Mafra, have found such a gap in the market that last week they sold three classic bikes which Dave had restored- one to Japan, another to America and the third to Australia.

Not only that, but since they opened the business 16 months ago, which is in Stane Street Nurseries, Codmore Hill, Pulborough, they have restored and sold 119 bikes, many oif them classics.

Theirs is a real success story in a dipping economy, when many are struggling to survive.

Mafra, who does the books, said: “ Last week it was the fifth bike we have sold to Japan. We have clearly hit a niche in the market that no-one else is filling at the moment.

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“Dave started this as a part-time hobby which has escalated, but, and it will not get any bigger than it is. He simply loves restoring old bikes. He sources them through America and other outlets and spends hours restoring them to pristine condition. They are all old British classics and we never realised there was such an international demand for them.”

They now employ a freight company for their global shipments and a dedicated motorcycle delivery service to anywhere in the UK and have launched a website, www.boldormotorcycles.co.uk- but intend to retain the personal touch with this local business that has attracted an amazing international demand.