Our History

Motorcycles are in my blood and they have been for a very long time.

Great Bay Motorcycles has been at the center of my life since I founded the company in 1998. As a committed “motorhead”, I have had the good fortune to be around, work on, and ride some of the finest motorcycles ever made. My involvement with motorcycling has led me to some of my most valued friendships and the camaraderie of a spirited and fun-loving community of people.

My first actual memory of a motorcycle was my neighbor Arties’ Norton. At the time I had no idea what model it was, but it sure sounded and looked fast. If we kids were playing in the yard, and we often were, he would pull up in front of our house to greet us. As he approached the neighborhood, we could hear the engine as he blipped the throttle, and would come running as fast as we could to see him. That was our first experience of “cool”.

A couple of years later Artie purchased a Norton Combat Commando, and that name, as he said it, still resonates in my head today. As does the sound that twin engine made coming out of the silencers. As I got a little older, I started hanging around Arties’ garage. His core friends had Triumph Bonnevilles, and there was frequent talk about whose bike was faster or handled better. Artie would say that the Norton’s were the best, but I remember thinking the Bonnevilles were sure beautiful, and when I would sit on one, they didn’t feel as intimidating as the Norton.

There were always a couple of auto and motorcycle projects going on in Arties garage. The place was jam packed full of parts and tools, yet it was somehow organized for the current project at hand. The walls were covered with stolen highway signs and not small ones either. I remember distinctly a monster sized George Washington Bridge sign. And, there was an even larger Chesapeake Bay Bridge sign complete with a seagull in flight, rendered in reflective white, that alone had to be five feet across. There was never any discussion about where the signs came from, just comments on how good they looked.

In this garage I learned everything from solid mechanical techniques and organization to the importance of using eye wear when operating the grinding wheel out back behind the garage. The quality of the custom motorcycles and cars he turned out were legendary in our area. He street raced for high stakes and had some of the coolest vehicles that I have ever seen.

Once we were tearing apart a 389 Pontiac Tri power motor from his street racer. He had sucked a valve and needed the car back on the road fast. He was demonstrating proper tear down and parts layout technique to me when his mother came out and started yelling at him about using her bed sheet to lay all the parts on. She had a legitimate complaint, and it was the first and only time that I can say I ever saw any emotion other than bravado and enthusiasm from him. I don’t think he cared about the bed sheet, he was simply embarrassed that I saw his mother yell at him. A month or so later her Gremlin was freshly painted gloss black and had the most awesome set of flames on the front fenders and hood.

My parents weren’t thrilled about the time I spent hanging out at Arties’. They referred to him as “Peter Pan” and realistically, he was probably 18 years older than me. But he didn’t mind having me around and that’s all I cared about.

But I can’t deny that the time spent in Arties’ garage would forever shape my interests and passions. My parents thought I was wasting my time, but what I learned in that garage helped me work my way through college. I earned money at auto dealerships, repair shops, as well as doing repairs and tune-ups on my own.

Motors and motorcycles are an indelible part of my make-up. From a young age I loved riding everything and anything I could get my hands on. From a Briggs and Stratton powered mini bike with a scrub brake to a Hodaka 125, I could not believe the sense of independence and control riding a motorcycle gave me. I was hooked early and I felt the same emotions then that I feel to this day when I twist the throttle.

I have enjoyed many aspects of motorcycling over the years including working on them, finding them, rebuilding them, riding them, selling them and just looking at them. But, one of the best things about my motorcycle life is the people I have met along the way who shared their passion for motorcycling with me.

How did I end up opening Great Bay Motorcycles? It all started back in that garage. Thanks, Artie.

Cheers,