Bye Bye Blackbird

At the turn of the century, JAWS Motorcycles was based in Thetford, Norfolk, specialising in Honda Blackbird parts and accessories. Today it lives in Greater Manchester, retailing clothing, parts and accessories to the public and the trade

JAWS can still supply parts for the Honda CBR1100XX, but now there’s much more to be had from the 16,500sq.ft site in Leigh Road, Leigh, Manchester with car parking at the back and bike parking at the front. The business is called JAWS because the original owner was John Albert William Smith. He ran the company until his retirement ten years ago when it was sold to current owner Karen Bretherton.

Five years ago, Karen took the business from a domestic mail-order operation to its first commercial premises. Her husband, Gary Bretherton, whom many of you might know from his 20 years at Avon Tyres, came on board. Initially, Gary concentrated on building the company’s digital presence to the point where there are now three eBay shops and one on Amazon. Gary knows this was important to level out the inherent seasonality of the motorcycle business.

“I found that even when I was out on the road selling, once you got to winter, everything slowed down and eventually dropped off from September to March. I thought there had got to be products that sell through the winter, so we looked through our which, pre-Brexit, was their best market for many items, but now it’s the worst. “Trying to sell to the Republic of Ireland is just horrendous. Because it’s considered a dodgy gateway to Europe, everything you sell there is scrutinised, jumped on and maximum duty is applied. You can tell someone that an item is £100, and you send it off with the correct paperwork and everything, but by the time they’ve put import duty and VAT on it, it’s added another £80. So the Leigh premises has enough stock storage area, JAWS can become a major player, getting preferential treatment from suppliers who will put stock aside for regular customers as and when it comes in so that it’s available on demand. However, as Gary explains, the downside of this is pricing – particularly if you don’t know that the price has gone up until you get the invoice, and you’ve pre-sold some stock at the old price.

“Take this year. We sell a lot of oil – we deal with Putoline, Motrex, Motul and Silkolene, and we are distributors for Gulf oils. Suddenly you get to January, and you receive an email informing you that prices have gone up 5 or 6%. With all the different ranges you’ve got, there will be about 400 SKUs that need changing in the shop, on eBay and on Amazon. That’s a lot of work.” product portfolio and selected what we thought would be seasonal items, such as battery chargers, bike covers, heated grips and protection fluids. So that’s what we specialised in.”

Having made a name for itself, stocking Blackbird bits, the global market for that model is still there, and sales tick over quietly in the background. Gary gets quite animated about Ireland, that market is virtually dead. The only way around it is to have an agent in Northern Ireland so that the customer can collect it themselves and sort everything out. But who wants to do that?”

Gary feels that the market out there is huge, but you’ve got to be fully connected to tap into it, and that can be timeconsuming, not to mention all the invoicing involved. But as

One area that has stabilised is apparel. Most large distributors follow the same rules, and not all current ranges are discounted, so there’s no price difference between in-store and online. This is a great improvement on the bad old days when potential customers would go into a shop to try something on and then go home and buy it cheaper online. Additionally, most distributors will now refresh older stock at no extra charge.

JAWS Motorcycles offers some major key brands, including Arai, AGV, HJC, Shark and MT road helmets; Alpinestars, Airoh, Shot and Wulf off-road helmets; and Dainese, RST, Oxford and Spada road clothing ranges.

Bearing all this in mind, the Brethertons took JAWS Motorcycles into the wholesale market in 2018 by launching KGB Motorcycles (K & G Bretherton) with a B2B website for trade customers: www. kgbmotorcycledistribution. co.uk. This portal includes a dealer locator so that retail consumers can find their nearest suppliers of KGB’s exclusive brands, including BC Battery Controller, Cobrra chain oilers, Gulf lubricants and Blazewear heated motorcycle clothing, plus essential service items, including Motul lubes, ACF50, NGK, HiFlo, D.I.D, EBC and many other products.

Gary says that the boom product area at the moment is intercoms. “It seems like everybody who has a bike now has either got or wants an intercom – sales of Sena and Cardo systems have gone through the roof. It started with just rider-to-pillion communication, then we got Bluetooth to add sat nav, phone and music, and now we’ve got Mesh (basically WiFienabled everything), so anyone who’s got an intercom now will eventually have to replace it.”

As Gary points out, it’s a shrewd move from the manufacturers, but the motorcycle rider demographic is getting older. “If intercoms are going to need regular software updates, then we could see dealers incorporating a hi-tech counter in the showroom with dedicated personnel.” On the subject of showrooms, JAWS was delighted with the help they got from their distributors with display and PoS material when they moved to the bigger premises. “It made a lot of difference to the bottom line when customers had the room to browse the products.”

JAWS Motorcycles is definitely Karen’s business – she’s spent all her working life in retail starting with a market stall at the age of 18. As far as motorcycles and associated products go, she’s learned on the job and reads a lot of manuals. Gary claims he does all the IT and coffee while Karen runs the show. And, yes, some customers still assume that it’s a bloke they need to talk to when they walk through the door. However, they are soon put straight on that one … 

JAWS Motorcycles 01942 677 177

The latest products for your showroom

Kappa Evo Sharp 5

A NEW WOMEN’S JET HELMET, THE KV37 EVO SHARP

Lady features a thermoplastic shell with an anti-scratch visor and a drop-down smoked visor to counter the summer sunshine. The ventilation system has a large top vent to increase airflow, and the inner lining is both removable and washable. Secured with a micrometric buckle, it comes in sizes XS-XL in a black/grey/fuchsia graphic. No UK prices yet, but it retails for €133 SRP on the continent.

Hoco Parts UK; 01484 641073; info@hocoparts.co.uk

Knox Handroid

THE OTHER-WORLDLY STYLING OF THE ORIGINAL KNOX HANDROID GLOVE STOOD OUT from the sea of sports gloves on the market, and the recently launched Mk5 version continues that trend with its patterned leather and exo-skeleton finger spines. Updates for this version include a new more comfortable single-sided polished LDPE cuff for improved strength, abrasion resistance and impact protection, and a new Boa closure system which allows microadjustment of the fit. The palm is now made from ethically-sourced kangaroo leather while the rest of the glove is cow hide. The Scaphoid Protection system has been upgraded to Micro-Lock (Knox’s soft armour) for added impact protection, and has been enlarged to cover the edge of the hand. The Handroid Mk5 comes in a choice of traditional black, or slightly more flamboyant red/black or yellow/black for an SRP of £249.

Knox; 01900 825825; sales@planet-knox.com

Richa Cyclone 2 jacket

Dainese Urbactive GTX

BOOTS FOR THE URBAN RIDER WANTING TO maintain a casual appearance, the Urbactive GTX are lightweight and protective, and also waterproof, thanks to a Gore-Tex membrane. Protection comes in the shape of ankle reinforcements and a strengthened exoskeleton, which are backed up by Groundtrax soles designed to resist deformation in the event of an impact. To improve walking comfort for off-bike usage, there is an Ortholite insole. They come in a choice of black or black/green in EU sizes 39-47 for an SRP of £219.95.

Nevis Marketing; 01425 478936; info@nevis.uk.com

MADE FROM A MIX OF HIGH ABRASION RESISTANT TEXTILES, THE CYCLONE 2 GORE-TEX jacket is an update of the original Cyclone jacket. It is fitted with a Gore-Tex waterproof and breathable liner and a detachable thermal liner for countering inclement conditions, but also has Richa’s Airtech Control System ventilation to manage airflow on warmer days. Accordion stretch panels at the elbows plus other stretch panels throughout, as well as adjusters on the sleeves, waist and cuff, help to tailor the fit. For impact protection D3O level 1 soft armour is fitted at the shoulders and elbows, and this can be upgraded to level 2 armour if required. A Viper level 1 or level 2 back protector can also be added.

The Cyclone 2 Gore-Tex is available in men’s sizes S-6XL in black, black/yellow and black/grey or in ladies’ sizes S-4XL in black only, for an SRP of £529.99.

Nevis Marketing; 01425 478936; info@nevis.uk.com

Rev’It! Hyperspeed 64

REV’IT! HAS LAUNCHED A NEW HYPERSPEED 2 RANGE OF CLOTHING which, it says, takes the firm’s racing DNA and uses it to inspire urban riders, although it obviously doesn’t mean commuters and delivery riders going by the fact that the first item in the collection is a one-piece MotoGP inspired suit. The suit combines perforated leather with strategically placed stretch panels and includes integrated Betatec protectors, a drink reservoir pocket in the speed hump and provision for a TechAir airbag.

More suitable attire for the city-based enthusiast is found in the three jackets in the Hyperspeed 2 range – the Pro, Air and GT Air. The Pro is a leather jacket which Rev’It! bills as “a waist-length alternative to one-piece racing suits”. As such, it features elbow sliders, a speed hump with drink reservoir pocket, CE level 2 protectors at the elbows and shoulders, and optional Seesoft back and chest protectors. It is also compatible with the Tech-Air airbag system. It comes in black/grey, black/ red or black/blue in sizes 46-56 for an SRP of £559.99.

The Air is another racy-styled jacket, but it takes ventilation to a higher level, with numerous perforated leather panels and 3D mesh. In case it gets chilly there is a detachable windproof gilet. It uses the same Seesoft protectors as the Pro but can’t take the airbag. It comes in black/red, black/anthracite or black/ white for an SRP of £529.99.

The GT Air is also a highlyventilated sports-style jacket, but made from lightweight polyester mesh fabric with triple-layer abrasion resistant softshell fabric on the shoulders and arms. It has Seesmart CE level 1 armour fitted at the shoulders and elbows, and can take an optional back protector. Reflective logos add extra visibility and there are multiple adjustment points to improve fit. It comes in black with a choice of yellow, red, white or blue stripes for an SRP of £189.99.

Hyperspeed 2 GT Air

REV’IT! Sport International; info@revitsport.com

Suzuki and CFMoto filters

THE BUSY FOLK AT DNA HAVE BEEN ON A development binge, adding three new filters to its catalogue. For Suzuki 2023 model V-Strom 800 and GSX-8S owners there is a new high-flow air filter which promises 99% efficiency and an increase in airflow of more than 60% compared to the OE filter. It comes pre-oiled, for an SRP of €69. If that doesn’t sate the desire for performance gains or extra induction noise, then there is a Stage 2 kit (described as “race use only”) which improves both by replacing the OE plastic air box intake cover. Used in conjunction with the filter it further improves airflow and claims improvements to power, torque and response. SRP is €44.

Owners of the CFMoto 450 SR pocket-rocket sportsbike can also benefit from the improved air management provided by a DNA kit. The filter for the CFMoto improves airflow by 75% for an SRP of €65, and the Stage 2 replacement air intake is €45. DNA Filters; info@dnafilters.com

Clarke bench grinder 5

USEFUL FOR SHARPENING TOOLS AND DRILLS, shaping and smoothing metal, or even fulfilling polishing duties, every workshop needs a bench grinder. Clarke’s new CBG6SC model has a 6in, 36-grit grinding wheel spinning at 2850rpm alongside a 2in wide, 80-grit sanding belt, both powered by a 250W motor. Safety features include an eye shield, flexible work light and adjustable tool rests. SRP is £118.79. Machine Mart; 01159 565555; www.machinemart.co.uk