2 Items Required 25DB

[PeterSears]

I am try to get hold of 2 items to complete my Roadster rebuild, 1st is the "Hoop" mounted underneath the front mudguard which runs from front to back, I have tried to contact Adrian Dickerson but cannot get a reply, and the 2nd item is the Rear Brake operating Arm which is listed by Parkwood Products but they neither answer their phone and reply to emails !!!.
Can anyone help ??
Regards
Peter

[johnrunnacles]

Adrian is generally very good at answering his phone, Peter. You've probably just caught him out of the house. As for Parkwood, they respond well to eBay orders. If they have the part listed on there, your best bet may be to place an eBay order with them.

[PeterSears]

I think Adrian must be away then I tried him Friday, Monday and Today, I will give him a try later in the week. I know Parkwood make the item but I cannot find it listed on Ebay it is a shame he does not respond to emails or answer his phone though !!

[John Wakefield]

Amazing that British businesses don't shape up and offer good customer service, why on earth would you set up a business and then not respond to customers, crazy, particularly in these troubled times when many business are struggling to survive. Parkwood Products are listed as as GRA supplier in LL so maybe someone on the committee should make contact then and see if they want to continue supplying parts.

Peter you could try Duncan (Parkwood Products) on his mobile number which is listed on Andy Tiernan's web site as 07594 931700

[Brian Thompson]

Amazing that in these troubled times British people don't shape up and have a bit more empathy with the difficulties facing said small businesses.....Maybe, and this is all just pure speculation on my part, the person who man's the phone/answers the emails may have to be self-isolating and Duncan is just too busy actually making stuff and trying hard to fulfill existing orders (which may have skyrocketed because of the lockdown and afterwards....) and has nobody else available to step in to that role. In short, there may be any number of reasons why Peter hasn't heard back, none of which any of us know. Without quality fabricators like Duncan willing to make and supply small run/one-off parts it's the classic bike industry that won't survive, as many restorers simply don't have the skills or facilities to do it for themselves, based on my experience in the trade and a lifetime spent around motorcycles.

Whilst I sympathise with Peter's frustration (he wants his parts!!) may I respectfully suggest a little patience and understanding before chucking the toys out of the pram and to keep trying to contact them. I'm sure that Duncan is not crazy (unless you mean crazy to operate a business in this market.....) and needs his business to be a success so he can pay his bills, especially as his company has garnered a reputation for quality work from everything I've heard from other members. For all you know John, this situation of 'lack of contact with hi8s customers' could be causing him a great deal of stress and he may be currently powerless to rectify it. Or would we rather just assume the worst without any evidence either way and start building the gallows...? Rather, shouldn't we all be thankful that parts for Greeves are more available now than they have been since the factory closed it's doors? Also, let us not forget it was largely down to Tony's efforts in building links with Duncan when he needed parts for his own bikes that helped establish the 'Greeves Line' in the Parkwood catalogue, and Tony's ongoing efforts in making/getting parts made and offering them to other members is admirable, and he's not alone. That's called 'clubmanship' in my book.

I think another important point to note is that we are not talking about Amazon here....although even they state a three day period for a reply from a seller in the event of a query or problem. Perhaps if the committee should deem it appropriate to get in touch with Duncan, perhaps it should be to thank them for the services they provide to Greeves owners and to ask if there is a problem and can we do anything to help....for example, pass on a statement on their current situation to help keep members (customers) informed. Yes, it should be them that should be doing that in the first instance, but what if, like many people on here, Duncan is happier twirling spanners than updating websites with 'flash announcements'....

This is an old story, but worth repeating here for additional context. Many years ago, our hugely missed Chairman and friend Rob Thornton had some stunning clip-ons made up for Silverstones. He got firm orders from members (who knew the price in advance, and very reasonable too for the quality...) so went ahead and paid for the batch in full out of his own pocket, happy as he always was to help out his fellow Greeves enthusiasts and be in a position to do it...Guess what....many of the so called 'firm orders' were from timewasters and Rob suddenly found himself stuck with these beautifully fabricated parts. He did manage to shift them in the end, but it took a long time.....

Regarding our Adrian, he is held in very high regard indeed in these parts, for his knowledge, skills, experience and clubmanship, all of which are beyond reproach and of the highest standards. Once again, I'd urge Peter to keep trying as I'm completely confident that he will respond, be able to help, and if he makes it, will supply what you need and exceed your expectations for quality of craftsmanship and at a great price.

Or should we contact Adrian and ask him too if he wants to continue supplying Greeves parts.....

Brian.

[PeterSears]

Thank you for your various inputs I car assure you Brian that there are no toys being thrown out of my pram, as my original message said all I actually require are the 2 parts mentioned and my request was only to check if anyone had them available or knew of any alternative suppliers, I did not intend to start ww3 !!
I will try Adrian on his mobile tomorrow and see if I can get a response
Regards
Peter

[Martin Howard]

Well said Peter.

[Brian Thompson]

Well done JW.....

[ADickerson]

Gosh! Firstly thank you JR for pointing me in this direction and also for kind words everyone. I'm not a businessman just a die hard Greeves enthusiast for which I make no apologies. I do however apologise to Peter for him not being able to get hold of me. We are currently waiting for a fault to be repaired on our line. Ref Q 206146848. It was first reported two weeks ago.
If by rear brake arm the term rear brake pedal is in order then I can supply both items. Will PM Peter with details tomorrow.
Once again apologies for late reply but we were unaware the line was actually dead. Initially it was just very crackly, but no dial tone at all now!

PS Following an exchange with our supplier at teatime, we're now advised the contractor is coming to dig up the path to investigate further tomorrow. :-)

PPS Don't recognise the mobile number listed on JW's post, it's certainly not mine.

[Brian Thompson]

Hi Adrian,

Great to hear from you and trust all is well with and yours. Even better that you'll be able to get Peter sorted from the sound of things...was there any doubt?!

Your problems with underground cables reminds of similar issues with Boris, when he was still alive, pre 'burgers'....he was forever digging them up, but only the ones carrying mains voltage.....I think he liked the 'tickling' sensation when he chewed them....!

Peter, good luck with the rest of your restoration and well done Jonah for helping put you and Adrian together.

Brian.

[John Wakefield]

PPS Don't recognise the mobile number listed on JW's post, it's certainly not mine.

Adrian, the mobile number is for Duncan Wright (Parkwood Products) Sorry I should have made that clear, will amend previous post

[PeterSears]

Just an update have spoken to Adrian and he is supplying his parts to me next week, and have this morning spoken to Duncan who is having a number of problems at the moment but will try to supply a rear brake arm to me over the next 10 days.
Thank you all for your input
Peter

[Geoffrey Medd]

Can anyone please let me have the dimensions for a 1960 TCS front mudguard stay? A simple sketch would be most helpful. Many thanks.

Regards

Geoff

[John Wakefield]

Can anyone please let me have the dimensions for a 1960 TCS front mudguard stay? A simple sketch would be most helpful. Many thanks.

Regards

Geoff

Drawing is available from Gary Bamford the GRA Drawings Officer you do need to be a GRA Member though.

[Geoffrey Medd]

Thanks John, I'm a member so I will!