6 minute read
DEALER VISIT
TOM ADAMSON MOTORCYCLES VIVA MONTESA
It is always exciting to hear of new dealerships in the off-road world, and a call we took from someone with a strong Scottish accent confirmed we were talking to the man himself, Tom Adamson — the proud owner of Tom Adamson Motorcycles. It is maybe a name you are not so familiar with as he is based as far north as we think you can get for a motorcycle dealership, at Elgin near Inverness, Scotland. The article you are about to read is, as always, very interesting as we find out how Tom moved into the off-road world with his Honda dealership and then the icing on the cake, Montesa. We caught up with him for the full story of a business based on hard work and passion.
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Words: Tom Adamson with Trial Magazine • Pictures: GF-V Media
Tom takes up the story: “The first time I rode a motorcycle, I was ten years old; it was a Gilera 50 Trail model, which was way too big for me, but me being me, I decided it would be easy anyway. So I went up and round the stack yard on the farm, came round the corner flat-out in first gear, and the throttle stuck open. The result was me crashing into a gate on the shed around the corner: ripped jeans, skint knee, skint elbow and my mate John Craig whose motorcycle was standing over me shouting, I was hooked, and I have never looked back!
“I have had a huge number of motorcycles over the years from all sorts of weird and wonderful manufacturers, but between 1977 and 1980, I had Bultaco Sherpas and fell in love with trials riding. I joined the Lanarkshire Trials Club and looked forward to every weekend there was an event. Peer pressure took me in a different direction after this, and I did road racing in the production class, followed by motocross.”
MARRIED AND MOTORCYCLES
“Over the years, I got married and had kids, and motorcycles had to take second place for a good few years until I decided to start my own
Between 1977 and 1980 Bultaco Sherpas were Toms choice of trials machine.
two-wheeled business. I decided to do this at quarter-to-five on the 9th of the 9th 1999. I spoke to my boss, left immediately and formed my new company, Tom Adamson Motorcycles, the following day. I worked from home for a few months whilst looking for suitable premises and opened my first shop on 3rd March 2000 in New Elgin, between the Tattoo shop and the Bookies.
“The most difficult part was getting any franchise to take me seriously; most didn’t even respond to me, but the ones who did benefit enormously. Soon the shop was bursting at the seams.
“It was time to move into a much larger industrial unit in Linkwood Lane across the other side of Elgin. I now had a proper workshop and way more space to show off my wares, and I thought I was getting somewhere until the floods in Elgin in November 2002. Businesses were wiped out overnight all over Elgin, but for the kindness and help from Andy Horne, letting me move into Unit 14 Linkwood Place, a new 3,000ft square unit, on the Monday following the floods and help from all my suppliers, the business would not have survived. Between 2003 and 2016, we built the business up, adding a large workshop using the best brands available, and we started making a fair impact on the motorcycling scene in the surrounding area.”
HONDA OFF-ROAD
“In 2016, we managed to get our first major motorcycle franchise with Honda off-road, giving us access to their motocross, enduro and kids motorcycle ranges, an absolutely brilliant range of models. Since then, I have been chasing the Montesa franchise, another part of the Honda empire, and I was lucky enough to get it at the end of last year.
“The range comprises the Montesa Cota 4RT 260R, a ground-breaking machine in 2006 and constantly evolving four-stroke, offering excellent power and torque characteristics; Showa suspension front and rear completes
Graham Foster-Vigors — Honda UK Off-Road Sales Manager with Tom Adamson
A new Helmet and Clothing Superstore is dedicated for trials and motocross. the package, making it suitable for novice and expert alike. For myself, the Montesa Cota 4RT 301RR is the ultimate trials machine, a motorcycle suitable for the most demanding of riders, a winner straight from the crate. Also available is the 4RT 301RR Race Replica, the absolute pinnacle of the Montesa range; the best just got a little bit better with a Race Replica that includes distinguished World Championship decoration. The final model in the range is the Montesa 4Ride. Start off from your garage, ride on the road in comfort to your playground, be Toni Bou for a few hours with your pals, and ride home again with fuel to spare after your adventure. Hugely practical with underseat storage, fully road legal with lights and indicators, a comfy seat and taller gearing to make your journey even more fun and an absolutely perfect ‘Farm’ motorcycle.”
EXPANDING
“Since January 2022, we have opened up a new facility next door to us, offering an even wider range of possibilities; we now have around 8,000ft square of floor space over Units 12, 13 and 14 Linkwood Place in Elgin. We cater for all your motorcycling needs and have franchises for Honda off-road motorcycles, Montesa trials models, TGB, Kymco and SMC quads, Segway quads, Royal Enfield and Keeway motorcycles, Sym and Keeway scooters. In addition, we carry a good selection of second-hand trials, motocross and road machines and scooters at all times, all fully prepared through our workshop and sold with a comprehensive warranty.
“We have a new Helmet and Clothing Superstore with a dedicated area for trials and motocross gear from Leatt, Apico, Forma and Hebo. For the road, we stock HJC, Schuberth and Shoei helmets, clothing and boots by Oxford, Alpinestars, Rukka, Falco, Daytona and PMJ, and accessories by Oxford and Shad, which covers most of the bases.”
WORKSHOP
“Our workshop is very well established, having been developed since 2002 and run by Matz Rayner for the last ten years using the latest technology. As a result, we are very well equipped to do everything from a simple service, tyre change or fork rebuild to complex electrical problems or full motorcycle restorations.
“We use products from Michelin, Putoline, NGK, SBS, Yuasa and many genuine manufacturers’ parts in order to get your machine back to you in tip-top condition, and we carry huge stocks of everything, giving us a pick rate of over 90%.
