Where have all the bike breakers gone?

[Mav617]

When I was a nipper, there were a couple of places a quick ride away where they broke bikes and had heaps of secondhand parts. You could wander around an industrial unit for ages and check out bits that might fit your bike. What's happened to them, are there any left?

[VTRDark]

Quite simply......eBay.

I used to love going down the breakers yards. I used to work in a car breakers when I was younger. Some of the best days of my younger years. We used to fill the petrol tanks with some water to get extra weight when scrapping them and then off to the pie and mash shop for a bite to eat. Fun times they where. In those days if you wanted a part you would take your own tools and remove it off the car yourself. Health a safety would not allow members of the public to climb up on piles of cars any more.

[countrymick]

yes it was all good fun.health and safty has a lot to answer for at times.

[Varastorm]

Me being the youngest, I used to be the mule

We'd go in for an indicator & come out with my wellies full of goodies shock absorbers, electrics, anything we needed

Three cars up was scary though, creaking cars & slippery muddy wellies.

How there wasn't an accident Christ knows.

[VTRDark]

I used to break into a breakers yard and fill wellies too The good ole days.

[bigtwinthing]

Me being the youngest, I used to be the mule

We'd go in for an indicator & come out with my wellies full of goodies shock absorbers, electrics, anything we needed

Three cars up was scary though, creaking cars & slippery muddy wellies.

How there wasn't an accident Christ knows.

that made me laugh. I moved 2 years ago to within 400yds of the breaker i was at every sat looking for my "Austin Allegro" and Princess bits"

i weighed 10 stone going in and 13 stone coming out, and no doubt rattled. i did love rummaging though.

I made a "Dutton Melos" with a Lancia TOHC engine, with the biggest Holly Carbs from an old chevy. took some modding but wow did it go.

Happy days !!

[alanfjones1411]

There used to be a lot of bike breakers advertise in MCN.But they have all gone now.

[VTRDark]

I think the other issue is that a lot of the land that beakers used, the leases have run out and have now been built on too. Even the industrial type area's where they used to be have now got B&Q's and things built there. Under railway arches may have a few left but these have mostly been replaced with other businesses like glass cutter's, welder's, bodyshops, design businesses etc.

[Varastorm]

I've always been into motocross bikes & came close to buying a road registered YZ 490, but it was way too buzzy.

The riding position & power was great, but it had knobblies on & tarmac it was a proper handful. Thing wanted to go straight on

Four strokes were the way & I ended up building my own bike about 25 years ago.

It was built using an old (barn find) SP370. To make it look modern, I needed lots of bits so made a list & set off with my wellies to a breakers by Wrexham.

They had gotten wise by then & wasn't allowed beyond the portacabin

I ended up buying a XT350 seat(blue) & tank(black) with UFO plastics. My ole man wired up a loom. Total loss system with a huge diode? thingy hanging in the air under the seat. It looked good & gave around 70-80 mpg.

I trailered it to Bangor DVLA & registered it (Q plate). Happy days.

Now I could ride to the dunes in Rhosneigr or the quarry at Parys mountain, have a laugh & ride home. Well, it was till I summersaulted over the handlebars & the bike came crashing down on me & trapped me for what seemed like hours. Any one seen the film 127 hours

For me, living in the middle of no where, eBay is an addiction, oops, sry, I mean godsend

[Kev L]

Do you think the wholesale theft form breakers yards by you lot had anything to do with their demise? Just a thought!

[sirch345]

We still have a few car breakers down this way, where you can go in and take off the part you require yourself. Great places to get yourself a cheap part. I spent plenty of time at the breakers when I was in my teens and early twenties getting parts for my old cars

I often wonder how much longer they will be able to keep going what with health and safety regs of today,

Chris.

[bigtwinthing]

Do you think the wholesale theft form breakers yards by you lot had anything to do with their demise? Just a thought!

I thought that was part of my apprenticeship.