Labour Of Love A Bumpy Ride
Sun Herald
Sunday March 23, 2008
THE first motorcycle John Vittorio bought was a 1961 Triumph Bonneville. Fifteen years later he still has it, and several others he has collected over the years, including a "really nice unrestored Norton Atlas".
When he left school, John worked as a recording engineer in the music industry. He then obtained a job closer to his heart as an apprentice motorbike repairer at Jack Graham Motorcycles, Arncliffe. He later worked at a motorcycle shop in Tempe. The closure of that shop left Sydney without a dedicated retail outlet for European motorbikes for eight years. So he decided to fill the gap himself.You won't find a Harley Davidson at Motociclo, on one of Sydney's busiest roads, the Princes Highway at St Peters.The business, run by John and his wife, Nicole, deals in European and British motorcycle sales only. Models include the Moto Morini, an exotic Italian machine retailing at $24,000. It is also the only retail outlet in Sydney that sells Royal Enfield motorbikes, John says. Hanging from walls are British made Lewis Leathers jackets, the type worn by rock legends the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Ramones. There's also the Fonz, a 1950s style buffalo leather jacket with red quilted lining."We love the '50s and '60s style culture," Nicole explains. Other accessories in the shop include Davida helmets, Halcyon and Nannini goggles, Motomania bike T-shirts and American-made 1950s style boots.The vroom of a motorcycle will always turn heads but for the Vittorios the desire to open a shop that would house the motorcycles they love didn't get off to a roaring start.The building they run their business from, bought five years ago, was in their price range and had street frontage - but was infested with termites and in need of a bit of work. With help from John's dad and a good mate, the team of four set about painting and renovating the rundown building so it would comply with council standards. It was a long, drawn-out process that nearly nearly beat them. Over 14 months, the building failed several council inspections. There were times the Vittorios wished they had never bought the building but they had invested a lot of time and money. "It wasn't a viable option to abandon the project," Nicole says. Eventually a town planner was hired who helped them through the process.In hindsight, they say they probably would have bought a different building, given the problems the Princes Highway address would present. A specialist Moto Guzzi repairer, John says there is also a shortage of good mechanics, resulting in the couple often working 15- to 18-hour days, seven days a week.But at the end of the day Nicole says the business gives her a great sense of pride. "The hard work you do, you're not doing it for someone else," she says.
© 2008 Sun Herald