Kolbe Cycle Sales SoCal Closed!

[topanga]

I went by there this morning and the place was empty. 49 years in business, goodbye.

I had no idea, but now I need to find another service provider nearby. Any suggestions?

 

[Bluestreek]

Bought my first bike from them in 1965 :cray:

 

[Bogey907]

I had no idea, but now I need to find another service provider nearby. Any suggestions?

Here's a suggestion: Don't complain if you think your next dealer might actually make some profit off your business.

That's not aimed at you personally, but at the MC crowd in general. If we don't support the dealerships, they'll disappear.

 

[topanga]

well, obviously I supported them with my service, they had done all my work for the past couple of years. I am not sure all dealers deserve support though, maybe this shakeout will bring back the concept of good service to the customer.

Anyone know of a good independent mechanic in LA?

 

[glossblk08]

First bike I bought from them was a Honda 350 twin. I can't remember the year. Then many bikes followed after that.

Friday, December 19, I spoke with Kevin Dunning, the former sales manager at Kolbe Cycle Sales. Who knows how much of this is true, but he told me that some old bat in the Kolbe family kicked off earlier in 2008. This caused great inheritance tax issues within the family estate. The remaining heirs did not desire to use their own funds (or maybe the lack of there of) to pay Uncle Sam. Since the state of the economy was causing very poor cycle sales, the family decided to axe Kolbe Cycle Sales and keep the Kolbe Honda car dealer portion.

I stopped by Kolbe Cycle Sales on the following Saturday. All the Hondas and Kawasakis were gone and the Yamahas were being loaded up to be returned.

Sad situation for us consumers. Fortunately Cal Coast Motorsports (101 fwy @ Victoria) is in my usual travels.

 

[topanga]

Wow, strange. It was gone so quick, no out of business sale, nothing.

 

[redtail]

Hey Topanga, we should get together and ride! I'm near DeSoto and Ventura Blvd. Just added a Powerlet connection this morning and need to do something local. I bought my '05 from Kolbe, and was having them service it, but no matter how I tried to schedule it they always kept my bike forever. I suppose there's issues wherever you go ( I had a few with these guys), but the last time there, my throttle cable was left loose! So I've been doing everything myself, not as hard as I thought! That being said I'll need some help with adjusting the valves. Maybe Cal Coast in Ventura, or maybe Simi Valley Cycle.

 

[exskibum]

Hey Topanga, we should get together and ride! I'm near DeSoto and Ventura Blvd. Just added a Powerlet connection this morning and need to do something local. I bought my '05 from Kolbe, and . . . .

Wow -- back when I bought my '75 Kawasaki Z1 900, I lived about 7 blocks south of Ventura Blvd. between Desoto and Canoga, on Velicata. Hard to believe that was only a month or two shy of 31 years ago. My dad lives in Simi and my sister in Granada Hills, so my '05 travels the roads of the S.F. and Simi Valleys roughly once a year lately.

I'm not sure which is harder to believe -- that Kolbe is gone now or that any dealership has been around that long.

 

[MCML]

Topanga, try giving Peak performance Motorcycles in Simi Valley a call. I have used them a couple of times now and am happy with their work. (I also used Kolbe and though that Lee, the service manager there was a straight shooter). It's a bit out of the way but you can ride to old pass road off Topanga Canyon and then just head west a bit to their shop.

Peak Performance - Simi Valley

Redtail - I am south of Ventura and Reseda and between the Target store and Kaiser (and Shirin a bit west) I am often at Ventura and DeSoto.

 

[topanga]

thanks for the recommend. I will call them and see. There's a back road (that I can't remember the name of, but is close to the infamous Spahn Ranch) that cuts over the hill into Simi that's interesting to hit every now and then.

 

[exskibum]

thanks for the recommend. I will call them and see. There's a back road (that I can't remember the name of, but is close to the infamous Spahn Ranch) that cuts over the hill into Simi that's interesting to hit every now and then.

I think you're referring to Santa Susana Pass Road. It used to be the only way over (before 118 went in) when I was a kid growing up on an orange grove (all gone now) beneath Stoney Point. It's a bit harder to find the entrance to it now on the west side of Topanga across from Stoney Point if you don't know where to look. I was around in the days when Spahn Ranch got infamous because of Manson, used to wait on part of that group in a gas station back in 1970, and used to hike up the canyon to just below Spahn Ranch with a friend and our dogs in the early to mid '60s. If you can't find the pass road from its eastern entrance, take 118 east and get off at Rocky Point Church (Iverson exit?) -- go to the south side of 118, and you can't miss the Pass road -- take a right into Simi.

Box Canyon Road is another way that's fun, too. If you go north on Valley Circle up behind old Chatsworth Reservoir (drained decades ago -- is it still dry??) west of Topanga between Roscoe and Plummer, take Box Canyon Road to your left. It takes you up to the old Rocketdyne Test facility (I worked there in '77 during a brief respite from Steamboat Springs during a snow drought). From there (without having to go into Rocketdyne property), it takes you down to L.A> Avenue in Simi -- all paved. I used to take lunch breaks in '77 on the Kaw Z1 to ride a loop down to Simi and back to work on that road. Few people on these roads, even the several times I've ridden the Pass Road when heading out to see my Dad in Simi from my sister's house in Granada Hills in recent years.

 

[jdog109socal]

Yep we lost the Ford dealer in Santa Paula, and Dodge & Jeep dealer in Fillmore and the Chrysler in Ventura dealer this year....Bush ran this country into the ground this last year and now hes running back to Texas with a Shit load of money to retire on...

Jdog

 

[Bounce]

Before you turn this into a political commentary, check out the Constitution and see just who is responsible for budget items in legislation. Hint: It ain't the prez no matter how much they wish it might be. 2 of the 3 branches both had blood on their hands for the current situation we're in.