| A Brief History Founded in the early 1950's by the late
Frank Bentley, in Foley Street Fenton it soon out grew the small premises and moved to its
current location in King Street Fenton.
Mr Bentley retired in the 1960's
and the business was sold to Mr Joe Furnival. Known as Foley Joe, he ran the
business through the British bike era until the Japanese took over as the main motor cycle
producer.
In 1975 Joe Martin bought Foley
Motorcycles. Joe, a keen Motorcyclist and skilled engineer, appreciated the need for a
motorcycle shop to provide a good after sales service with spares and workshop back
up. Joe started the long process of modernising and refurbishing the shop.
Later the same year Kevin Rushton
joined the work force part time at first building bikes and later was employed full time
helping to set up and sell the large range of YAMAHA and MZ spares which the shop now
carried in stock. In 1976 Joe was joined by his son Philip, who worked mainly on the
service and repair side of the business. In 1987 a large workshop extension was completed
to further demonstrate the importance placed on the service and repair business, servicing
all makes of bikes.
After 21 years as a partnership Joe
Martin retired, leaving Phil to continue to build on a business which has survived on
traditional values of customer service.
Now with Phil at the helm and with
the support of his long serving staff, Foleys, as the shop is nicknamed, looks set
to carry on through and beyond the millennium; specialising in YAMAHA and with franchises
for M.u.Z., P.G.O., MALAGUTI and always a good range of quality pre-owned motorcycles. |