GLOUCESTER Street has long been associated with motorbikes, and Martin Roberts is keeping that tradition alive.

When Bob’s Motorcycles moved to Devonshire Place, its old home by the Opera House lay empty and a little forlorn. But since June, Martin – who used to run his business from Coastlands Avenue in St Clement – has been selling and repairing bikes from the town thoroughfare.

‘I had been looking to expand, so when the landlady of this place asked if I wanted to move in, I jumped at the chance,’ he said. ‘The building was gutted and we had five weeks to get ready. It was hectic, but I am proud to say that we only shut for one week. I had a lot of help from friends and there were a lot of takeaways at night, but we got there.’

Martin is the first to admit that his previous home was on the small side. He mainly did services and repairs with a bit of sales on the side, for instance ordering jackets and helmets for customers. The new premises are a huge leap forward.

‘We have a lot more space, including a sales area, so we can stock new and second-hand bikes and lots of equipment such as spare parts, helmets and clothing,’ he said. ‘Although I have always had strong relationships with manufacturers and dealers, I’ve never had room to stock their products, but now I do and I am building up some excellent lines.’

Martin now sells CCM motorcycles – a smart British marque that have a distinct aluminium fuel tank – and TGB scooters, which are made in Taiwan and hold the world record for the longest distance covered by a 50cc over 24 hours.

‘CCM are a niche market,’ he said. ‘They’re a bit like Marmite – you either love them or you hate them. They do limited editions and I currently have a FT710 Flat Tracker for sale, which is one of only 40 ever built. And I’ve already sold two in Jersey.’

On the ancillary side, Martin stocks NZI helmets – a Spanish brand used by the likes of Alex Débon and Jorge Lorenzo – as well as French clothing line Ixon and, soon, a range by Bulletproof, which specialise in kevlar-lined jackets, hoodies and even jeans.

Martin has ridden bikes since he was a kid. After school he left the Island and joined the army for 13 years and 248 days – not that he was counting. Serving in the Royal Green Jackets and rising to Corporal, he spent the last six months of his military career in Bovington, preparing Challenger battle tanks for the 1991 Gulf War. That allowed the infantryman to hone his mechanical skills, and after hanging up his beret he moved back to Jersey and the workshop of SGB.

In 1999 he began to repair and service bikes part-time and this became a full-time career a year later.
Martin is well known among the motor sport fraternity in Jersey, not least for fixing and tuning many riders’ bikes, but he also owns a number of Triumphs and is a member of the owners’ club in the Island.
The expansion of his business happily coincides with a growth in biking in Jersey, whether it be due to the fun of riding on two wheels or beating the traffic and paycards. But Martin voices a note of caution.

‘Yes, biking is more popular than ever, but the laws governing safety haven’t caught up,’ he said. ‘Gloves should be mandatory, for instance, and strange as it sounds, I would like to see everyone who drives a car have to ride a bike first because it greatly improves awareness on the road.’

Although these are early days, Martin has no regrets about moving, even as a recession threatens.
‘You’ve got to be in it to win it,’ he said. ‘We can now offer so much more, and business is doing well. I am training one mechanic – Phil Woods – at the moment, and I can already see myself taking on more staff in the not-too-distant future.’

• Picture: Martin Roberts with Phil Woods at the Gloucester Street premises. Picture by Tony Pike (00599224)