Cooke & Arkwright
News
Thundering ahead
22/07/09
Thunder Road, Wales’ leading motorcycle dealer has doubled its size and opened a new 12,500 sq ft showroom and workshop in Cwmbran, acquired by Cooke & Arkwright. Around 200 motorbikes from scooters to super bikes, including the full Honda range are on display, as well as a wide range of riders’ kit and accessories. Teamed with its long established showroom in Bridgend, Thunder Road is now the largest motorbike dealership in South Wales and employs 60 staff between the two locations.
“We are pleased with the new store and with the first month’s trading,” said Dave Smith, co-owner of Thunder Road with Dave Mobberley. “We sold 17 bikes on the opening weekend and by the end of the month it was 60.”
Voted No 1 in South Wales for the last eight years by Ride magazine, Thunder Road is a firm favourite with keen bikers and attracts crowds of enthusiasts on every sunny weekend. Its Open Days and Rideouts, which occur throughout the summer, draw all standards of motorcyclists on every type of bike.
Jeremy Symons of Cooke & Arkwright said, “When tasked with finding a second opening for Thunder Road we were fortunate to be presented with a suitable opportunity in Cwmbran. The unit’s position provides a degree of representation to passing trade, whilst the address is well known for the majority of bikers in the area.”
Mr Mobberley said that trends towards motorcycling had changed over the years. “Originally bikes were a popular form of commuting, then they became more of a leisure activity with people owning a car separately for work. Now we are witnessing a return to motorcycling for economic reasons,” he said. “When you consider that some bikes will deliver 100 miles plus to the gallon and can cost as little as £15 for road tax, it’s not hard to see why. More people are using a bike to commute again.”
Thunder Road stocks bikes such as the Honda CBF125 in the region of £2,000, which is popular for commuting. At the midway mark, the ultimate sports bike is the Honda Fireblade, costing less than £10k, but for those with serious money to spend, the 1800 cc Honda Goldwing is the Rolls Royce of bikes at £21,000.
Thunder Road was established in 1954 by Dave Smith’s father, Peter Smith. In 1996, the Bridgend branch was opened by superbike world champion Carl Fogarty before a crowd of 4,000. Today the tradition continues with plans for another world champion, James Toseland due to attend the big Open Day in September.
Pictured: Jeremy Symons, Cooke & Arkwright; Dave Smith and Dave Mobberley, Thunder Road