Carlo
Kickstart Enthusiast
Cliff Majhor of Portland, owner of The Cycle Hub has passed away at 90 years old.
He had acquired a legendary status as a character and as a hoarder of old motorcycles and parts. There are hundreds of stories about him, and how he ran his business. Reputed for price gouging, although he always treated me fairly when I bought anything from him.
Maybe if he liked you, you got a fair price. I do know that you don't complain about his listed prices; the part you want may suddenly become unavailable. One of the most popular stories is of a guy who learned that he had the only available example of a part for some early American motorcycle. The prospective buyer began to complain about the quoted price, to which Cliff suggested the buyer try to find someone else who had the part. After listening to more complaints, Cliff grabbed a ball-peen hammer from behind the counter and smashed the part to smithereens. The shocked buyer exclaimed "that was the only one of those that was brand new!" To which Cliff said, now there aren't any of them. Everyone who knew Cliff figured he had a shelf full of the same part in his warehouse, still in their original boxes.
Here are a few photos taken just before he liquidated his business.
He had acquired a legendary status as a character and as a hoarder of old motorcycles and parts. There are hundreds of stories about him, and how he ran his business. Reputed for price gouging, although he always treated me fairly when I bought anything from him.
Maybe if he liked you, you got a fair price. I do know that you don't complain about his listed prices; the part you want may suddenly become unavailable. One of the most popular stories is of a guy who learned that he had the only available example of a part for some early American motorcycle. The prospective buyer began to complain about the quoted price, to which Cliff suggested the buyer try to find someone else who had the part. After listening to more complaints, Cliff grabbed a ball-peen hammer from behind the counter and smashed the part to smithereens. The shocked buyer exclaimed "that was the only one of those that was brand new!" To which Cliff said, now there aren't any of them. Everyone who knew Cliff figured he had a shelf full of the same part in his warehouse, still in their original boxes.
Here are a few photos taken just before he liquidated his business.
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