LONG STORY SHORT:
The motorcycles in the motorcycle graveyard Lockport (NY) were collected by Mr. Kohl, who owned several different motorcycle shops over 50 years. Kohl would take trade-ins of motorcycles and would also buy inventory of defunct dealerships. Around 1997 Kohl sold the building and motorcycles to Frank (?), and Frank operated the business as Kohl’s Cycle Salvage which sold parts off of the hundreds of motorcycles. In 2002 Kohl died at 80 years of age.
The building began to fall apart and crumble around itself. With the dilapidating conditions the City of Lockport condemned the building baring anyone from entering. The city also assumed ownership of all of the contents of the building when they took ownership of the actual building. Frank successfully sued the City of Lockport for ownership right to the contents of the building. The city finally gave Frank a deadline to get whatever he wanted out by mid November 2010.
The building began to fall apart and crumble around itself. With the dilapidating conditions the City of Lockport condemned the building baring anyone from entering. The city also assumed ownership of all of the contents of the building when they took ownership of the actual building. Frank successfully sued the City of Lockport for ownership right to the contents of the building. The city finally gave Frank a deadline to get whatever he wanted out by mid November 2010.
Kohl’s Cycle Salvage was located at:
71 Gooding Street, Lockport, NY, United States
LINKS:
Google Maps Link:
This is the saddest thing I ever saw. I hope "Frank" has found a better place to store these gems. Too bad he didn't do it sooner. It could have been a gold mine.
ReplyDeleteHi Jsfury
ReplyDeleteSorry to tell you, but most of the bikes was put in a huge containerload, and killed!!!
See the link --->
http://dcclassiccycles.dynamitedave.com/trips/graveyard/graveyard_final_4.JPG
I've seen some of these photos before, thanks for posting the story, sad as it is.
ReplyDeleteImagine how many bikes could ride out of that lot??? (with some work)
peace man :)
Hi David
ReplyDeleteYes it is really too bad. But I thin many of thoese bikes needed a lot of attention to ride away from that building.
With regards,
The Pilot
I worked for anna and walter kohl in the early '70's I was 14yrs old and moved many of these now classic bikes into this building. they had MANY other locations for storage. most in Lockport. some in Niagara falls.
ReplyDeletethe main store was on Richmond ave. overlooking the locks of Lockport.
they were once BSA, Moto Guzzi, and Yamaha dealer. the Yamaha dealership was purchased in the early 70's by Don George of Clarence ny and is still open today.
Walter died years ago. Anna is still alive and living in Lockport.
I've forgotten more about the different manufacturers in those 3 yrs. with anna kohl than most know today.
I was 14 yrs old and had riden sunbeams,ariels,dkw, bennelli,ajs, ducati, ossa, montesa and All the Japanese offerings.
what a treat! its all pretty much gone now but what stories I could tell.
I was just a kid....
I bought a Triumph from a women who had a bike shop in Lockport in the early 80s. It was across the street from the canal in the area where all the bridges are.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Richmond is now Canal St. It was a big old building. She had a son that rode Moto Guzzi. I think this may have been the place.
Anna and Walter Kohl were the owners, the building pictured was the main warehouse for storage at the top of Clinton Street hill. They had a showroom shop just around the corner right in front of the locks and also a place on Rt 78 in Wrights corners. My father worked for them for a number of years and I remember those buildings before they went to shit or were sold. Frank would sell some parts but a majority of it he wouldn't let people see or buy. A lot of treasures were lost in there.
ReplyDeleteWalter and Anna Kohl were a great pair of biker business people that started their business on Transit Road in Lockport. Walter was a very shrewd wheeler-dealer, and took in millions of $ worth of bikes on trade, but if he didn't get his price, he would just store them in buildings as seen in the photos, instead of selling them. He didn't care, because they didn't need the money. While Walter worked on selling bikes on the outside, Anna worked inside, selling parts. She probably know more about bikes and their parts than anyone. And she stored most of that knowledge in her head. The lived very modestly and worked long hours. because their whole live was motorcycles. That's probably why they didn't really care about money, just motorcycles. I believe that their Transit Road store/yard was condemned, so they moved to the city and finished running the business along the canal.
ReplyDeleteI was told about Kohl's back in the 80's...bought a CB450 from them, a Black Bomber. I really wanted the Guzzi police bike they had but when I got there they had sold the damn lights off it,. Who wants a cop bike with no lights? The real story here though is that he had a bunch, and I mean 20 or 30, bikes still in crates...but I needed something useable now. Therin lies the story of how I passed up a brand new Ducati 200 Elite, breadloaf tank and all....
ReplyDeleteA shame that this grand enterprise died and so many easily made running machines deteriorated into scrap.