John is a total Legend! My husband and I were looking to sell our bikes as we are getting too old to be safe, but are highly suspicious of everyone and always think we are going to be ripped off. Having had quite a close acquaintanceship with the Meriden works when he was a co-op we felt that it was a useful lead when we heard that John worked there in the Experimental Department, so we went over to see him. The moment we walked into his workshop it felt like the years had melted away and we were back in those Glory Days! Just seeing the beautiful bikes he was working on, and the orderliness of his workshop and the pleasure he took in his work, it was completely inspiring.
So first of all, he set about restoring my husbands TR6, and as everyone else has testified, he kept us absolutely informed all the way through, sending videos and discussing what we wanted to do next.
He accomplished the work in record time, kept the cost down, and it was perfect… so much so that my husband has changed his mind about selling it now. (Grr!).
Then he dealt with selling my Kawasaki GPZ 750 for me, not only getting an excellent price but also finding someone that I was happy for it to go to; who already had 6 other Kawasaki’s and rode all of them! As I’d had the bike for 34 years I didn’t want it condemned to moulder away unloved.
So all in all, John is a great guy, totally obsessed with Triumphs, utterly meticulous, hard working, thorough and a hell of a laugh too.