REPORT – Redfern Motor Parts clearance auction
Words & Photos: Dave ‘Baldy’ Hellyer
After 70 years’ service to Harley-Davidson riders, enthusiasts and collectors, Redfern Motor Parts (nee Redfern Motorcycles) is officially no more. A huge clearance auction in May was the last chapter in a tale that began decades ago…
Jack and Johno. . . . and Tony
While the past two decades in the history of Redfern Motor Parts concerns Tony Blain, the business had a much longer association with the Johnson family: specifically Jack Johnson and his son, known to all and sundry as ‘Johno’.
Jack started Redfern Motorcycles back in 1949 as a part-time hobby. ‘Part-time’ became ‘full-time’, but Jack remained the man in charge of the inner-suburban Sydney store for more than four decades.
As he built his business through the ’50’s and ’60s, Jack collected an array of Harley bikes and parts from other businesses, such as Bennet and Wood, Jim Eade and Sid Huntington, as well as the NRMA’s fleet of 750 Servicars, discontinued 1200 Flatheads from the NSW Police Department and, last but not least, the Australian Army’s collection of 750 WLAs.
Back then, these motorcycles and parts were just “old” and not “collectable” like they would later become. Nevertheless, there was enough demand from local enthusiasts to keep Redfern ticking over, leading to the business becoming the go-to place for Harley owners, especially those looking to keep older examples on the road.
When Jack passed away in 1993, the baton was passed to Johno, but even then, Tony Blain was a regular customer. Visiting on a weekly basis, seeking parts for his own small collection of old motorcycles, Tony would later say it was his favorite day of the week.
The Treasure Trove
While Redfern Motorcycles was a treasure trove, Tony would later find out that what was on the shelves was just a taste of what the Johnsons had accumulated. Tony would sometimes leave disappointed from those weekly sojourns, especially when Johno would go off site to secure items from an allegedly huge parts inventory.
The very existence of that stash, let alone its location, became the subject of folklore amongst local Harley-Davidson enthusiasts over the years. No-one saw it, but many believed it was just a short ride away, at Sydney’s domestic airport in Mascot.
Tony, however, would actually get to see that inventory when he expressed an interest in buying the business. On a few invited trips with Johno (described as an experience in itself), the quality and quantity of that inventory convinced Tony to purchase it in 2000.
Already semi-retired, Tony saw the purchase as a way to continue enjoying his passion for old motorcycles, work on motorcycles and subsidise his passion with parts sales.
Renaming the business ‘Redfern Motor Parts’ and relocating the inventory to Wollongong, Tony would later move the shopfront there, too, with the 436 Princes Highway, Corrimal, address soon becoming as revered a site of Harley pilgrimage as the original store.
Purchasing Redfern Motorcycles and keeping it going was something Tony described as a labour of love and it was that approach that attracted fellow Harley enthusiast Shaun Wilson to join him from the start. Pete Green joined the business, too, and proved to be a great asset with his amazing H-D knowledge and passion.
“When I purchased Redfern in 2000, Pete was without a job and he came down to Wollongong for two years or so and sorted the parts at a warehouse I rented in Unanderra,” Tony recalled.
“Bob Brookland was also very helpful with the movement of parts.”
But, on the eve of this year’s clearance auction, Tony offered a special tip of the hat to Shaun.
“As a colleague, a friend of more than two decades and a good, good man, I wish Shaun everysuccess in the future.”
In addition to the enjoyment he has got from working with these people for close to 20 years, Tony said it had also been a pleasure to continue to make parts available for classic Harley-Davidson enthusiasts like himself.: “These bikes were and are significant to a lot of folks’ enjoyment in life.”
The Great Redfern Sale
When the word got around the traps that Redfern was closing, the obvious question was ‘Why?’
Tony explained that, after collecting historic, vintage and classic motorcycles and memorabilia for basically all his adult life, he had accepted an offer to purchase the building that housed his business, so had to move out.
With no desire to relocate all those parts and memorabilia for a second time, Tony passed the word around that he was planning to hold the clearance sale to end all clearance sales, with the grand title of the ‘Redfern Motor Parts Harley-Davidson Farewell Auction’.
Sorting out the collection took several months and resulted in a cornucopia of vintage H-D parts that we are unlikely to see offered again on this scale. Tony retained some motorcycles and a modest amount of parts for himself, but even with that, there were more than 1300 separate lots prepared for the auction.
For this writer, there was some irony in all this Harley-Davidson history going to auction when the Motor Company was on the verge of releasing the Livewire electric motorcycle that they claim will deliver a level of excitement we haven’t felt before from groundbreaking technology.
For the sale, Tony engaged Manshed Auctions (manshedauctions.com.au), with auctioneer Tony Gahan hammering on the 1330 lots without drawing breath across three grand days – 3 to 5 May.
Attracting 500 or so bidders from every state in Australia, there was also global interest in such a rare collection of vintage Harley parts, with registered bidders from 18 countries.
With everything offered with No Reserve, it’s no surprise that 100 per cent of the lots were sold. Some truly rare items were offered and there were some great bargains secured, too.
For Tony, the fact that the Redfern inventory is now being shared globally, with enthusiasts putting these classic items to use, it’s been a win/win situation.
“It was the best auction I’ve ever been to,” said Tony – with perhaps a hint of bias!
“It was fun, fast moving, exciting and a mammoth task. The use of on-line and live bidding proved to be a successful recipe for all who participated - it was above my expectations.
“Manshed Auctions were awesome, as was auctioneer Tony Gahan - the keys to our success.”
Riding On
Tony Blain has had motorcycle oil in his veins for decades, and that’s unlikely to change now that Redfern’s gone.
Redfern Motor Parts, with the history, lifestyle, mateship, and Harley Davidson motorcycles that went with it, has been an important part of Tony’s life, but its closure isn’t really an “end”. Tony will remain in touch with the many friends he’s built up over the years; friends he’ll no doubt run into at events like the Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend that he organises.
In signing off, Tony thanked his family, all those friends and supporters, Johno and the Johnson family for establishing Redfern Motorcycles in 1949, and Shaun Wilson for his contribution to Australian motorcycling culture.
Bulli Antique M/C Weekend 2019
Celebrating its third year in 2019, the Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend is the major event for the Australian chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. Tony Blain is the Australia AMCA President and was instrumental in not only establishing the club but also in creating the Bulli Antique Motorcycle Weekend. To be held on August 24th and 25th at the Bulli showgrounds (north of Wollongong), this year’s Antique Motorcycle Weekend welcomes all motorcycles 35 years old and older. It’s not just American bikes, either – British, European and Japanese bikes pre-1985 are welcome, too, as well as related parts and memorabilia. With a swap meet, demonstrations, classic bike auction, tech seminars and more, there’s plenty to see, do and experience at the weekend. Of course, there’s also the public bike display and AMCA judging.
Go to: amcaaustralia.org for more details on this year’s event.
