Almost exactly 1 year ago tragedy struck Bikeshop Boksburg when we all woke to the news on an ice cold winters Sunday morning that a local bike shop was ablaze. We saw the videos of orange flame and black smoke billowing out of Bikeshop Boksburg. It was a very sad day indeed, well over 100 and plenty of new and used motorcycles were reduced to molten puddles and unusable charred remains.
Most people at this point would have just thrown in the towel, given up and sobbed into their coffee.
Not Jannie and the team from Bikeshop Boksburg. Within a month they had managed to get back up and they started restocking. Within two months they were completely operational and like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes they just took off from there, getting back up to speed on both the used bike side as well as the new Suzuki bikes and parts. Every so often we would wander in for one of our weekly visits and there would be parcels of rare, exotic and collectable motorcycles that would have us gawking in amazement and lust at the selection.
About a month ago, after remarking on the progress of the new building going up on the old site, Jannie dropped a bomb, “We’re moving, come check out the new premises quickly.”
- “Huh? New premises?!?! Why? Where? When?” –
- “Well we’ve run out of space and need a bigger showroom – just down Rietfontein road with much better passing traffic and road frontage – We will be open for business by the 1st of July.” –
- “1st of July…. 2025??” –
- “Ja, Ja.” –
- “WOW! You don’t bugger around do you!?!?”.
That was Monday the 2nd of June 2025, and true to his word we all arrived at Bikeshop Boksburg on Sunday the 29th of June 2025, with a crowd of riders from a bunch of the local bike clubs with their families, to help ride the 100 and plenty, plenty bikes through to the new premises. It was a properly festive atmosphere, excitement in the air at the opportunity to be able to ride all sorts of delectable bikes… even if it was for only 3 or 4 kays.
And what a well coordinated event it was, half the team were at the old shop pushing bikes out and getting keys into the ignitions. Traffic marshalls from the clubs were making sure each mass ride of 30 or so bikes were safely herded through the intersections and traffic lights.
The other half of the team were based at the new shop to receive each fleet as they arrived and started pushing bikes into the new showroom, while various bakkies and kombis ferried the riders back to ride the next and the next and the next and the next fleet of bikes through, each time with the convoy of vehicles kept heading back to collect them again and again and again.
An entirely different flotilla of vehicles and trailers were also running all the new Suzukis across town on trailers with furniture on the bakkies, it was quite something to behold.
The SA military could learn a thing or two here…
The workshops and Parts department are still based at the old premises for another week or two as the construction crew build new workshops, parts counters and a wash bay. Signage is all going up and shopfittings are all being sorted as we type this and the final dabs of paint are being done.
The new showroom is fully stocked and at full operational capacity and open for business. Walking around the showroom we kept asking, “When did you get this in, or that in, and how long have you had that?” – all to which Jannie or Nadeem replied, “Hence the reason we moved, that is all our overflow stock from our storage rooms and tucked in the corners of the workshops.”
Truth be told, it really was a privilege to be part of this event. To see the sheer joy from the staff, the wry grin from Jannie and the team. This was a great day – from absolute devastation a year ago to ultimate elation and excitement just 1 year and 1 week later.
If you ever needed inspiration to tackle a seemingly insurmountable setback in life or business then keep this story close at hand.
WELL DONE Team Bikeshop Boksburg-Suzuki East!!!!!
Go and have a coffee. It’s really quite something to see.
