Branch Motorcycle Sales

My shop - Ed Gilkison Velocette was back in the 1950s through 1975 - Branch Motorcycle Sales - when Lou retired and sold out to Ellis Taylor, who moved the inventory to Ellie's home in Montecito, California -just south of Santa Barbara. Ellie had the Velo business for a couple years, then when he had a nasty divorce, was forced to sell, and sold the Velo business to my long time friend Bob Strode in Woodinville Washington, in about 1978. I helped Bob move the inventory, along with or friend Charlie Cravens, loading it into a huge rental truck, and driving it up the I-5 . I then spent a week at Bob's and erected all the shelving and reloaded all the little parts boxes in Bob's basement, until he could get a proper little separate workshop / garage built. - I purchased the Velo business from Bob Strode in 1987 and have had it ever since - 33 years , and hope to continue on for many more, concentrating on repairs, and obsolete and used spares. I can't compete with the super fast suppliers of new spares in the UK , as I am dealing now with my health & taking care of 'me' - heart and cancer issues is now my main daytime job- ( I am having prostate removal surgery in a couple weeks ) required exercising, physical therapy and doctor appointments during the daytime hours take much of my time, and I do the Velo work in the very early mornings, and late evenings and weekends. Here is a scan of an bit of Lou Branch's printed paper box tape - and a crop scan of just the bike - a 1948 Dowty fork , rigid MAC 350