All the NOS parts are gone (read below) but they have a TON of stuff in used parts... give them a shout if you have specific needs.
There is no website for this shop but here is the local & phone numbers...
GT Snow & Cycle
PTH 59&Pth 44 MB
Telephone : 204-757-2143
C&P from the Winnipeg Free Press...
A local snowmobile and motorcycle parts and service business is closing its doors, and the sale has generated so much interest that an American vintage motorcycle lover has travelled from Arizona to stake a claim in the company's massive assortment of unique and rare inventory.
Kelly McIvor, the owner of GT Snow and Cycle, has operated the business with his son Dale near Lockport on the corner of Highway 59 and Highway 44 since 2001. McIvor is not disheartened about selling off the property and shutting the doors -- in fact he's looking forward to retiring, for a second time. The 71-year-old entrepreneur got his start in the snowmobile business way back in 1977 in his hometown of Portage La Prairie. He has been involved with both snowmobiles and motorcycles ever since. "I already retired once," chuckled McIvor, who briefly moved to British Columbia back in 1993 with his wife, Joan. "That only lasted a couple of years and we ended up moving back to Manitoba and buying a motorcycle-parts business in 1995." McIvor reported that although he and Dale did have a few decent years at a pair of other locations, since moving the business to the site of the former Ed's Lawn and Leisure, things never really took off the way they had hoped it would.
McIvor surmised that in addition to being a little too far out of Winnipeg, the fact that the old family snowmobile has become a thing of the past likely weighed heavily on the decision to finally close up shop. "There was a time when people fixed their snowmobiles themselves and they needed parts, but take a look in the ditch this winter and the machines people are riding now are all brand-new or maybe a couple of years old," said McIvor. "The new machines are covered under warranty, are more reliable, they require less maintenance, and the parts are so specialized even the dealers have a difficult time keeping them in stock, so that left us dead in the water."
McIvor continues to look for someone to purchase all the new and used snowmobile parts he has amassed, but recently sold the lion's share of the motorcycle parts to an American with a penchant for vintage Japanese motorcycles.
Bruce Mangels first heard that McIvor was selling off a huge assortment of new and used motorcycle parts through a friend in the hobby. Mangles, who was born in California and now calls Arizona home, arrived in Manitoba last month and purchased all of the new old stock, or NOS motorcycle parts McIvor had to offer. NOS is a term used to describe vintage or old parts that are still in the wrapper and it was these parts that really got Mangels' attention. He has since bought most of the NOS motorcycle parts and is in the process of shipping it all home to Arizona. There are literally thousands of boxes of new unwrapped parts for all the major brands, parts like fork seals for a 1972 Suzuki, or a new piston for a 1980 Kawasaki.
So what the heck is he going to do with all this stuff? Mangels has been selling motorcycle parts on eBay for eight years, and has thousands of Internet transactions to his credit. "The Internet is really the only way to sell specialized parts like this," said Mangels. "The vastness of the market really improves the chances that seller will meet buyer and it puts people with specific interests together, no matter where they are in the world." Mangles estimates it will take him about five years to sell all the parts via eBay, a time frame that coincides with his plans for retirement. There's also a feel-good element to finding, and ultimately selling all of the parts McIvor collected over the years. "This stuff is really a great find for the hobby, lots of people are looking for these parts but never knew they were here," said Mangels. "I predict that just like the muscle cars went crazy, guys are going to want to ride a vintage Japanese motorcycle like the one they rode in college, and they are going to start snapping them up and restoring them." Mangels said that old Honda parts have already become valuable and difficult to obtain, and that it won't be long before Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki parts go off the dial, too.
All the NOS parts will easily find a new home, but one has to wonder what will become of the mind-bending collection of used parts McIvor has amassed. In one massive building with a 14-foot high ceiling, there is shelf upon shelf of carefully organized parts, ranging from engines and transmissions to handlebars and windshields. On the end of each row, McIvor has painstakingly hung up engine covers, brake rotors, ignition parts -- you name it and it's there. The manner in which the parts are hung up and displayed is truly a work of art, and stopping by just to see the way the place is set up is totally worth the trip. In another building, rows of vintage Japanese motorcycles, many cannibalized beyond recognition and likely headed for the shredder, sit alongside row upon row of shiny chrome wheels and boxes loaded with seats, exhaust pipes, forks and body panels. Outside, there is a pile of rusty and dusty motorcycles, stripped clean of any useable parts and definitely destined for the shredder. While digging through the treasured remains I spotted a 1979 Suzuki RM 80, just like the one my father bought me for my 12th birthday. In another row a Can-Am dirt bike bashed and battered by years of hard riding sits next to a stripped down Honda street bike with a bald back tire. According to the cracked odometer, the bike stopped rolling at 35,000 clicks.
For his part, McIvor has no real sentimental attachment to the motorcycles or parts, but he does hope that they don't wind up being sold for scrap. "There are so many good useable parts here, and one day someone is going to be looking for them and they'll be gone," he added with a sigh, "It would be a real shame if it all gets scrapped."
In a joint effort to sell off the remaining motorcycles, snowmobiles and parts, both McIvor and Mangels will be manning GT Snow and Cycle until the end of November. The pair promises rock-bottom prices on everything in stock. The doors to both the storage building and parts warehouse will be open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Even if you aren't looking for anything specific, it's worth the trip just to see all this amazing stuff together in one place. It's also a good opportunity to wish Kelly McIvor a long and relaxing retirement. After taking a look around, it will become abundantly clear that he deserves it.
There is no website for this shop but here is the local & phone numbers...
GT Snow & Cycle
PTH 59&Pth 44 MB
Telephone : 204-757-2143
C&P from the Winnipeg Free Press...
A local snowmobile and motorcycle parts and service business is closing its doors, and the sale has generated so much interest that an American vintage motorcycle lover has travelled from Arizona to stake a claim in the company's massive assortment of unique and rare inventory.
Kelly McIvor, the owner of GT Snow and Cycle, has operated the business with his son Dale near Lockport on the corner of Highway 59 and Highway 44 since 2001. McIvor is not disheartened about selling off the property and shutting the doors -- in fact he's looking forward to retiring, for a second time. The 71-year-old entrepreneur got his start in the snowmobile business way back in 1977 in his hometown of Portage La Prairie. He has been involved with both snowmobiles and motorcycles ever since. "I already retired once," chuckled McIvor, who briefly moved to British Columbia back in 1993 with his wife, Joan. "That only lasted a couple of years and we ended up moving back to Manitoba and buying a motorcycle-parts business in 1995." McIvor reported that although he and Dale did have a few decent years at a pair of other locations, since moving the business to the site of the former Ed's Lawn and Leisure, things never really took off the way they had hoped it would.
McIvor surmised that in addition to being a little too far out of Winnipeg, the fact that the old family snowmobile has become a thing of the past likely weighed heavily on the decision to finally close up shop. "There was a time when people fixed their snowmobiles themselves and they needed parts, but take a look in the ditch this winter and the machines people are riding now are all brand-new or maybe a couple of years old," said McIvor. "The new machines are covered under warranty, are more reliable, they require less maintenance, and the parts are so specialized even the dealers have a difficult time keeping them in stock, so that left us dead in the water."
McIvor continues to look for someone to purchase all the new and used snowmobile parts he has amassed, but recently sold the lion's share of the motorcycle parts to an American with a penchant for vintage Japanese motorcycles.
Bruce Mangels first heard that McIvor was selling off a huge assortment of new and used motorcycle parts through a friend in the hobby. Mangles, who was born in California and now calls Arizona home, arrived in Manitoba last month and purchased all of the new old stock, or NOS motorcycle parts McIvor had to offer. NOS is a term used to describe vintage or old parts that are still in the wrapper and it was these parts that really got Mangels' attention. He has since bought most of the NOS motorcycle parts and is in the process of shipping it all home to Arizona. There are literally thousands of boxes of new unwrapped parts for all the major brands, parts like fork seals for a 1972 Suzuki, or a new piston for a 1980 Kawasaki.
So what the heck is he going to do with all this stuff? Mangels has been selling motorcycle parts on eBay for eight years, and has thousands of Internet transactions to his credit. "The Internet is really the only way to sell specialized parts like this," said Mangels. "The vastness of the market really improves the chances that seller will meet buyer and it puts people with specific interests together, no matter where they are in the world." Mangles estimates it will take him about five years to sell all the parts via eBay, a time frame that coincides with his plans for retirement. There's also a feel-good element to finding, and ultimately selling all of the parts McIvor collected over the years. "This stuff is really a great find for the hobby, lots of people are looking for these parts but never knew they were here," said Mangels. "I predict that just like the muscle cars went crazy, guys are going to want to ride a vintage Japanese motorcycle like the one they rode in college, and they are going to start snapping them up and restoring them." Mangels said that old Honda parts have already become valuable and difficult to obtain, and that it won't be long before Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki parts go off the dial, too.
All the NOS parts will easily find a new home, but one has to wonder what will become of the mind-bending collection of used parts McIvor has amassed. In one massive building with a 14-foot high ceiling, there is shelf upon shelf of carefully organized parts, ranging from engines and transmissions to handlebars and windshields. On the end of each row, McIvor has painstakingly hung up engine covers, brake rotors, ignition parts -- you name it and it's there. The manner in which the parts are hung up and displayed is truly a work of art, and stopping by just to see the way the place is set up is totally worth the trip. In another building, rows of vintage Japanese motorcycles, many cannibalized beyond recognition and likely headed for the shredder, sit alongside row upon row of shiny chrome wheels and boxes loaded with seats, exhaust pipes, forks and body panels. Outside, there is a pile of rusty and dusty motorcycles, stripped clean of any useable parts and definitely destined for the shredder. While digging through the treasured remains I spotted a 1979 Suzuki RM 80, just like the one my father bought me for my 12th birthday. In another row a Can-Am dirt bike bashed and battered by years of hard riding sits next to a stripped down Honda street bike with a bald back tire. According to the cracked odometer, the bike stopped rolling at 35,000 clicks.
For his part, McIvor has no real sentimental attachment to the motorcycles or parts, but he does hope that they don't wind up being sold for scrap. "There are so many good useable parts here, and one day someone is going to be looking for them and they'll be gone," he added with a sigh, "It would be a real shame if it all gets scrapped."
In a joint effort to sell off the remaining motorcycles, snowmobiles and parts, both McIvor and Mangels will be manning GT Snow and Cycle until the end of November. The pair promises rock-bottom prices on everything in stock. The doors to both the storage building and parts warehouse will be open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Even if you aren't looking for anything specific, it's worth the trip just to see all this amazing stuff together in one place. It's also a good opportunity to wish Kelly McIvor a long and relaxing retirement. After taking a look around, it will become abundantly clear that he deserves it.
