Suzuki's Cannonball Start

Bob Coleman's account

maddix park mx

This weekend Suzuki dealers and riders have gathered in Wanganui to celebrate 50 years of Suzuki in NZ. But how did it all come about?  Bob Coleman, who now resides locally, has provided some answers.

 

Bob grew up living above Dad’s shop. Not totally upstairs because there was the inconvenience of the toilet and lounge being on the ground floor, but right on the shop premises all the same.  The rent was one pound 10 shillings a week and there was a workshop out the back. 

Bob’s dad was the famous Percy “Cannonball” Coleman, the shop was “Percy Coleman & Co.” and this was the beginning of the Wanganui motorcycle business that became the importer of top brand motorcycles, became synonymous with the Suzuki brand, played a major role in motorcycle racing in the country and was instrumental in establishing the renowned Wanganui Cemetery Circuit.

 Percy acquired “Cannonball” in his name because of his speed on a motorcycle. He set Australasian records for one, 10 and 15 miles on an Indian in 1914. He broke the world grass track flying mile record 6 times between 1916 and 1929. He became the first British rider to exceed 100 miles per hour in road racing in 1919. In 18 years of racing he won more than 200 events. In NZ he was the “King of the Grass Track” who won the Heavyweight Championship Cup for 1000cc motorcycles 10 years in succession.

“Dad was pretty switched on,” says Bob.” He didn’t just race.  He was his own engineer/mechanic.  He created his own test bench. He would set a motor up with a prop for a brake and with paddles on the prop that could alter the gearing. This way he could bench test a bike instead of tearing up and down the road. He also used to cast his own pistons and make flywheels.”

Bob and his older brother Rod quite naturally got into bikes too and through Rod’s achievements at the Isle of Man (1st 350cc class on an AJS in 1954), the Coleman business gained the AJS distributorship for NZ.  It was while he was in England supporting an AJS rider he was sponsoring, a young Hughie Anderson, that Percy had a conversation that would radically change the face of his family business for the next 24 years.

The chat was with multi-time world GP road race champion Geoff Duke.  Geoff Duke had just come back from Japan where he had been paid by a new company, Suzuki, to look at and check over their motorcycles.  He passed the word on. “They’re going to be good.” This was a good enough endorsement for “Cannonball”.  He stopped over in Japan on his way home.  It was done.  Percy Coleman and Co became the NZ importer for Suzuki.

“There was quite a lot of flak in the early stages” admits Bob. “Originally the bikes were laughed at.  There were some problems to do with metal hardening but the Japanese were not frightened of listening. They sorted the problems. It was all go.”

And go it did. The business saw huge expansion in the 1960s and 1970s.  “Dad was the kingpin until he died”, continues Bob, “but it was a family business. I looked after the servicing side.  Rod looked after the ordering of new bikes. We tried to keep up the direct contact with dealers and customers. However, we were not just a franchise; we ran an assembly plant as well. We maintained a stock of 5000 bikes and we were assembling cars too.”

“We kept up the sporting side, of course. Rod focused more on the road racing but I preferred the flat track, grass racing and the growing sport of motocross.  Lots of MX events were held at my property at Westmere.  I competed until 1970 and went out on a high with a win on my Suzuki 500 in the Mile Grass at Bulls. My son Craig was also a National MX champion who competed in Europe as well.”

“We did have a slight advantage, being the importers”, he chuckles. “We had the new models the year before the official release.”

The Colemans are no longer involved with Suzuki.   In 1984, the Suzuki Motor Corporation established its NZ headquarters in Wanganui and took over the franchise from the firm that had been started by Percy “Cannonball” Coleman.

However Bob and his brother still maintain firm friendships with the Japanese people they met through Suzuki.  Bob has a special room filled with trophies, memories and memorabilia. Harry Everts, his wife and a young Stefan are amongst the many photos of international friends that line the walls.

Bob Coleman is pictured above with the photo of his dad Percy "Cannonball" Coleman receiving the Heavyweight Championship Trophy at Taratahi in 1929 from the hands of Howard Booth of the Wairapa Motorcycle Club.

For more info on the Colemans go to www.wanganui.govt.nz/SportsHallofFame/Inductees/ColemanFamily.asp

Trivia buffs please note:  Geoff Duke was the first rider to wear one-piece leathers - he enlisted his local tailor to make the first of his now famous one-piece race suits.

 
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