Colin Appleyard to focus on four-wheels as it celebrates 50th anniversary

1st April 2021

One of the longest-established vehicle dealerships in the North of England, Colin Appleyard Ltd, is to concentrate on four-wheels after the sale of its motorcycle branch of its business to MotoGB, the UK’s largest independent importer and distributor of two-wheeled products.

Colin Appleyard Ltd will continue its retail of new and used cars, as well as automotive parts and servicing from its five car showrooms.

The sale comes as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary, having first opened as a motorcycle dealership in Keighley, Yorkshire in 1971, with Suzuki cars added to in 1979.

Although still very much a family-run business, it has since grown into a £46million enterprise with six franchises/ locations across West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, and well-established partnerships with some of the world’s leading motorcycle and car manufacturers.

The dealership has also been behind one of the most esteemed teams in the British Superbike Championship, Appleyard Macadam Racing, which has achieved 11 British Championship titles over the years. The team will continue with its commitments for 2021, having signed young stars Bradley Perie and Rhys Irwin in a bid to help the pair fulfil their already-promising potential.

MotoGB, has 12 of its own retail showrooms as well as an extensive network of dealers across the UK, retailing its own imported brands, will take over Colin Appleyard’s motorcycle business from April 1st. It will continue to run the Wellington Road premises as a motorcycle dealership, retaining its highly-knowledgeable staff and ensuring the local biking community can still benefit from the top-level service it’s accustomed to.

Robin Appleyard, Managing Director of Colin Appleyard

“Our foundations were built in motorcycles but over time it’s actually become a relatively small percentage of our business as a whole, so we have made the decision to focus on our well-respected car group. It’s not something that was decided lightly but is the right decision for the whole group and the staff.

We believe MotoGB will be able to showcase all of their brands with the help of our experienced existing staff at the motorcycle dealership with road and off road. We would like to thank all our staff and Motorcycle customer and wish them and MotoGB every success for the future.”

Looking for Motorcycles?

For all your motorcycle needs, please contact Appleyard Motorcycles on 01535 606311 or click on the image below to visit their website.