1965 BSA General Manager Oakland Pete Colman - 1-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article

Description

1965 BSA General Manager Oakland Pete Colman - 1-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article
Original, Vintage Magazine article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm)
Condition: Good
OAKLAND, California — B.S.A. Mo-
lorcycles-Western has opened its new oper-
ation in Oakland, taking control of the
General Offices and Parts Depot formerly
owned and operated by Hap Alzina, Inc.
Mr. Harry G. Sturgeon, Managing Direc-
tor of B.S.A. Motor Cycles Ltd., Birming-
ham, England, announced the appointment
of Mr. Pete Colman as General Manager
of this new organization.
Hap Alzina, on the first day of retire-
ment, (after 54 years in the motorcycle
industry) conducted an introductory tour
of the facilities. As his last official act, he
turned the keys over to Pete Colman.
The parent B.S.A. organization has been
in operation for 102 years, however, only
the last 53 years have been devoted to the
manufacture of motorcycles.
B.S.A. Motorcycles-Western will con-
tinue with its general offices at 3074 Broad-
way in Oakland, California. B.S.A. mo-
torcycles will be distributed to all B.S.A.
dealers in the 19 western states from a chain
of warehouses located in Seattle, San Fran-
cisco, Los Angeles and Houston. Genuine
B.S.A. parts and all original equipment
accessories will be supplied to dealers from
the Headquarters Parts Depot.
Colman stated that an aggressive and
realistic marketing program is already in
effect and has advised B.S.A. dealers to
prepare for a sales increase of at least 40%
during the 1965 season. He further stated
that . . “This prediction is based on three
factors . . . sound market research . . . en-
gineering and design changes to insure
maximum styling, performance and de-
pendability throughout the entire B.S.A.
line . . . streamlined factory production
facilities to meet the growing demand!"
Colman is not new to the sport of motor-
cycling, having ridden his first motorcycle
in 1929. Neither is he new to the industry,
as his first connection dates back to 1933.
Since that time, he has been involved in
every phase — as a professional racer, tuner,
mechanic, salesman, engineer . . . and in
executive positions covering parts, service,
sales and marketing and general business
management.
In 1933. Pete entered the professional
racing field. This phase of his career ended
in 1948. after competing in over 4.000
races in the U.S.. England, New Zealand.
Australia and France. From 1934 on. he
was rated in the top ten in the world. Dur-
ing the 1947-48 seasons, he held A.M.A.
Competition License Number One.
World War II caused Pete to retire from
racing and devote full time to the aircraft
industry in the engineering field. When the
war ended, he was commanding officer and
chief engineering officer of an Aircraft
Maintenance Depot. Directing the activities
of over 700 civilian and military techni-
cians involved in aircraft maintenance and
repair left little time for motorcycling.
After the war, he left engineering and
returned to the motorcycle industry, con-
tinuing racing for 2!6 more seasons until
retirement in mid-1948. For the past seven-
teen years, he has continually served in
various management positions concerned...
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