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It is with great sadness that I report the passing of my former boss, early mentor and dear friend of 42(+) years, Gilbert May, Founder of Eastern Mororcycle Parts, Inc. Many of you may not have known, or known of Gil, although he was a visionary entity in formation of the motorcycle parts industry and had attended our meets and was also a Vendor
I met Gil in the late 1960's when he started his motorcycle repair business from his garage on Hicksville Road in Massapequa, New York. Soon thereafter he moved his growing retail chopper business to a very small brick building at 44 Brooklyn Avenue, also in Massapequa. I was a young mechanic at Nassau Harley-Davidson and having become bored with the dealership type of work, I jumped at the opportunity to work in a real 'hard core' chopper shop. But 'Gill's Cycle' was much more than that. He eventually purchased the Brooklyn Avenue building and exanded it substantially over next couple of years.
While generating seed money from retail sales, Gil invested all he had in a fledging start-up wholesale business that he named Eastern Motorcycle Parts. The Eastern wholesale supply business started as a small, double-row steel roller bearing draw-cabinet at the Brooklyn Avenue shop, filled with Timken and Torrington bearings. He then moved into seals, O-rings, shaft keys and other small parts.
He then consumated a deal with Boyde Defrance of D&D Cycle and before long, we were receiving crates of pinion shafts for wholesale distribution. A year later, we had a first-rate machine shop in Copaigue, Long Island and were maufacturing our own pinion and sprocket shafts and a variety of screw machine and centerless ground parts, as well as many other internal engine parts. I managed the retail shop at that time. And that was just the beginning.
We also rebuilt and exchanged Harley connercting rod assemblies and generators to dealers and shops all over the country and it was a very brisk business at that time. Several years later, I had witnessed Gil grow his small chopper shop into one of the foremost suppliers of internal H-D motor parts (and a variety of other parts) in the wholesale motorcycle industry. And THAT was just the beginning.
A few years later I left Gil to become a deep sea diver in the Gulf of Mexico oil fields and later returned to Long Island ito work in N.Y. Harbor. Eventually I attended college for my Engineering degree. Gil helped me by hiring me, part time and summers to rebuild motors, rods and generators in the retail shop and to do 'whatever'. He didn't need me at that juncture, but I was hired back anyway.
I wasn't the only one to receive Gil's help. There were many others. This is evidenced, for example, by the founding of AMCA member Richie Brown's H-D Generator Service. Richie started rebuilding generators many years ago at Gil's Cycle under Gil's 'watchful eye'. Years later Gil assisted RIchie after H-D Generator was started in the sale of N.O.S. generator parts at 'family' volume pricing.
This is a true Amerrican story of how a person, given nothing but intelligence, tenacity, and the will to work hard can start from a tiny garage and build a multi-million dollar manufacturing and wholesale business, and I was so fortunate to be there to witness how it was done.
I spoke with Gil a couple of weeks ago and, while he didn't sound like his bombastic and sarcastic self. But he promised to meet me at Rhinebeck so we could catch up and have our traditional streak dinner. Richie Brown and I promised to have 'Gil's Chair' at our tent so he could sit down, rest and engage in his favorite sport - 'ball- breaking'. We also spoke of Richie and I comming down to his place for a visit soon thereafter. Unfortunately the pancreatic cancet he 'alluded to' on the phone took him sooner than anyone expected.
I deeply mourn the loss of my long-time friend and mentor, his willingness to help me whenever I needed it, his knowledge, and his offers of assistance and contacts whenever he could. I also thank him for teaching me so much at such an early age thereby giving me the confidence and ability to continually expand my knowledge.
I was, am, and will continue to be awed by this man and what he accomplished, and my heart goes out to his family, whose sense of loss is far greater than mine. I will truly miss my friend dearly for a long time to come.
Bill Pedalino
I met Gil in the late 1960's when he started his motorcycle repair business from his garage on Hicksville Road in Massapequa, New York. Soon thereafter he moved his growing retail chopper business to a very small brick building at 44 Brooklyn Avenue, also in Massapequa. I was a young mechanic at Nassau Harley-Davidson and having become bored with the dealership type of work, I jumped at the opportunity to work in a real 'hard core' chopper shop. But 'Gill's Cycle' was much more than that. He eventually purchased the Brooklyn Avenue building and exanded it substantially over next couple of years.
While generating seed money from retail sales, Gil invested all he had in a fledging start-up wholesale business that he named Eastern Motorcycle Parts. The Eastern wholesale supply business started as a small, double-row steel roller bearing draw-cabinet at the Brooklyn Avenue shop, filled with Timken and Torrington bearings. He then moved into seals, O-rings, shaft keys and other small parts.
He then consumated a deal with Boyde Defrance of D&D Cycle and before long, we were receiving crates of pinion shafts for wholesale distribution. A year later, we had a first-rate machine shop in Copaigue, Long Island and were maufacturing our own pinion and sprocket shafts and a variety of screw machine and centerless ground parts, as well as many other internal engine parts. I managed the retail shop at that time. And that was just the beginning.
We also rebuilt and exchanged Harley connercting rod assemblies and generators to dealers and shops all over the country and it was a very brisk business at that time. Several years later, I had witnessed Gil grow his small chopper shop into one of the foremost suppliers of internal H-D motor parts (and a variety of other parts) in the wholesale motorcycle industry. And THAT was just the beginning.
A few years later I left Gil to become a deep sea diver in the Gulf of Mexico oil fields and later returned to Long Island ito work in N.Y. Harbor. Eventually I attended college for my Engineering degree. Gil helped me by hiring me, part time and summers to rebuild motors, rods and generators in the retail shop and to do 'whatever'. He didn't need me at that juncture, but I was hired back anyway.
I wasn't the only one to receive Gil's help. There were many others. This is evidenced, for example, by the founding of AMCA member Richie Brown's H-D Generator Service. Richie started rebuilding generators many years ago at Gil's Cycle under Gil's 'watchful eye'. Years later Gil assisted RIchie after H-D Generator was started in the sale of N.O.S. generator parts at 'family' volume pricing.
This is a true Amerrican story of how a person, given nothing but intelligence, tenacity, and the will to work hard can start from a tiny garage and build a multi-million dollar manufacturing and wholesale business, and I was so fortunate to be there to witness how it was done.
I spoke with Gil a couple of weeks ago and, while he didn't sound like his bombastic and sarcastic self. But he promised to meet me at Rhinebeck so we could catch up and have our traditional streak dinner. Richie Brown and I promised to have 'Gil's Chair' at our tent so he could sit down, rest and engage in his favorite sport - 'ball- breaking'. We also spoke of Richie and I comming down to his place for a visit soon thereafter. Unfortunately the pancreatic cancet he 'alluded to' on the phone took him sooner than anyone expected.
I deeply mourn the loss of my long-time friend and mentor, his willingness to help me whenever I needed it, his knowledge, and his offers of assistance and contacts whenever he could. I also thank him for teaching me so much at such an early age thereby giving me the confidence and ability to continually expand my knowledge.
I was, am, and will continue to be awed by this man and what he accomplished, and my heart goes out to his family, whose sense of loss is far greater than mine. I will truly miss my friend dearly for a long time to come.
Bill Pedalino
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