I got to the shop about 45 minutes early… or so I thought.
Some of the shippers get there early every day like Ralf. As you can tell by the spelling of his name, Ralf is from Germany, and it didn’t take me too long to get used to his thick German accent. I was soon able to understand every third word.
Ralf has a strong military background, and like many veterans nowadays, he has seen a lot during that time. We each talked about some of our military experiences, and during this discussion I discovered more about the type of man that he is. Not only does he work on Norton motorcycles all day, but some evenings he volunteers his time to work on vehicles at a shop for veterans. It sounds something like our Guild. He is very passionate about giving back to fellow veterans, some of whom are struggling, and I am so very impressed with his continuing to support his fellow brothers- and sisters-in-arms.
There were about 15 minutes until everyone would start to show up, and since Ralf was outside smoking, he told me to go inside and get coffee, take a look around for a bit, and just relax. Yesterday, I didn’t quite finish up the job I had been working on and it had bothered me all night, so I told him I wanted to finish that up before I got tied up with other things. He told me not to worry about it, that they’d get it done… but I couldn’t leave it for them. After all they are doing for me, it was the least I could do. He chuckled and let me go in and get it done.
When that was done, I went up to the office. Ashley told me to look at some of the binders and paperwork they had on the shelves. I felt like I was in a museum… some of the binders were filled with correspondence from “back in the day,” including official memorandums. order receipts. unofficial correspondences, some with handwritten notes in the margins, all relating to the inner workings of the Norton company. I could have sat there all day and been perfectly happy. Of course I was pulled away from that to something else and was still happy.
I spent some time with Steve, who is in charge of the Sales Department, which includes web sales, counter sales, picking, packing, and shipping. He is a technophile like me, so we got along swimmingly. He showed me the database that has all of the parts, customers, orders, inventory, and all the rest of the stuff that helps them successfully handle this aspect of the business. I was drooling at the amount of information he had at his fingertips as well as the organization of it all.
At one point, I had the opportunity to watch how they receive, pick, pack, and ship orders. I must say, they have this down to a science. The software knows where each of the parts are stored, and plans out the most efficient path for the staff member to take through the warehouse. This, along with the barcode scanning system they use, makes it so that you almost have to work to make a mistake. I was very impressed and it is just another example of how the entire team at Andover Norton works smarter to help us all keep our Norton’s on the road.
At the end of the day, everyone geared up for a ride.
I knew we were going to a pub, meeting with a few people to talk motorcycles. What I didn’t know was how different an experience that would be in Great Britain. I was on a 1974 Norton, very similar to the one I ride at home. This was probably planned before I got there.
I could imagine Karl and Ashley thinking, ”What bike shall we put Sherb on so he won’t be so overwhelmed when riding the back roads to the pub?”
Their choice was spot on, since I know for a fact that if I was experiencing the exhilaration of riding some other fantastic Norton I would probably have crashed. I needed to pay attention to the roads, not the bike. The roads, most of which are probably older than half of the States in the US, were narrow and winding, with hedgerows that would brush your shoulders if you drifted too much to the left. Add to that the scenery; from wide open fields to small villages with houses built right next to the roads, the experience was perfect. It made me think of Mom and Dad riding their Norton through similar landscapes in the 1970’s in Spain, and I couldn’t help but smile during the entire ride.
When we arrived at The Crown Inn, Karl asked me how the bike rode. He said it was rebuilt about 20 years ago but had barely been ridden since. I said it was a beautiful ride, but that I had a hard time both getting it into gear and finding neutral. I felt that the primary chain might be a bit tight, and when we checked the rear chain, it was a bit loose. Because the rear chain was loose, Ashley said it’s very likely that the primary chain was tight. This is a common occurrence the first time bikes get some miles after a rebuild. We checked this the following day and confirmed our suspicions.
The Crown Inn is an ancient building, older in fact, than the United States itself. Stepping inside felt like a journey back 300 years. The ceiling, low and uneven, is a testament to its post-and-beam construction, with some beams seemingly added over centuries to prevent collapse. Despite a somewhat claustrophobic feeling, it offered a fascinating glimpse into the past.
Meanwhile back in Vermont, Jack was dealing with a customer issue I had left him with. When we got to The Crown Inn he texted me, “Call?” I sent him the photo you can see here and said something to the effect of “Can’t. No hands!”
He promptly texted Karl and asked him to “gently” tell me to get my ass on the phone. Ok…. maybe not those exact words, but I did end up calling him.
I spoke with many a rider throughout the evening, men and women riding bikes from all eras and countries. There was no judgement on what you rode… This was a gathering of riders getting together to share the experience. They do this every week during the summer with similar turnout. I’m hoping to replicate something similar when I get back to the states, and hopefully bring back yet another good thing we can learn from the “Brits.”