Rafferty Newman motorcycles / scooters Southsea

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

When I were a lad, I started my biking career on Vespa scooters and had great fun going around the country to scooter rallies.

Progressed onto faster bikes by 19, but that's another story.

Anyway, I used to frequent 'Rafferty Newmans' in Exmouth Road, Southsea, for parts and bits as they were a scooter specialist as well as doing bigger bikes. Great 'Alladin's Cave' type place. I reckon the last time I went there was, oooh, maybe 1992 ish...

Anyway I was in Southsea yesterday, and on the way home thought I'd drop by.

Annoyingly, Raffs is now a block of flats, and the great little cafe that was opposite is an estate agents.

I was well gutted, in a kind of nostaligic 'another part of my youth gone' kinda way.

Anyone know when it shut down and went?

And for those of you who knew the place - I wonder what happened to the hundreds of petrol tanks hanging up??!!

[AndWhyNot]

The cafe's a relatively recent change but Raffs has been gone a long while now. They've had a site in Petersfield for 15-18 years selling/ maintaining agricultural eqpt like ride on mowers and quads and there wasn't a massive amount of overlap when the two places were open together.

[Thunderace]

They also had a place in Fareham selling bikes until a couple of years ago, gone now though. Think the argicultural/ATV place is all that's left now.

[ewolg]

Thunderace said:

They also had a place in Fareham selling bikes until a couple of years ago, gone now though. Think the argicultural/ATV place is all that's left now.

Rafferty Newman in Fareham has gone but it was taken over by another firm and are still Triumph dealers as far as I know? http://www.destinationtriumph.co.uk/

[Marko Le Rosso]

The Fareham dealership was sold off in 2010. Don't know about Southsea.

Raffery Newman Machinery is all I think is left, based in Petersfield.

[S7Paul]

On a similar note, does anyone remember the John Fisher Honda dealership in New Road, or the Kawasaki dealer on the corner of Elm Grove & Victoria Road? All now long gone unfortunately.

[Beachbumdel]

I worked at John Fishers from October 1974 for about 7 years, great days! Rafferty Newman were down the road from us in New Road, then later Fareham and Southsea. I remember in 1974 we registered over 200 new bikes on 1st August, Portsmouth News came up to photograph them lined up down the road

[mattomg]

John Fisher, lovely Guy, bought me my firt Malagutti 50 as being his next door neighbour in Waterlooiile saw my pasio for bikes. My first for the road was a Honda MT50

Sadly his appaling wife had an affair with my father and broke his heart. She had lured him aay from a wife & 3 daughters who were the only one present at his funeral.

He was Lord Mayor and I remeber the entire Eastern roads industrial uits were fields incorporatig the John Fisher airport. It''s only recetly I found flynig was noe of his hobbies. He liked a touch of scotch too