WORKING IN THE MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY SINCE 1965 A brief history and goals
Jerry Wood bought his first motorcycle, interestingly enough, at a local church fundraising auction in his hometown at age 12. He spent the next few years riding in the woods and when he got his driver’s license he rode on the street with his 1957 Triumph T110. At the age if 18 he went to work at Norfolk Motorcycles, a BSA dealer in his hometown working his way from apprentice to service manager. In 1971 Jerry and a friend opened their own shop and sold Norton, Ducati, Moto Guzzi and Maico Motorcycles. In 1975 Norton was about done and Jerry moved into the motorcycle racing business full time. Jerry raced for 48 years and favored Grand Prix roadracing. He has won national Sportsman Championships from 1977 to 2007. He was the Motorcycle Safety Director for the New Hampshire International Speedway for 21 years. Jerry and a friend started the first motorcycle roadracing school in the USA in 1973 and his son Eric continues to run that school today. Jerry and his wife, Dee started J. Wood & Co Auctioneers in 1980 selling motorcycle shops, as well as machine shops and factories. In the 1980’s the vintage motorcycle market started to take off. You could find a Triumph Bonneville in one place for $500 and another advertised for $5,000. In 1988 they came up with the idea of running a motorcycle consignment auction during Daytona Bike Week. Their goal was to offer the bikes in a nationally advertised auction with no false bidding to determine the true market value for vintage motorcycles. What they did was to put each bike on the block, get all of the bids in, and if it met the owner’s reserve, then it was sold. In all cases, they published the high bids for each bike, establishing fair market value. This system was met with great approval from the buyer’s and seller’s alike and the business took right off. The Daytona auction was a fixture at Bike Week for 25 years. J. Wood & Co has conducted many auctions all over the country including large private collections, estates, and shops of all sizes. They still run the auctions the way they would want them run as customers. Highly experienced motorcyclists with no false bidding or BS. Fair and square have worked for 38 years. With Jerry’s son Jeff and his wife Jackie joining the company, they will continue with that tradition.
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