ADVERTORIAL
If there’s one thing the team at Moto1 wants the community to know, it’s that “we cater to all riders and all types of riding”.
Family-owned and operated by Richard and Dakota Wood on Paeroa’s main road, Moto1 is a one-stop shop of motorcycle parts and apparel for bike enthusiasts.
Whether it’s from a scooter to adventure riding, road riding and dirt bikes – “we cover all of it”, Dakota told The Profile.
“We provide good safe gear and accessories to people of all budgets, from entry-level gear right up to the top of the line.
“We’re about to cover mountain bikes as well, which is really popular. They’ve really taken off, the e-bikes and e-mountain bikes. There are lots of bikers around here in the area, so we’re going to get in some helmets and accessories for cyclists,” Dakota said.
The store owners also have four children, and one on the way, who would also be brought up to “be little riders” too, she said.
Richard started the business around 15 years ago in Wiri, Auckland.
“Somebody described it on Google as being a bus shelter,” Dakota said.
“He started really small, mainly in a workshop, working on bikes for 10 years. And then he had enough of that and decided to just focus on apparel.”
The owners shifted from Auckland to Tauranga and after they had their first child, realised they were “a bit too far away” from family in Auckland, Dakota said, so “decided to meet in the middle” and settled their home and business in Paeroa.
It’s been three years since they opened the doors to their 112 Normanby Rd location in Paeroa.
Now, Moto1 has become a destination spot for riders from across the country.
“So maybe they’re wanting to go for a ride on the weekend and they’re from up north or something, they’ll hop on their bike and come down to see us. This morning [we] had somebody from New Plymouth. Most road riders will just jump on their bike and come and see us.
“I think it’s quite interesting that we do get people from all over the country coming to see us. And they see us online and then they’re just amazed at how much we manage to cram into this little shop.”
It had taken 15 years to build up the amount of stock they had now, she said.
While Richard was undertaking more work from home, the team back at the store included Dakota, Sharon Hamilton, Kayne McDougall and Yaran Kaarsemaker, who was in New Zealand on a work visa and left recently to travel the world on a motorbike.
Sharon, who manages the store, comes with a wealth of knowledge and understanding in motorcycle riding as she was involved with Paeroa’s Battle of The Streets.
“She was on the board for the street racing in Paeroa and she’s been riding for 40 years,” Dakota said.
“She rides road bikes, Richard and I ride dirt bikes. We have ridden road bikes too, but mainly dirt bikes.
“We have lots of experience, all of us, with riding motor bikes. Richard used to race sports bikes on the track and stuff like that. So we’ve sort of done all styles of riding,” she said.
Community was important to the team, and Dakota said they enjoyed the opportunity to give back to the community by sponsoring events with prizes, such as the RSA and a bowls tournament.
“It’s not necessarily motorcycle related [but] we do do a lot of motorcycle events though too. “We’re just trying to give back to the immediate community.”
Every December, Moto1 looks forward to their daily December giveaway – where they give away a prize every day leading up to Christmas. But there’s a catch. The prize gets bigger each day.
“Last year there was a $1000 shop voucher on Christmas Day. That was the biggest prize, and also we gave away a kid’s e-bike,” she said.
With a vision to offer top-notch support for every customer, Moto1 is the place to go.
“We’re quite a small, intimate team. I think we really pride ourselves on our customer service and trying to make sure that people have a great experience and lots of options of stock to try on.”
If there’s something people are after but it’s not currently an item Moto1 stocks “we can get it in”.
“We’re quite happy to get things in for people to try on. And most people like any excuse for a ride,” Dakota said.
“We just live and breathe motorbikes.”
DETAILS: Moto1 open from 9am-5pm Wednesday to Friday, and 9am-2pm Saturdays at 112 Normanby Rd, Paeroa. Contact the team on 07 862 5153, visit their website: https://www.moto1.nz/ or find them on Facebook.
By Davidda Hikatangata
