Down in the parking lot of Gateway Center sat a brand new Vespa Motor Scooter. Clark offered to let me take the little Italian-made Scooter for a spin. I quickly accepted, and soon I was scooting around the block, passing Gateway Center and the Pittsburgh Hilton. When I returned from this quick little jaunt around the block, Clark could tell that I was captivated. Clark once again showed his generosity and offered to let me take the little Vespa home for the weekend…

I took the Parkway West to get home in those days. I soon found myself tooling along on the little Vespa Motor Scooter at the ‘cheetah-like’ pace of 35-40 miles per hour. All around me were examples of Detroit’s finest – ‘4000 plus pound pieces of American steel being pulled around by two and three hundred horsepower V-8’s’. My mind envisioned these ‘steel chariots being led by teams of 200 horses stretched out in front as far as the eye could see’. This was a sharp contrast to the little 200 pound ‘chariot being pulled by only a few horses’ that I was riding. I instantly had the feeling that there was a place for these smaller, more efficient, and more fun, little scooters.

Returning to work from the weekend, I asked Clark where he had bought the little Vespa Scooter. I followed up on the name that Clark gave me. As it turned out, the gentleman who owned the Vespa franchise in the Pittsburgh-area was running it out of his garage. After meeting this gentleman and seeing more of these little scooters, I was eager to become involved. The way I saw it, he had the franchise, and I had the means to promote it. You see radio was different in those days. I knew that I was free to get on the air and espouse the virtues of these ‘little chariots’; effectively I had a means of free advertising. With my potential partner holding the franchise rights, and myself holding the means of promotion, the seemingly perfect business union was born.

As soon as I got on the air and began to promote the little Scooter, sales took off. It soon became apparent that the garage would no longer suffice. My partner and I secured a new location in the 900 block of Penn Avenue, adjacent to the Social Security Office. Rent for the storefront was $125.00 a month. Sales continued to increase and shortly thereafter we opened another location, this time in the West End.

Early in 1958, just a few short months into our business partnership, the relationship became strained. It became apparent that either he or I would have to go. I eventually bought out my partner for the then-monumental sum of $5000 and incorporated the business under the name ‘Scooters, Inc.’. The year proved to be a busy one, as the West End location was closed down in favor of a new one on East Ohio Street, on the North Side.

This new location saw the use of high school students who would unload the crates for the trucks, carry them down into the cellar, unpack and assemble the scooters, and deliver them to the selling floor where they were selling as soon as the hit the floor.

I soon had a decision to make; take the newly announced Honda franchise opportunity, or the Yamaha franchise. I chose Yamaha. In 1959, with little more than one year’s experience selling scooters under my belt, space once again became an issue. I moved the business to1008 East Ohio Street, a 10,000 square foot storefront that had once been a car dealership.

Throughout the 1960’s, I continued to add additional franchises; Bridgestone, Bultace, Royal Enfield, BMW, Gilera, and Kawasaki. I wanted to have every motorcycle and motor scooter franchise known at the time. The collection of all the different franchises led to the renaming of the business – Bob Tracey’s World of Cycles.

Another significant year in the history of the dealership came in 1962. I had returned from Italy and a tour of the Vespa factory. On the trip I had bought a soccer ball for my son Greg. In trying to teach Greg what NOT to do, I proved it and wound up breaking my ankle. With me in the hospital nursing a broken ankle, who was going to open the dealership? So, after four years of business, “Mrs. T’ stepped into the dealership for the first time. She has never left since.

After getting out of the hospital, it was time to return to work. What a sight it must have been. I would climb aboard the tiny scooter, leg cast and all. You see all the controls were either hand-operated or operated by the right foot. The left leg was left duty-less. Once Mrs. T had secured the crutches to the small luggage rack with a few bungee cords, I would set off on a course with as few red lights as possible. It was, after all, a little difficult to balance the scooter with one leg!

As time passed, the business continued to grow and be prosperous. In 1968 I made a decision to leave KDKA and move to Hawaii. While in Hawaii, I left the business in the hands of Walter Finnegan, who had by then acquired 49% of the stock. My family and I stayed in Hawaii for about a year. Upon returning to the mainland, and Pittsburgh, I found that Walter had let the lease expire. A quick move was necessary. I temporarily moved the business to a location on Route 8. I subsequently asked a lawyer friend of mine (Superior Court Judge John Flaherty) to find a real estate broker for me. The broker he found was responsible for finding the site at 8070 Ohio River Boulevard – the location most people associate with World of Cycles.

The early 70’s found me and Marge running the dealership as a “Mom and Pop” business and our son Greg in San Diego. In those days, as I recall, it was not uncommon to sell ONE sparkplug the entire day. But of course the franchise agreements called for the dealership to be open all day. The business remained viable and profitable, it just wasn’t growing anymore. I was continually trying to convince Greg to come back and lend a spark to the business. Eventually Greg agreed to devote five years to the business in an attempt to take it to the next level. That was nearly 30 years ago now! Greg originally returned as a mechanic. Today, he manages he entire operation of the dealership.

By the time the business had relocated to its current location, I had retired from the day to day operations. The story of my ‘so-called’ retirement brings a smile and a laugh: upon returning from a trip to Hawaii, I walked into the dealership one day. Greg told me ‘We have to talk’. Greg told me, his own father, that it was time to retire, and that the decision had been made. Well how do you like that? Retired by your own son!

Both Mrs. T and I remain a fixture at the dealership and can be found here at least once a week. Greg continues the World of Cycles tradition of offering the finest in motor sports products: Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, KTM and E-Ton.

The recent years have brought expansion into the mail order business. Additionally, World of Cycles enjoys status as “Pittsburgh’s Leading Motor Sports Dealership’. Our corporate Mission Statement is “To Fulfill Dreams Through the Experiences of Motorcycling’: just as my dream forty-some years ago.

Through three-plus generations of Pittsburgh motor sports enthusiasts, Bob Tracey’s World of Cycles has exemplified the highest standards of product and customer service, and for this I am truly proud. I am equally proud of the fine cast of current employees that continue that tradition.

We here at Bob Tracey’s World of Cycles are both privileged and humbled that you have chosen to allow us the opportunity to serve your motor sports needs – and fulfill your dreams!