From the Deeley Canada
website:
The open road. The great escape. Rounding the next turn, ready for whatever comes your way. Riding free – there is nothing like it. For many of us, motorcycling is a way of life. The Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition is a special collection for all enthusiasts to see, experience, and enjoy. It is more than one man's passion for motorcycles; it is thousands and thousands of miles, and many untold stories that only the imagination can revive from the silent, glorious machines on display.
The Exhibition, like the Deeley name and family tradition, has a unique story which began in 1914 with the establishment of Fred Deeley Ltd. Specializing in the Birmingham Small Arms (BSA Motorcycles) line, the Company was to become a Vancouver, British Columbia, landmark at its Broadway location, and part of the city's history. In 1917, the romance with riding began to grow with the Company's acquisition of Canada's first Harley-Davidson® Retail Store. Over the years, Trev Deeley Motorcycles has prospered and grown into what it is today – a modern, welcoming enterprise staffed by friendly, knowledgeable staff at its new 1875 Boundary Road location in Vancouver, which officially opened in May 2007. The Exhibition is co-located with the Retail Store, is easy to access, and has plenty of parking for visitors.
From father to son, the relationship with motorcycling became stronger and stronger in the Deeley family, with "Trev", grandson of the founder, not only selling motorcycles, but racing them as well. He set track records in Canada and the U.S. while racing for the Harley-Davidson Motor Company over a 15-year period, and in the process, began a motorcycle collection that is still growing to this day. There are now over 250 motorcycles from 54 different makers in the collection, which forms the basis of the Exhibition.
Trev's passion for motorcycling is still felt in many ways, even years after his death in 2002. Trev was always on the leading edge of the industry, and as his reputation in the world of motorcycling grew, so did his collection. One by one, older manufacturers like Triumph and BSA went out of business, while Trev shopped the world for rare and limited edition bikes. Some of his prized machines were acquired as factory originals, others were found stored in dusty basements, some were donated, and some had to be totally restored. Each bike has its own history and its own part in the story of the collection because of Trev Deeley's passion for all types of motorcycles.
The Exhibition has three full-time staff maintaining and restoring the collection to its former glory, and who also have personal stories of times past to share with visitors. This collection and exhibition is the way of preserving and sharing the Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada motorcycling memories of a bygone era. Although Trev has passed away, his incredible collection and dedication to motorcycling lives on in the Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition.