Meet John Clare - Founder and Owner of Clare's Cycle
Meet John Clare - Founder and Owner of Clare's Cycle
John Clare’s love affair with motorcycles started in 1949, at age 15, when he received a 1930 Harley-Davidson® motorcycle as payment for a plumbing repair. Over the years, he has participated in nearly every branch of motorcycle sport, including road racing, trials, scrambles, hill climbs and dirt track. His enthusiasm was rewarded in 1974, when he was recognized by Premier Bill Davis as ‘Ontario Sportsman of the Year’ for his distinguished performance in amateur sports.
When it comes to the people who have been instrumental in the development of the sport of motorcycling in Canada, few have had the same level of influence as John Clare. A force in the industry for over 65 years now,
John opened his first motorcycle shop in 1955 in the small town of Fenwick, Ontario. Despite starting his venture in a sparsely populated area, he became the largest Yamaha dealer in the country by 1965, a truly remarkable accomplishment.
To this day, Clare’s Cycle & Sports Ltd. is one of the largest and most successful retail motorcycle shops in southwestern Ontario.
Not only has John Clare proven himself to be a very successful businessman, he’s also been a staunch supporter of all things motorcycle-related right from the start. An avid racer in his earlier days, he’s since gone on to sponsor other racers and events, and has volunteered his time and resources on countless other occasions.
Perhaps even more importantly, his impact was felt long before motorcycling became the popular sport it is today; in other words, John’s efforts helped to create support for motorcycling at the local level—support that was critically important during the formative years of this industry.
John Clare is the founder and owner of Clare's Cycle & Sports motorcycle, ATV and power equipment dealership
in Fenwick and Clare's has been a thriving community landmark and a
hotbed of motorcycle enthusiasm in the Niagara region for over 65 years.
John’s love of motorcycles and his dedication to his community have come together in many wonderful ways over the years.
His first plan was to operate from the family garage but in order to keep peace with the neighbors he instead chose a location in nearby Welland, Ontario.
His father Ed Clare and brother Bill were much involved in the early days, and rapid growth caused John to move in 1955 to the current location in Fenwick.
It’s still at the same address but the building has been expanded 23 times over the years to accommodate the continued growth of the operation.
John Is truly a rider who’s done everything in Canadian motorcycling.
Few honors evaded him during his competitive years.
IN 2011 JOHN CLARE was inducted to the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
Motorcycling has come a long way since John Clare opened his BSA and Triumph dealership in 1954.
And yet Clare's Cycle & Sports remains, as always, a thriving dealership of motorcycle enthusiasm in the Niagara region.
It’s still a family-run operation with John Clare a constant presence in the shop, riding motorcycles and contributing to his community.
John loved speed and through a succession of motorcycles he took to road racing at the early Ontario race tracks built on the grounds of wartime training airfields at Edenvale and Harewood Acres.
Even for a handy guy able to repair his own bikes, racing consumes parts and the nearest dealership was a good distance away in Hamilton. John soon realized the potential for a motorcycle shop close to home.
“It was successful right from the start,” said John, who added other brands to his inventory as Japanese makes began to appear. Given that Fenwick is not a large town, it’s a tribute to the shop’s reputation that it has done so well.
In 1964-65, after only 10 years in business, Clare’s was the largest Yamaha dealer in Canada and John was rewarded with a trip to Japan to visit Yamaha headquarters.
Yamaha at the time was distributed by the Deeley organization with Trev Deeley at the helm, so a linkage with Harley-Davidson® became a natural after the Yamaha factory opened its own branch in Canada and Trev Deeley switched to Harley.
The American brand has grown exponentially since the early 1970s, to the point where Clare’s moved its Harley-Davidson® operation in 2008 to a new building in Niagara on the Lake. Its location draws tourist traffic from Niagara Falls as well as serving the motorcycle market throughout the region.
In February 2011 John joined a tiny and elite group of motorcyclists, becoming only the third person ever to receive the Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada lifetime achievement award. John Clare is a man who always goes out of his way to make sure that everyone feels part of the family, which is why his staff and our associates find him such a pleasure to work with.
”Clare’s is still very much a family business with John, his wife Donna, son Randy, daughter Robin, his niece Pam and nephew Darren all deeply involved. Now a third generation, Robin’s daughter Martha & her son Taylor are ready to play their parts. John also has another daughter, Mary Kay, who lives in Ohio and has two children, Cooper and Clare. Long may it continue.
Reporting from the promotions desk at Clare's Cycle & Sports and Clare's Harley-Davidson® of Niagara.
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