Ride in Peace: Mark McCaffrey, owner of Rocket Motorcycles

[frylock]

Mark was the owner of the shop I take my Tiger to for service. He was one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. Knew so much about bikes and loved to talk about them. He is really going to be missed.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The industry is mourning the loss of Mark McCaffrey, owner of Rocket Motorcycles, who was killed Nov. 18 after his motorcycle collided with a police car in the Clairemont area of San Diego.

According to local officials, the police officer was driving westbound when he received a call to provide backup for a hit-and-run accident nearby. He performed a U-turn in the intersection, colliding with McCaffrey.

McCaffrey reportedly had applied his brakes but crashed into the passenger side of the police car, officials noted. The local medical examiner issued the cause of death as blunt force trauma.

McCaffrey launched Rocket Motorcycles in 1980 as a vintage parts and service business. In 1984 he partnered with a longtime Vincent, Velocette and BSA dealership, and then became a Triumph dealership in 1994. In 2005 he added Husaberg and then in 2010 took on Royal Enfield.

The business was well-known in the Southern California area for its vintage repair and restoration work.

http://www.dealernews.com/dealernews/article/ride-peace-mark-mccaffrey-owner-rocket-motorcycles