DRYSDALE MOTORCYCLES LIMITED
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 59). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 5.2y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 5.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (78/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 7 | 700 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
2 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-16📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-02📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2021-02-23🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2020-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-08-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-11-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-07-17📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2016-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-28📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2002-06-07🏢Company incorporatedAs DRYSDALE MOTORCYCLES LIMITED
- 2002-06-07➕NUGENT, Elaine appointedsecretary
- 2002-06-07➕DRYSDALE, Thomas appointeddirector
- 2002-06-07➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-06-07➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "DRYSDALE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Thomas Drysdale Individual · Scottish · DOB 03/1967 · age 59 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Automotive · PH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOUGLAS CAMERON (PERTH) LIMITED→ SC100636 · est 1986 | £4.61M £3.69M–£5.53M | — | — | 57 | 39y | 85 | 81y |
| CAMERON MOTORS (PERTH) LIMITED→ SC057921 · est 1975 | £1.74M £1.39M–£2.09M | — | — | 62 | 50y | 84 | 81y |
| IAN H. CAMERON LIMITED→ SC035342 · est 1960 | £1.73M £1.38M–£2.07M | — | — | 44 | 65y | 85 | 81y |
| PERTHSHIRE CARAVANS LIMITED→ SC057390 · est 1975 | £701.8k £561.4k–£842.2k | — | — | 75 | 51y | 85 | 89y |
| ACTIVE SERVICE LIMITED→ SC300374 · est 2006 | — | — | — | 7 | 20y | 82 | 70y |
| CALLISTO GOLF EQUIPMENT LIMITED→ SC192559 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | 82 | 78y |
| CURTIS MOTORS CUPAR LIMITED→ SC294891 · est 2005 | — | — | — | 4 | 20y | 82 | 62y |
| GORDON MOTORS (CRIEFF) LIMITED→ SC335313 · est 2007 | — | — | — | 900 | 18y | 82 | 70y |
| L & M RATTRAY LTD→ SC289928 · est 2005 | — | — | — | 12 | 20y | 82 | 65y |
| LOCHSIDE GARAGE (BALLACHULISH) LTD.→ SC259682 · est 2003 | — | — | £22.9k | — | 22y | 82 | 60y |
| MEADOW GARAGE (CRIEFF) LTD.→ SC368226 · est 2009 | — | — | £296.4k | — | 16y | 82 | 67y |
| MOVING METAL LTD→ SC876363 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 23/02/2021 | — |