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My general experience with motorcycle shops is that I haven’t really liked any service or sales departments and I’ve only liked a couple parts departments. I mean, you’d figure that since most of the people that are buying bikes right now are doctors and lawyers that these shops would try to up the level of customer service to at least what you’d find at your average Burger King. Anyway, as far as service goes, I try to do as much as possible myself.

Note: I created this page around 2001 when I had my SV650 and that’s when all of the stuff below is from, so be careful – management changes and places go out of business. Add your own comments if you want and hopefully the real stinkers will be outed and the good ones will get some points here.

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Archie’s Honda New Bedford, MA

I’ve only been here once and that was to get some fork oil. The kid working at the parts counter used to work at Motorsport Accessories and I remember him being a cool guy when I went there before.– Rob (from sometime in 2001)

Bettencourt Honda-Suzuki Bridgewater, MA

I know my dad bought a bike from these guys way back in the day so maybe he’s got more insight into how good or bad they are. All I know is that when I was looking to buy a new SV650 the sales guy treated me like a jerk. I’ve dealt with the parts department once. They were the only ones in the area that had the Mikuni jets I needed when needed to rejet my SV. The guy was pretty cool and the jets were cheap. – Rob (from sometime in 2001)

Bikeworx Maynard, MA

Before I bought my first bike, I was considering getting an MuZ. This place is an importer and the guy who runs the place is a big MuZ racer. He took a lot of his time to talk to me about MuZ’s and how great they are. I think all he sells is MuZ and Laverda but I think he services other models. He showed me the garage where his race bike was and, if I remember correctly, he was servicing a few other race bikes as well. It seemed like he knew his stuff and I may look into bringing my bike there if he deals with Suzukis at all. – Rob (from sometime in 2001)

Climat City Grants Pass, OR

Climat City is one of the best shops i have ever been to and i have been to a lot of shops they give me good deals if i have a problem with anything they fix it if they order the wrong part they will get the right part right away and they know every thing about the bikes they are great. you wont find a better dirtbike shop. thanks – jeff (Added on 09-15-2003)

Creative Cycle Works Westport, MA The last time I went here was when they had just opened up and all they really had was stuff for cruisers I think. Mostly a rack of airbrushed non-DOT helmets. I’m pretty sure they have more stuff now. They were pretty cool when we went there and I’d like to check them out again. They’re the only place that I know of that’s open on Sundays. I think they’re open pretty late on other days too. – Rob (from sometime in 2001) I have been to Creative Cycle quite a few times and everyone’s always cool and eager to help. If they don’t have a part in stock they will find it and get it for you. They will also beat prices from area shops especially Windmill if you raz them about it, I think there’s some personal competitiveness between the two. I would definatley recommend them. p.s. I ride a 1998 Honda Superhawk. – Jake (Added on 04-19-2002) I went there twice and both times the customer service guy came out with blatant lies just to try to sell me stuff. Basically was just making things up as the conversation went along. I have gone to a new place in Fall River, the name is X MotorSports. Now this guy knows his stuff. He told me he always goes to trade shows and is constantly researching parts and accesories when he is closed or at his home office. Best of all he is HONEST – steve (Added on 05-05-2002) Hello, I am an employee at Creative Cycle Works of Westport, MA. Well, sort of. Let me explain. I work days as a Computer Network Admistrator and in the evening I do alot of the service work at Creative Cycle Works. I also own a domain called X Motorsports and do not want to be confused by the post placed by “Steve”. I have been involved with street bikes since 1989 and one of my first bikes was the now legendary 1985 GSXR 750. Well anyways, I have worked at Dunbar EuroSports in Brockton, great bunch of people. I did service and parts there before landing my career job. But still have a passion for motorcycles. Since servicing at Creative Cycle Works I have seen and been involved with servicing customers bikes and performing additional free services on bikes just because everyone there takes pride in each bike as if they were are own. I have been involved in the motorcycle parts business for quite sometime, doing business under this name “SRAD Connection” It has not been til recently that I spawned the creation of X-MotorSports. X-MotorSports is strictly a part time business venture for now until a physical location is found. Than it will be online and storefront. But, I will continue and always continue to be a part of “Creative Cycle Works” as I have found a great group of people that take the ultimate pride in motorcycle as a lifestyle and not as a business practice. Best Regards, John Correia 1997 Suzuki GSXR 750 – John (Added on 09-03-2002) Nothing but bad experiances there!!! I have lived in westport all my life and always been around bikes. whet there to look at a bike i wanted to buy ( Yellow 1989 GSXR 750 “Slingshot”) when i went there to ask questions about the bike he had told me it was a slingshot but then proceded to tell me he took out and replaced the carbs. from a regular GSXR 750 NOT A SLINGSHOT may i add. if anyone knows bike the only thing different in a slingshot is the carbs. there for the bike was not a slingsgot…Place is a LOAD OF CRAP if u ask me. Really Nice owner but other guys working there suck.. – GSXR Rider (Added on 12-20-2002) Crossroad Custom Choppers West Warwick, RI You want an awsome motorcycle shop, you gotta check out this new place in West Warwick, Crossroad Custom Choppers. It’s a small place with down to earth people who know their shit and actually charge fair prices! I’ll never go anyplace else…and they can build an awsome bike! – Sami (Added on 05-08-2004) Cycle Center of Denton Denton, TX If you want to mail order something, I’d recommend these guys. I’ve ordered a ton of things from them and this is how I get most parts that I don’t need right this minute. – Rob (from sometime in 2001) I placed an order recently and talked to Brian. He sent me the brake lines for an SVS instead of an SV. He should have known and I had to pay to ship them back. I still made out with the SVRider.com discount so I can’t complain too much but if I call back I’ll make sure I talk to Jay. I’ve talked to him a bunch of times and never had a problem. (Actually there was a problem once because I ordered the wrong size for a jacket and I think they paid for the second shipping charge to me which was cool). – Rob (Added on 07-22-2002) I guess Brian doesn’t work there anymore so I have no worries about their parts department anymore. Like I said, talk to Jay (or Wade) and you’ll be in good hands. – Rob (Added on 09-03-2002) Cycles 128 Beverly, MA I’ve heard bad things about this place. More than a couple people have said that it’s not a good idea to buy a bike from here. Add a comment at the bottom of the page if you know different. – Rob (from sometime in 2001) I bought a bike from these guys and it was a completely horrendous experience. They jerked me around, tried to substitute accessories I’d ordered, ‘forgot’ about discounts they’d promised, and finally kept lying about when the bike would be in. They suck, they are scum, do not buy a bike there. – jim (Added on 07-22-2002) Stay clear of Cycles 128. We just purchased an ATV from them. They told us it was 4X4…which it was not…….shame on us for trusting the sales people to know what they are talking about and for being undereducated 1st time buyers. Well needless to say..the sales person admitted the mistake was his but the sales manager refused to even speak to us about it never mind compensate us for our troubles.He was quoted as saying”we dont care if we lose a customer over this”. We aslo had to re sign the loan papers because the finance person filled out paperwork for the wrong kind of loan at the wrong terms and interest. Make up your own mind about them but I’d stay very clear of this place. – S&K (Added on 05-19-2004) Dunbar Euro-sports Brockton, MA I’ve only been to this place to browse around and daydream. The few times that I’ve been here, the sales people seemed pretty knowledgeable and weren’t too pushy. They can be a little arrogant but hey, they specialize in expensive and exotic bikes so what would you expect? – Rob (from sometime in 2001) Gary’s Street & Trail Tiverton, RI I don’t know anything about this place but my dad knows Gary and recommends him. – Rob (from sometime in 2001) Greater Boston Motorsports / BMW of Cambridge Arlington, MA I guess I’ll start with the good stuff about GBM. There is a really cool kid that works in the parts department. It may be Billy. He’s been really helpful and he’s a real friendly guy. There’s another kid there that’s an idiot. Which person you talk to will determine whether you ever want to go back. Trust me, you’ll know which person you’re talking to. The other guys have been okay to talk to. As far as the sales department goes, there was a cool guy that worked only on Saturdays. I think his name was Christian but I don’t usually go there on Saturdays so I’m not sure that he still works there. I’ve talked to a couple other guys there that knew way too little about the bikes that they were selling and were way too pushy. One day I was there and a guy who’d just bought a brand new motorcycle was waiting (for a really long time) to ride it off the lot. He kept trying to start it and it wouldn’t work. The sales guy came over and was freaking out. He was ready to have the service guys look at it when I told him that the sidestand has to be up. “Wow, that must be something new on these bikes!” Man, please. Also, I will not be going back to the service department at GBM no matter how convient the MBTA bus access is. These guys took way too long to fix my bike after my accident. The service manager blew me off most of the times that I called. I gave them an itemized list of things that needed to be repaired or replaced when I brought the bike in. The main reason I did this was because there were a couple pieces of cracked plastic that someone wouldn’t notice unless they really looked in the right place. One was the black plastic cover that goes over the instrument cluster. A chunk of it was missing and it was the first item on the list. Obviously they never bothered to look at the list because that part wasn’t on their estimate. I mentioned it to the service manager and I think he was hoping I’d eventually forget about it. One day I went there specifically to get that piece from him and he said they’d ordered it. He gave me the piece and I should’ve inspected it since it wasn’t in a bag. When I went to put it on later that week it was completely obvious that the part was used. It was all scratched up and there were tabs that were bent. On top of this little scam, when I asked if I could have any of the parts that they replaced, the service manager said that they give them to the insurance company. Yet, when I went back to get a rubber bushing that they forgot to put on the new passenger footrest structure he said he’d have to look for a used one in the basement. Well whaddya know, out comes my original part from the basement – more than a month after they started working on the bike. I don’t think I trust them enough to bring my bike there anymore, although I’ve talked to one of the mechanics and he was pretty cool. Ollie (who might be the service manager for the BMW side?) was good to me, too. – Rob (from sometime in 2001) I get a new bike every year. Last 5 were GSXR-1000-Blue…GSXR-1000-Red…..R1……929..Eddie Lawson Replica. All were purchased at Greater Boston Motorsport…Great Service ( you have to get there early..be first). No hassle sales..You have to know what you are talking about when you are making a motorcycle purchase. If you do’nt “beat” your bike up..do oil changes and maintainence, you will be treated fairly when you trade….I always bring muffins when I am having service done( which is rare )…be polite. You will be treated in kind. – Mike (Added on 03-12-2004) Not only is their labor fee quite expensive, but they are really slow with ordering parts. I’ve been waiting for a week for a Dunlop tire, and they finally call me, get my hopes up and say “I’m sorry, the tire’s backordered from the warehouse. We’ll wait another week, then if it isn’t in, we’ll start looking around. They offered to put on a different (Michelin) tire on it, but it would cost $50 more. No thanks, I’ll look around… – Shawn (Added on 04-24-2004) Harley-Davidson/Buell of Boston Everett, MA I’m not a Harley or Buell fan, but this place is pretty cool. It’s almost more like a Sharper Image store than a motorcycle shop. It’s super sanitized and organized but it’s good because they’ve good because they’ve got two floors, lots of parking, and they have a lot of stuff in stock including some customized bikes. I went here to get a Buell flyscreen bracket for the M2 flyscreen I put on my Suzuki. They had it and all the nuts and bolts and everything too. The tiny bolts were super expensive but that’s probably not their fault. – Rob (from sometime in 2001) Mirak Polaris Motorsports Arlington, MA I’ve never been here and I don’t know how much they deal with motorcycles but I do know that when I called all around looking for the cheapest place for tire changes in the Boston area, these guys were pretty good. I ended up just Sliming the tire instead. – Rob (from sometime in 2001) Motorcycles of Manchester (MOM’s) Manchester, NH and Franklin, MA Great shop. The have stores in Franklin, MA and Manchester, NH. They have good deals on bikes. Tony running the parts department in Manchester is great. I bought my 2000 SV from them. I love it! – fellow sv owner (Added on 08-19-2004) Motorsport Accessories Westport, MA These people are pretty nice. I think they are more dirtbike oriented, but they have parts and gear for street bikes too. They’ve got a ton of helmets in stock. I’d recommend this place. I got a little annoyed one time because I asked them to order a $5 Mikuni jet for me and when I got down there to pick it up they told me that they didn’t order it because it only came in a 2-pack. I had told them that I was coming from far away and that I was expecting to rejet my bike that day so I was kind of disappointed that they didn’t call me to let me know that they weren’t going to order it. I think this had something to do with them getting a new computer system or something. – Rob (from sometime in 2001) North Reading Motorsports North Reading, MA northreading motorsports great place to buy a bike. great service. very knowledgable people. brought two bikes over the years they have been there almost 30 years. – paul (Added on 08-29-2003) Pit Stop New Bedford, MA This is where I bought my GPz750. It was a good deal and a great bike. This might be a good place to check out if you’re looking for a used bike. He had about 5 bikes at the time that I bought mine. I thought I remembered that he had a dyno there, too. I just called and he does. He charges $35 for a run so I might be going by here soon with my SV for curiosity’s sake. – Rob (from sometime in 2001) Razee Motorcycle Center North Kingstown, RI I’ve never been here but I’ve heard good things about them from several different people. – Rob (from sometime in 2001) Razee sucks. I bought a gorgeous bike from Razee in N.K. RI that I was told by the sales person that it needed nothing and the bike has been gone through completly. He lied. My dealings with them have been awful….NEVER buy a bike there. – Pissed off rider (Added on 08-10-2002) When I was living in NE Conn., I had an 84 BMW R80RT; nearest dealer was Razee. I’ve had nothing but excellent experience with them in both parts and service departments. In April 2001 I traded in the RT on a new R1200CM. Sales experience was excellent, bike had minor problem with factory paint; service took good care of me. Definitely one of the better dealerships I’ve ever dealt with in 30+ years of riding! – Charlie (Added on 05-10-2003) I live in SE CT; bought a new BMW R1100RS there in 97; fair and courteous dealings from Michelle and rest of sales staff. Minor new bike problems all handled under warranty without hassle. Competent service department; due to high demand just schedule a month in advance! Very knowledgable parts staff for both my Beemer and Honda; Brendan and David especially helpful at parts desk. Overall, among the best shops I’ve encountered in over 30+ years of riding. – mike (Added on 10-09-2003) Razee in North Kingstown RI is a good place, occasionally the salespeople are very busy, but they do have a very good selection and they are professional. The only BMW shop for a long ways if you are in RI. Gordon Razee is a top-notch guy. I have purchased about five bikes at this shop and had service work done several times. Never a bad experience. Service does require an appointment pretty far in advance! They’re very busy! – Mark (Added on 03-12-2004) Razees in North Kingston, RI is owned and run by real motorcycle lovers (riders). I’ve only had occasional dealings with them, but from Dad’s recommendations to old Bultaco parts years ago, thru great helmet insights and finally to classic Kawasaki parts, these guys are the best. After being burnt by numerous other shops over 30+ years I have always come back to this real bike shop. – Steve (Added on 04-23-2004) My experience with Razee has been excellent from the purchasing to the servicing of my two motorcycles. They are very honest unlike other dealers in the area, especially Tiverton’s Kawasaki dealer. I would highly recommend Razee to anyone looking for either a new or used motorcycle or for service and parts. – Beth (Added on 06-27-2004) Hey, what can I tell you?? Razee’s is a great place to buy a bike! – Paul (Added on 10-04-2004) Riverside Kawasaki-Yamaha Somerville, MA These guys suck. They don’t have much in the way of any kind of riding gear, unless you’re looking for an $800 Ducati leather jacket. I talked to a couple people in sales when I was interested in getting a Monster and they didn’t seem as though they wanted to be bothered. The people in the parts department have been pretty rude. They don’t seem to have anything I need. They once tried very hard to convince me that a dark tinted faceshield for my helmet didn’t exist. A part for a Triumph TT600 that I wanted to put on my SV cost about twice as much as I’ve seen it listed for in other places. Best of all, they tried to sell me a BLANK key for my 1983 Kawasaki for something like $90! (A tip from a parts guy at GBM: if you need a motorcycle key made, go to Sherman Lock on Moody Street in Waltham). – Rob (from sometime in 2001) South Shore Motorsports Quincy, MA I went here to check out the Aprilia Falco. If you know me then you know that I’m not above making rash buying decisions, so places like this are really missing out by employing salespeople who act like you’re interrupting their lunch break or something. Anyway, the guy that I talked to gave me the wrong price, claimed that it was firm, etc. Later I got an email message from someone else at SSM giving me a price that was a couple thousand dollars lower including a package deal that included luggage. Apparently the first guy didn’t know what he was talking about. – Rob (from sometime in 2001) The only in-Boston motorcycle dealer that I know will mount tires that you haven’t bought from them is South Shore Motorsports. I think they may charge you more if you didn’t buy the tire from them, but you still make out better if you buy the tire online from a place like accwhse.com since they’re so much cheaper than buying from a dealer. You can also save a good chunk of money if you bring the wheel in instead of the whole motorcycle. – Rob (Added on 03-29-2003)

Windmill Cycles Dartmouth, MA

This place usually has a ton of used bikes for sale and they’re always advertising that they’ll buy your bike. From what I hear, the bikes are generally overpriced. The only times I’ve actually done any business here was to get an inspection sticker and to buy fork oil, but they didn’t have the weight I needed. I think they have pretty good hours. – Rob (from sometime in 2001)

Never again. I bought my first bike, a Vulcan 750 in May 2003, it had very low mileage, but when I got home I noticed the cable was broke. So who knows the real mileage. I then find out the engine was replaced. Even still it was a good bike, after doing some research I found out I paid too much. Two months later I wanted to upsize, they offered me less than 60% OF WHAT THEY CHARGED me for the bike. Is was in better shape than when I bought it, I did some minor repairs and servicing. The president and salesman were rude and didn’t want to bother with me. Find someplace else with better prices and attitudes – Mike (Added on 07-30-2003)

i bought my first bike from here 2 years ago, a 2001 honda cbr929. the bike had low mileage. it has been great. I used there lawaway program. Which was great consider my situation at the time and my thirst to have my very own bike. the only trouble i had with them in that 4 month period was getting them to get an owners manual. I never got! I only chased it for a 3 weeks though. recently, i thought of trading out of it and went back to them, they didn’t have anything that i was interested in, so i thought to sell it to them. the book on the bike is 7K. their offer was no where near that. AT ALL. Still, i’m not dissappointed. My bike has been great. …oh yeah…they did overprice, but the layaway made me do it. Listen learned. – matt (Added on 06-22-2004)

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