Shops List

[slwill]

what's up i'm new to this board.
i haven't yet gotten a sv 650, prolly about a month longer.
question is i start the msf course this week and i need to pick up some gear. jacket, gloves, and maybe boots. is there a big shop in socal with lots of gear to try on?

i have an idea of what i want to buy i just would like to try it on first to check sizing and stuff.

i've ben to whittier honda/kawasaki
lebard honda/yamaha
puente hills suzuki
and they all kinda suck as far as gear selection goes.
thanx for any input will

n e one know the rules on bringing in an out of state bike?
n e stupid dmv crap? thanx

[GMAN]

Welcome to the board. Check out the Shops List (http://www.socalsvriders.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1735) for more info on dealers with gear to try on.

For out of state bikes, I believe they need to have at least 7500 miles on the odometer before you can register it here if I remember correctly. More info: http://www.socalsvriders.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2196

[FuzyTech]

Anybody know if there is a local dealer (anywhere in SD or LA) that sells/carries AGV Sport apparel? Specifically the jackets. I really like to try before I buy.

I thought Chaparral-racing did, but they don't list them on their site.

[Chris_az]

As the title suggests i'm VERY impressed witht he service i received at this shop.. <called 'em up> I spoke with Jeff, who's a member of this forum <cbrsmurf> and he was simply awsome.
Buymoto.com apparently does price matching, (which wasn't necessary with the rear rotor i ordered as they had it at about 110 which is 30-60 bucks less than i could find anywhere else.)

Give these folks a call and ask for Jeff. I don't think there's any discount available at the moment, but they still frickin rock and if it's cheaper somewhere else, send them a copy of the ad or a link or something and they'll match it..


(/shameless plug)

Buymoto.com *****
7965 Silverton Avenue #1307
San Diego, CA 92126
858-536 2828

[Philo]

More often than not, Jae or Bryant are working. Seriously, though, these guys have awesome prices. I always check around online/locally for prices and they've never been beat on anything, except maybe $2 from an online shop where you have to pay $10-20 for shipping. I buy everthing there. EVERYTHING. Plus they're really cool guys and more than willing to help/answer questions. Local shop (no shipping charges) with internet prices (or better).

(cheap tire changes, too)

www.BuyMoto.com (http://www.buymoto.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=2)

[cyclox]

Well, I'm moving from Pasadena to the Olympic/La Brea area in LA. Was driving back to Pasadena from the new place and passed a shop called "Motorcycle Performance Services" on La Brea, just north of Venice Blvd. Anyone heard of them or have any experience with them?

They have a web site: http://www.mcperformance.com/

[sirrom]

I would like to see Kneedraggers get 5 stars. Their service is awesome and their hassle free exchange program is the best around. Plus another nice feature is that you can check your order statis right from their website.

[Dom]

yeah but they charge alot more than many places

[sirrom]

Originally posted by Dominator
yeah but they charge alot more than many places

If your refering to Kneedraggers then that's not true. Their pricing is just as competitive with everyone else. Go ahead and compare their prices with the others.

[300]

i had very good experience with L.A. CycleSports
in Inglewood near LAX


i bought my bike there, the best deal i can find in
LA and OC area at that time


they serviced my bike at the best price i can find
in LA and OC area


wonder why they only had 3 stars on Shop List?

[Jarasco]

Originally posted by 300
i had very good experience with L.A. CycleSports
*snip*
wonder why they only had 3 stars on Shop List?

We all bought our bikes there (ok, not all, but a large number of us have.) From what I've heard, their new prices are unbeatable, but the same can't be said about their service... I don't have any experience with the service side, I'm not riding 100 miles to get my bike serviced :P

[Golden_Eternity]

My recent experiences with TO Honda/Suzuki have been mixed. I ordered brake pads there and they screwed it up twice. First the guy accidentally ordered two rear pads, then he ordered two left pads... All the same guy. I figure he was having an off week. He did make up for it by ignoring the price diff between front and rear pads (like $12 total).

The deliveries to them also seem to be pretty slow. In the future, I'll stick to ordering stuff directly.

Seems like they're trying to get away from the Suzuki side of their name. I don't think it says Suzuki on their answering machine, and they don't have any in the show room floor (they do have two Honda rs125 gp bikes, though).

I'll continue to take my bike to their shop and do biz with them when I need to, though.

[Toad]

one very small correction. they have one rs125, and one nsr50 (which is very small, and the correction) ;)

-- James

[Golden_Eternity]

Ah, my bad... All them little GP bikes look the same to me.

[300]

Originally posted by Jarasco
We all bought our bikes there (ok, not all, but a large number of us have.) ... I don't have any experience with the service side, I'm not riding 100 miles to get my bike serviced :P



i didnt know that.....

i didnt have any friend who ride a bike when i was looking for one

i bought my bike over the internet; then i found out they had a
retail location near LAX when my bike is delivered at my door.......

i check their prices every month, just to have an idea whats going
on in the market, and in case friends are looking for one

yeap, 100 miles for service is insane. gotta find a good local shop

[Jarasco]

Originally posted by 300
yeap, 100 miles for service is insane. gotta find a good local shop

I found one, it's called my garage. :p

[soulofadra6o]

i recommend going to this website...

www.terra-powersports.com they are excellent, answer emails in a very timely fashion (gotta wait for the weekend though) and they try to get you the best deals...they have a will call option for shipping where you can pick your stuff at, and since they're located right here in city of industry it's a good idea, i recommend this site they have done alright by me

jason

[newbie]

My experience with California Speed Shop in Costa Mesa was fair. They promptly found the problem with my bike and fixed it. The only thing I had a little bit of an issue with was the amount of time it took. Of course I can't complain too much I told them it wasn't really a priority since I had other transportation. But taking a week to even look at a bike is a REALLY long time especially when you don't know what the hell is wrong with it. I was antsy to get an answer from them on the problem.

BUT they were good and proved my bike maintenance skills were on the retard level right now.

Pete's a really nice guy and easy to work with.

[Golden_Eternity]

Discount Motorcycle Tires sold my email address.

I know it was them because I just started getting spam at discountmotorcycletires@mydomain, which I had only used to order my tire from them.

[cateye36]

Well, I haven't had a real good experience with Arizona Motorsports Group.....I've been told a few times that they will give a 10% discount to members of the svrider.com group. When I've contacted them, no one will answer!!! And, the invoice shows no discount. So, I have no idea if they are still honoring that discount, or they are just ignoring my requests! GRRRRRR

To top it off, they sent me someone else's package and asked me to return it which I did promptly--pain in the ass since I'm not home much....

You would think they'd give me a 10% discount on my GIVI stuff just out of consideration....

So, AZ Motorsports--won't buy from them again--at least not for awhile!

[soulofadra6o]

anyone seem OC suzuki is lacking in customer service? i emailed debbie about some boots i think on monday..it's friday and still no reply, i emailed the parts department yesterday, waiting for a reply.....hmm, sucks

[wildgift]

i bought my bike from LA Cyclesports--their prices are unbeatable (2004 sv650 naked for 5799 OTD), but when i went there to pick it up, they had given me the wrong bike--it was an "S". the salesman (whose name i will not divulge" was basically 'Well, what can i say? i could apologize, but..." so i got dropped off there at dinner, for nothing, and they had a very nice guy give me a lift home.

BUT--as negative as that was, what they did was have me pick up my bike at their new orange county store, which used to be tag motors on eddinger. The head guy was Todd, who was so incredibly friendly, helpful and concerned that it made up for the night before. so--my experience. Todd-you rule!

peter

[cateye36]

Has anyone bought from Cycle Depot in LA? Just curious as to what you thought about their customer service.........

Thanks for any info!

[acer66]

Anybody shopped at "Disturbing The Peace" on Lincoln at little north of Venice Blvd ? Like the name, seems to be a really small shop

[Bigtime1]

This is how Pacific Motorsports in Oceanside left my axle after a recent tire change. Always check over your bike before you leave!

[Knightshade]

wow..that's amazing...frickin hell..

[GMAN]

Crap! They bent it over your swingarm like that? :(

[mojo mofo]

Ugg..that ain't cool.

[acer66]

somebody didn`t pay attention, what did they say about that ? Honda of Santa Monica once put my rear tire the other way around on, got a good deal yesterday at Hammy Boys, got the SIDI VERTEBRA RACE CARBON for $229 out the door, was the last one they got i think, they have a sale going on everything in stock, don`t need the "racing" boots but i like the protection and they didnt have the i wanted

[Bigtime1]

They just didn't pay attention when the mechanic was torque-ing the nut. They also left the cotter pin hanging out so it could snag easily, also small oil drops on the triple clamp and the seat, like someone handed an open bottle of oil over my bike. :(

I have an appointment for the 30,000 mile service this friday - how the service manager deals with the situation will determine my next course of action. I have many contacts in upper management at Suzuki Corporate in Brea.

[acer66]

after i good ride i stopped by Hammy Boys, because from my new Sidi boots a screw fell off, they gave a great deal on those got `em last week, the girl i bought `em from said dead serious that i have to go to a hardware store to get one they don`t have `em in stock, (i saw at least one pack of screws on the wall), after looking at her for a while i just thought to myself wtf and went out, i shop there quite often but that was the time i dragged my sorry ass in there, i just wanted to ask for a quote to change my front suspension :mad:

[soulofadra6o]

im mad at kneedraggers.com ok i ordered a pair of sidi boots from them...but as they wer in the processing of receiving them from their supplier i ended up getting a pair for way cheaper near my house..so i told the people at kneedraggers.com and they said there was a 20% restocking fee and i can cancel it or get store credit

now i didnt understand what they meant, and i thought they meant the 20% would be store credit and the rest would be credited back to my card...well seems their policy is the WHOLE amount of 286 bucks would be store credit..i politely asked them to just credit that amount back to my card because i need the money

has been almost a week and still they havent credited it back to my card...almost at my limit, im getting mad...i know it's inconvience for them, but they got their 20% and it'll be in no time someone else will get those boots...

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[cf828]

Dispute the charge with the credit card company to get the entire amount refunded . Read you're terms and conditions on you're statement to find out you're rights are w/ the cc company if you are not satisfied with purchases, It helps bargain with retailers if the cc companies are on you're side .

[Dom]

on top of that they dont have to restock anything it was never sent out to you.

[wantAsvs]

hey guys just thought i'd let you know i found a motorcycle parts and service shop in the oc... its off the 55 fwy on industrial way... the place is called mach1 motorsports... i went there and met the owner.. he was a really nice guy... his name is Long Mach... and its a pretty small shop.. but they work on all kinds of bikes.. even ducatis... i heard he has pretty good prices.. and does some crazy work... last week my friend told me they just put a turbo and nx kit on a busa... maybe some of you guys can check it out... or maybe some of you guys already have... just thought i'd let you know


heres the url http://www.mach1ca.com/

[Kurt'sSV]

A shop in OC that does service and sells parts???? Wow! And it's called Mach 1 after the owner (who used to work for 3 bros', or 2 bro's, I can't remember which). Thanks for finding this place! :p

And now this will be merged.

[NukleoN]

Here's another shop James4396 introduced me to. I got my rear tire and new chain there.

They're knowledgeable, fast, friendly, cheap (bring cash) and they'll do service on a walk-in basis. Highest rating (5 stars).

Moto-Tecnica Performance
3833 Cesar Chavez Ave L.A. 90063
323-261-7050

Tell them you're from the SV board.

[Bogie]

I went into a Dianese store for the first time today. Nice looking stuff, but very pricey.

Anyway, it is in Costa Mesa on the west side of Superior just south of 17th.

[Gibbolamappa]

Does anybody have any experience with the service dept of Hahm Motosports in Anaheim? I need the 7500 miles tune up on my SV (and oil replacement on the fork) and was thinking about them.
Any feedback will be highly appreciated....

[slowmike]

I've heard less than flattering things about Hahms..... See if there's a maint day comming up that you can do your forks at...

[Gibbolamappa]

Thanx Mike...
mmm...where else, then? :(
I'd rather not take it too far :confused:
Ah, for the maint day..well, I am mechanically challenged:o

[slowmike]

that's why you bribe knowledgable people with good eats and drinks.. :)

[Gibbolamappa]

Originally posted by slowmike
that's why you bribe knowledgable people with good eats and drinks.. :)

Well, if anybody craves good italian food..:grin:

[slowmike]

are you offering to host a maint day? :-)

[Gibbolamappa]

I don't have the facilities (no garage, prison-cell-size apt) ..but in case someone wants to host one...I'd gladly take care of the meal.:D

[CBR400RR]

Originally posted by gibbolamappa
I don't have the facilities (no garage, prison-cell-size apt) ..but in case someone wants to host one...I'd gladly take care of the meal.:D

I would be willing to help out if people are interseted let me know.

[Bingo]

I also have a 7500 mi service coming up soon and would love to learn how to do the stuff. service manual only goes so far and plus its easier to learn hands on if peeps are willin' to teach.

[NukleoN]

I'd like to request that White Buffalo Racing be added to the 'Internet Only Shops' area with a 5 star rating. Fast shipping and great service.

[slowmike]

I've learned a lot from everyone and I'd be happy to help out.

BTW; did people see the thread about the Santa Ana pre-trackday maint day? (http://www.socalsvriders.org/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&threadid=11732)

[oren]

Originally posted by NukleoN
I'd like to request that White Buffalo Racing be added to the 'Internet Only Shops' area with a 5 star rating. Fast shipping and great service.

Great service.

But I have been to their 'location' so I don't know about internet only. :)

[NukleoN]

Fixed! Thanks Oren.

[sandie]

ok, i hate bitching about things...but i've had quite a bit of trouble with cycle gear lake forest lately

so, i bought a diablo rear from them a while ago (like 6months or more) and picked up the tire and put it in my garage for when i needed it. come last sunday, and i have my friend install it...he says "why you get a 170?"...crap they gave me the wrong size!

at this point i think it's fair that i wont get a complete exchange, i mean it's been a long time...however, i'm thinkin i should get a large discount on a new tire thats the right size. besides, my old tire was like WAY in need of replacement, so the 170 is already on there, but i've only put like 70 miles on it so i'm thinking i can sell it to someone in need for the discounted price i pay for the new 160...i don't mean to make a profit, i just wanna break even here

so i speak to the manager, he's not very nice to begin with (why does it seem these guys are as arrogant as all get out) after going back and forth for a while and pleading my case, he finally agrees to a measly 25% off retail, which will end up being like the same i paid when i got the other one (figure that one?)...whatever, i'm so frustrated i say ok.

fast forward to last night...i go to pick it up (a bit of a hike from long beach, but that's ok) and the manager is not in. the kid that helps me says "oh yeah, it says here you're getting 20% off"....i say "it's supposed to be 25%"..."no" the kid says, "says right here 20%"....actually, on the paperwork he's showing me it says 19.something%...this is pissing me off, i ask if he can call the manager to confirm or anything, "nope...you can just come back"...um, i came from long beach you little fuckwad, wouldn't it be better customer service to try to help sort this out now so i don't have to make another trip??? so i leave, not happy

on my way home i decide forget it, i'm just gonna get another tire from somewhere else...this is stupid

i get a message from said manager today "sandie, i was giving it to you at 25% off...i don't know what the problem is"...the problem is you're an asshole and you hire stupid assholes to work for you

so, needless to say i won't be shopping there anymore (not that i had a lot in the recent past anyway, i think i was going there a lot for a while because they have a bike night there...not anymore tho)

so basically, IMHO they should have like 3 stars at the most for just crappy customer service. seems like all the cycle gears are kinda lacking in that area anymore...very sad

[itbejack]

Hey im looking for a good mechanic or shop in San Diego, around UTC area. Anyone know any good places?

[Burst]

around utc? no.. Lee's Cycle is probably your best bet for quality service.

[Kurt'sSV]

Burst, you should be pimping your garage as a place for people to take their bikes. You want some extra cash, right? ;)

[Burst]

well since I dont really have a garage right now.... but I suppose I could offer mobile service. :D

Jack, what you need done to the bike?

you have a PM Jack

[soulofadra6o]

eurotech motorsports off of valley SUCKS

ok, i drop off my bike on wed at 3:30pm...he tells me to come back tomorrow at the same time to pick it up..so im like ok...so tomorrow comes..i go there, he says it's not ready yet and he'll call when it's ready..so im like ok...so i go there on friday at around 2:45 to see if it's ready...i walk up the shop, the manager im guessing it is, is working on something else..so i walk around where they keep all their bikes..and i see my bike...tires still hasnt been changed..and from the distance im at...looks like they were doing burnouts on my bikE! the center was really really dark in comparison to the rest of the tire..and i know when i dropped it off it wasnt like that...so i was pissed...i went home, talked to some people in CB, called the guy and he said he was working on the bike and to pick it up at 6...so im like whatever..asked how much it costs...120 bucks! just to put on tires! i was like..WHAT!! r u serious!...so anyway...come 6 i go there all pissed off and ready to chew the guy out and demand it be free of charge...what do i see..the shop is freaking closed...my bike is out front with some old geezer watching my bike...so i approach the guy...say it;s my bike..he says ok and hands me the keys (seriously...anyone could've taken my bike if that's all that had to be done) the guy asks for the money, by this point im late for work and dont wanna get into it..i ask the old geezer if i can get my old tires back and he's like "ask fabian in the morning" so im like..fine (at this point im so fed up but i just want my baby!) ..havent checked back on that cause i was busy today...but, damn im mad!

[CrowLaw]

Doug Mays is an extraordinary motorcycle mechanic that operates privately out of my garage in Lakewood CA.

So, if you're in the Los Angeles or Orange County area and are looking to save money over retail service costs, call Doug Mays

714-726-9267. Tell him you're with the So Cal SV Riders Club and he'll know I referred you.

Christine :D

[jasinner]

Temecula Motorsports can go suck a cock!

They had an '04 for sale for $6,199.99 with a crappy $1,299 "Dealer Handling fee". Three months later they still had the same bike for $5,699.99 with $1,799.99 "Dealer Handling" fee. Haha, thats not a sale.

So I went in and first I asked the guy if I could get financed. He asked how much I could put down. I told him $1,500.00 He asked me the most I could pay in payments every month on the bike. I told him $800.00. He asked me my weekly income before taxes. I told him $450.00.

Ten minutes later he tells me there is no way I can get financed without a cosigner. I ask my dad he says thats fine, he knows I can pay the bike off no problem. I go back to him and say "Alright, assuming I could get a cosigner, I'd only like to pay about $6,000.00 before taxes and liscense and all that shit" and he says

"Heh, thats what you like but thats not what you're gonna get. Have a nice day sir!" after making me listen to his phone conversation for 10 minutes.

He was all cold after he found out I needed a cosigner and then he told me to have a nice day, pretty weakly and sarcastically. I told him the new '05s would be out shortly. I told him I knew they've had this bike sitting on their showroom floor for three months. He would not budge. Here i'm all set to spend 6 g's and he won't even give me the time of day.

Don't shop there, they seem way more interested in selling dirt bikes (he didn't know shit about street bikes and didn't pretend to care about them in the slightest).

[Burst]

Temecula Motorsports is THE WORST stealership I have ever dealt with. I would never consider buying a bike from them. Every time I have been in there they have given me nothing but problems. They cant order the right parts, dotn want to sell you what you ask for, and try to push you to get their service dept to do the work you are buying parts for. They even went as far as telling me they couldnt sell me jets because "rejetting the bike is something that should be done by an authorized technician" :finger:

stay away!

[acer66]

little update on the boys at Hammys, after i bothered `em with the lost screws, i had the nerve to come again this time the sole of my beloved sidis came lose in the front after 2 month i may ad, i showed `em the the boots, they looked very concerned and willing to help, said they have to call motonation, cruel as i am i didn`t call `em for 2 1/2 weeks, i felt bad about them, so i showed up, they had a very hard time such a long no word from me and even motonation was not returning their numerous calls, i fully understood that they couldn`d continue like this, so they gave me the number of MN to call and i wanted to have a word with MN leaving those poor boys at hammys behind if i would ever get a hold of them, but to my surprise i got somebody at MN on the phone right away and he didn`t hesitate to take care of everything not questions asked, maybe i should tell hammy they should pretend to be a private person not a business, then somebody at MN might even hear their call for help, or maybe not because Hammy boys suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck, good prices but no service at all, stay away, i rather dump my money at marina suzuki, cool people over there

[deaner14er]

Powerhouse in Paso sucks and did not give me the time of day. I came in looking to drop some pretty good cashage and the 2 parts guys and one parts girl handed me a catalog to look at rather than showing any familiarity with aftermarket accessories for suzukis or even try to sell me oem replacement parts. Poor show all the way around. I'll take my cash and business to the internet instead.

[JamesMJ]

If you are in the market for a genuine Suzuki part do NOT buy it from Orange County Suzuki. I don't know what the standard amount of time is for returns on new and unopened parts, but OCS only gives you five days. Asinine! Anyone need a new brake pedal for a SV?

[Dom]

wow that sounds shady to me.

[Sinaz]

why yes, I do! PM me!

[Jarasco]

Many shops have no returns or they charge 15% restock fees on ANY returned special orders, even on the first day. If it was something they pulled off the shelf, you'd think they'd be a little more lenient. Here's a tip, get the right part in the first place. :p (kidding)

[DANG_13]

I need a brake pedal also... mine is bent from a drop... how much is it?

[Sinaz]

Originally posted by DANG_13
I need a brake pedal also... mine is bent from a drop... how much is it?

Hey hey hey... I gots dibs, buster!;)

[Rocko]

that reminds me. i need to take the one i've got off the bike, put it in a vise, and bend it back

[EviL]

Orange County Suzuki
1601 Newport Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
949-646-2428

Has been bumped down from 2 stars.. to one.

[sr9004u]

You know I found I10 Motorsports in Palm Springs is able to get parts in 2 days.........Why? I dont know though I live in Fontana my work forces me at gunpoint to drive out there 4 days a week....thats one of the perks, Oh yea and the oppressive heat in the summer.

[james4396]

Moto Tecnica Performance
323-261-7050
323-216-2549 (towing)
3833 Ceasar E. Chavez Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90063

All type of bikes and all types of services ... dyno, tire, welding, machine shop services. Order tires and he can install while you wait if you call and schedule it. Same thing with minor service. Ask for Polo.

Located near Cal Satate L.A. near the 60 and 710 Fwy. East of downtown Sunset Blvd had been renamed Ceasar Chavez Ave.

I like to call up to find a slow day and have him service it while I wait.

For dealer service I like Del Amo Motorsports. Much beter than any dealer in Hollywood or those dealers off Lincon Blvd.

[supark]

I bought my Scorpion standard mount slip-on from them a couple weeks ago - awesome deal on a great pipe. One of the hose clamps was all fubared up so they sent another one as soon as I notified them. Then a few days ago when I was wondering about getting a high-mount mid-pipe separately, Kyle was really helpful on trying to find something that would fit from another manufacturer. He found somethng but it didn't end up working out. Awesome customer service from start to finish.

[soulofadra6o]

Originally posted by EviL
Orange County Suzuki
1601 Newport Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
949-646-2428

Has been bumped down from 2 stars.. to one.

porque?

[EviL]

Originally posted by soulofadra6o
porque?
http://www.socalsvriders.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=178104#post178104

[Strider]

I humbly request that the ratings for OC Suzuki be wiped clean. Now that there are new owners and a new name, i think the new shop should earn itself a reputation that doesn't involve the ghosts that used to live there.

Of course, that could just be my opinion: after all, i left the old place, but when the new owner called me up to tell me what was going on, i came right back!

[soulofadra6o]

i agree with strider, a shop should always be allowed to redeem themselves...and in this case it shouldnt even be called the same shop, it's just at the same location

[CBR400RR]

I want some stars :sad:

[XibitSV650S]

Originally posted by CBR400RR
I want some stars :sad:

I'll give you 7 STARS scott.... thanks for the 520 conversion you did an awesome job. Talk to you about other stuff later!!!

This guy knows what he's doing and im glad to say i will be shoping with him again!!! =D>

[jamsuh]

i was very impressed by orange county honda off main street

great customer service!

[dnakase]

This guys way out in the Midwest but his work speaks for itself:

www.artistimo.com

[Kleric]

MC Cycle in Fountain Valley is awsome. Downey is a great person to deal with and knows his stuff. My roomate went there to get a two bros c2 carbon slip on, zero gravity windscreen and k&n filters and he got a great deal on all of it all installed (quickly I might add). I just got my rs3 slip on used and went in there today to get it installed and it took him a few extra minutes so he gave me a chain brush for free, for waiting. Check them out. They are at 10661 Ellis ave suite F Fountain Valley CA 92708 just off of the 405 at the euclid/ ellis exit. Call them at 714 964-9998 and talk to Downey. Ill Give them 5*s. excellent customer service and quality work.

[Aeteocles]

Is MC Cycle a parts store or is it a service shop or both?

[Jethro]

Apex Moto
(714) 636-1381
10422 Trask ave Suite A, Garden Grove
http://www.ApexMoto.com

These guys have been very good to me. So good that they're on my sponsor list.

Vu does fantastic paint work.

[Kleric]

MC is both. He can order you anything pretty much and have it within two days usualy. From His Flyer: MC Cycle is dedicated to; All you enthusias riders out there, freestyle stunt riders, cumunity bikers Sponsored sport racers, Special discounts are available for club members & group riders

Mc Cycle Specializes in Exlusive Parts: RC-45conversion kit for the VFR-750, Custom Composite work, Race replica Paint, Powder coating-custom chrome, Carbon fiber windscreens & accessories, Crash cages, engine & fuel intake, And SO MUCH MORE... Downey is a class act. Like I said he knows what he is doing and has great customer service and good prices too.

[illustr8dman]

Originally posted by NukleoN
Here's another shop James4396 introduced me to. I got my rear tire and new chain there.

They're knowledgeable, fast, friendly, cheap (bring cash) and they'll do service on a walk-in basis. Highest rating (5 stars).

Moto-Tecnica Performance
3833 Cesar Chavez Ave L.A. 90063
323-261-7050

Tell them you're from the SV board.

I was looking for this yesterday and couldn't find it for whatever reason... Polo is a Great Guy and the shop is very reasonable with their rates. I give 'em 4-1/2 stars. The Shop List needs to be updated... 8/19/04 is so last year!

"Anyone?! Anyone?! .....The Ottoman Empire."

[p1choco]

+1 for Moto-Tecnica. Those guys have been around for ever.

[skater69]

I change the oil...that's about it. Can anyone in San Diego area recommend a good shop for doing suspension upgrade and possibly exhaust?

Thanks,
Howie

[warsaw1776]

i like southbay motorsports. the sales and parts guys are dicks but their service department is great. i will take my bike there from now on but i will never buy a bike there.

[Stinky]

Originally posted by warsaw1776
i like southbay motorsports. the sales and parts guys are dicks but their service department is great. i will take my bike there from now on but i will never buy a bike there.
The ONLY reason why I buy the occasional small part from there is the cashiers....:love:

[skater69]

thanks guys.....I also heard about this place but only b/c I guy selling his ZRX on Ebay mentioned they did suspension work on his bike..... http://leescycle.com/main.html (http://http://leescycle.com/main.html)

[curley]

Try Poway Motorcycle - Bill, the owner, is a former racer - on Poway Road at Community, next to the car wash
Bill has done front fork replacements /rear shock tuning.
They don't have a Dyno , but do have an Exhaust Gas Analyzer.
13220 Community Rd, Poway, 92064 - (858) 748-6811

[Q]

National City Motorcycle.
619 474 2025

They like to mod and set up suspension.


You won't find any assholes there... unless I happen to swing by. :D

[Turnip12]

Saw the list of shops, but have no clue how they're rated so I posted this. Can anyone recommend a good Suzuki shop somewhat close to Pasadena? I took my bike in to Berts last time but they are crazy expensive, I can't afford to take it in there, so I've been looking at Suzuki (Honda) of Hollywood and Puente Hills Motorsports but I don't know a thing about their service departments. I know of at least a couple people who said the sales the department was shady at Hollywood (signing them up for stuff when they bought a bike, selling a used bike without telling them about the damage that it had taken before and how it was used), but does anyone know anything about the service department? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm a new rider and new to california and I really need to find a good place to take my bike in.

As long as I'm posting, I'm missing a bolt out of the rotary dampner, anyone know how crucial this thing is? I haven't ridden it since I notice it was missing (the thing was just sitting losse in the bike, pulled it straight out).

[Doubleup16]

Hey if you look next to each shop it has a number of stars next to it. That tells how good they are.(in someones opinion, not mine)
Shop List (http://www.socalsvriders.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=242&highlight=shop)

[Turnip12]

Yeah I saw the stars, but it's not mentioned why they received the rating that they did. Honda of Hollywood got one star, but Suzuki of Hollywood is unrated, and they're the same place right? Also Berts got 4 stars but they want to charge almost 350 bucks for a tune up. I'm curious as to what exactly is getting the rating and why. Is it the store for gear and parts, or the service department?
Don't get me wrong, I didn't have a bad experience at Berts. I took my bike in there because it wouldn't start, and the service guy (Dave) was really nice, especially considering I've been riding for about 3 months now and don't know crap about bikes. It's just that the place is charging almost double the cost that Hollywood, La Puente, and Bellflower were telling me that they would charge.

[Jarasco]

Don't look so much at the first post as the rest of the thread... I'm not sure when the first post was even changed last.

[james4396]

Moto-Tecnica ... near CalState-LA I live all the way in WestLA and drive all they way over there for service. Most of the time I just wait for my bike. If you call to arrange a time it's not hard to get your bike serviced in 2 hours or less. Making two trips uses just as much time plus the hassle of arranging a ride.

Basic minor service can run under $100. He works on about 10 SV's a week. Tell him James sent you ... james with the yellow SV/ Black Speed Triple.

[warsaw1776]

heres a new place i like going....i owner is totally awesome.
heres the link:
http://www.2wheeltuning.com/

[EviL]

Originally posted by james4396
Moto-Tecnica ... near CalState-LA I live all the way in WestLA and drive all they way over there for service. Most of the time I just wait for my bike. If you call to arrange a time it's not hard to get your bike serviced in 2 hours or less. Making two trips uses just as much time plus the hassle of arranging a ride.

Basic minor service can run under $100. He works on about 10 SV's a week. Tell him James sent you ... james with the yellow SV/ Black Speed Triple.

I thought you fixed all your own stuff, you master mechanic you!

[james4396]

Moto-Tecnica does all my tire service, fluid service, engine tuning, carb work and custom machining.

I can do brakes and fork service but Moto- Tecnica is cheap enough for me to just bring it in for service.

Another note ... service dept. at Del Amo Motorsports (Redondo Beach) is now open 7 days a week now.

[newbie]

Originally posted by Kleric
MC Cycle in Fountain Valley is awsome. Downey is a great person to deal with and knows his stuff. My roomate went there to get a two bros c2 carbon slip on, zero gravity windscreen and k&n filters and he got a great deal on all of it all installed (quickly I might add). I just got my rs3 slip on used and went in there today to get it installed and it took him a few extra minutes so he gave me a chain brush for free, for waiting. Check them out. They are at 10661 Ellis ave suite F Fountain Valley CA 92708 just off of the 405 at the euclid/ ellis exit. Call them at 714 964-9998 and talk to Downey. Ill Give them 5*s. excellent customer service and quality work.

Do you know what their hours are? I have been trying to reach them yesterday (Monday) and today (Tuesday) and not getting anyone picking up the phone.

[wantAsvs]

i just bought a yoshimura trs stainless steel slip on for my 04 sv650s and i got a great deal from parts411.com .. they had great customer service... and great prices.. they even beat the lowest price i got from starcycle... so i was very satisfied... ill update more once i finish my buying process.. parts411.com deserves 5 stars so far.. great place to buy from

edit*
got my pipe.. installed it... love it... great place... but you know what i found an even better place... solomotoparts.com

[jamsuh]

edit- had my bottom end redone at apex moto

the guy took my throttle grip but gave me some 6 dollar ones to replace it w/

he also swapped out my throttle cable for a shittier one:mad:

[skater69]

I went to Escondido Cycle Center (San Diego). They have a racetech guy there who did my springs and installed my M4 Full exh and PCIII. I bought the M4 and PCIII from pipecity.com and brought it in since the dealer couldn't come close to the price for the parts.

http://www.ridersrally.com/gallery/data/500/5804-16-05_011.jpg

[Maverick]

Had a service completed here. Some notes:

Got there a half-hour before the service shop closed. They were already pushing bikes back in and evidently thought it was a great inconvenience to get my bike.

Had Galfer lines installed. Shop used pull-tie to secure right line to fork: LB Motorsports Engineering (http://www.socalsvriders.org/modules.php?set_albumName=albuq70&id=LB_Motorsports_Zip_Tie_Engineering&op=modload&name=Photo_Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

Had to perform corrective engineering fix: Maverick Engineering (http://www.socalsvriders.org/modules.php?set_albumName=albuq70&id=Better_Engineering&op=modload&name=Photo_Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php)

Bike was filthy when returned (brake fluid spilled on tank, mud/dirt, chain lube all over wheel/tire).

While checking my bike out, I could hear one of the maintenance techs (I guess he thought I was out of earshot) say: "yeah, you better check it over good."

Went in to get my parts; young kid on cell phone (personal call) looked at me like I was an idiot for interrupting his call. Had to ask for parts back, and even then, did not receive all parts back.

[soulofadra6o]

maverick, where was this shop at? racinteach told me that brake fluid eats through paint like nothing

[Maverick]

Soulofadra6o,

Long Beach Motorsports.

It almost looked as though it'd been on a rag that was used to wipe up after removing the lines or servicing the reservoir. Thank goodness, cause brake fluid that comes in direct contact with paint eats it like nobody's business. I quickly wiped it off, and the paint looked fine, so there is a chance that it wasn't brake fluid. In retrospect, might have been something else. Either way, not a nice way to find your bike.

[Kleric]

oc powersports SUCKS! their service manager dustin is a complete prick. I need to talk to the owner to do something about ngetting rid of that young punk

[jamsuh]

lebard and underwood in la habra (off of imperial highway between euclid and harbor)


their parts department is 5 stars out of 4

9 out of 10 times i called them for my 88 ysr (a 17 yr old bike!) they said "hold on i think i have it" sure enough they had it in stock!!! amazing. also the prices were more than fair!! awesome

i can't believe what a pleasnt suprise of an experience i had w/ their parts dept.

[mcbandit]

Thumbs DOWN for Bellflower motorsports yamaha , suzuki.

I had some insurance work done there.

They suck. Those bums charged me $30 bucks for new shifter, after I take it home i noticed they jury rig the bitch with a spot welder. They said they replace the hand bars, but the bar ends screw on crooked like the old handle bar. They forgot to adjust the clutch lever rod and I almost crashed because I couldn't shift higher than 2nd gear.

They forgot to fill the radiator with coolant after radiator replacement.

To add insult to injury, they tell me batteries are dead 30 minutes before scheduled pick up?

Bellflower motorsport on Alondra + 605 sucks sweat off dead donkey's balls. You have been warned.

[acer66]

my take on solo motor sports, i ordered a while ago ss lines for my front end swap, made crystal clear and got that confirmed from solo that i keep my stock master brake reservoir and get gsxr calipers, they charged me the regular price plus something like $10 for customizing so i paid like $120 and when i installed the lines guess what the main banjo bolt didn`t work, i called `em up told the story he remembered me and that i came from socalsvriders and promised me fast aid because i told him my bike is not ready just because of that bolt, so after 1 1/2 weeks still no sign of either the bolt or a sign from solo so i am not so happy anymore, i went to marina suzuki after i told em that they smiled at me and said with that customizing stuff it happens all the time, but they looked thru their screw box and found a $4 bolt for me, so both thumps down from me for solo

on a side note on the package it said svs, not naked as mine guess that was their customizing

they send me 2 new ones with some washers

[soulofadra6o]

i dont really wanna bash solo moto cause my friend is one of the guys that founded it...but i too had problems with my brakes lines, i received the naked version when my friend knows i have the S model...it was blamed on the guys that supply them their shipments but i dunno...then this little incident happened afterward

BUT! the good thing was, the guy (who shall remain nameless) came to my house to drop off the new lines, and he dropped me off a good bag with motul chain lube, motul bike cleaner, and i think a quart of oil..dont remember...so that was a nice suprise.

[JOEL254]

Add this one to your list. They make awesome products.

http://www.themotocam.com/

[Jerm]

Here's another one over in Whittier, CA just off the 605 and Beverly.

http://www.vanceandhinesstore.com/

I'm currently having my bike looked over and tuned, since I just purchased it. I came about it through recommendation from my boss who also happens to ride, stating it was far better then what any shop on Whittier Blvd. has to offer.

[Reygil]

just bought my bike at LA cycle sports in inglewood. great prices but bad customer service. they seem helpful after u purchase the bike however...

-Reygil

[mojojojo27]

azmotorsports.com does not give 10% discounts on oem parts :(
I ended up paying $99 for frame sliders and carbon fiber key guard and have for wait 1-2 weeks till delivery :eek:

-joe

[mojo mofo]

cancel those frame sliders and get Motosliders (which are currently on sale). Motosliders are the shee-it (I know from far too much experience :p )

[Aeteocles]

Cycle Parts West in Stanton just moved to a new location 1 block south of their current location on Beach Blvd.

They moved into a 30,000 sq ft unit that used to be a supermarket. Very nice. They carry alot of Icon and JR stuff, no Alpinestars stuff yet.

[Leonardo629]

I would like to introduce my new ebay store

http://stores.ebay.com/HyperRev-Moto

The site is still under construction, but will be up and running within a week or so (fingers crossed). It's tough when I'm doing all the web developing and design......

anyhoo....just thought I introduce myself....and just e-mail me if you guys need anything, I can usually beat most online prices.

peace out~

[mojojojo27]

VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH PRODUCT from azmotorsports... WILL FLAME these GUYS ALL OVER INTERNET... PROBLEMS WITH ORDER... #1. On order part # 99950-70513, the label on the product says it is for year 01-03... I wanted it for my 2005 model. Problem #2 it was missing 2, 10 mm washers and now i cannot install these protectors. Thanks a lot guys. I recieved an openned product with no washers and it wasnt even secured properly. :mad:

[Jerm]

Can someone update the list :)

[acer66]

Originally posted by Jerm
Can someone update the list :)


yes please

ordered pads from http://ussuperbikes.com/ on the sep. 8. no confirmation email, didn`t respond to my email so far

[Leonardo629]

www.discountmotorcycletires.com is no longer in business I believe....

[acer66]

Originally posted by Leonardo629
www.discountmotorcycletires.com is no longer in business I believe....
which is very sad i got my order just before they got robbed

[jamsuh]

Originally posted by acer66
which is very sad i got my order just before they got robbed

i could be mistaken but i believe they were not robbed, it was a business dispute gone sour and either the creditor or partner took back all the merchandise and some of the people working there staged it and claimed it as a robbery...this is all from the local police dept website of their city, the police dept told all scammed customers to dispute w/ their credit card companies

[acer66]

Originally posted by jamsuh
i could be mistaken but i believe they were not robbed, it was a business dispute gone sour and either the creditor or partner took back all the merchandise and some of the people working there staged it and claimed it as a robbery...this is all from the local police dept website of their city, the police dept told all scammed customers to dispute w/ their credit card companies

guess i didn`t get the follow up just read the robbery thing

[newbe]

Where is a good place to buy a jacket. Im not that far from marina suzuki do they have good prices compare to other places?? how about the selection ??
thanks for any help you can offer.


Alex

[racinteach]

most dealers do not have the best prices...you will have to shop around...cuclegear in in canoga park, have good prices, ccyletrends is in van nuys, also good prices, check LA cyclesports, they may have some good prices, not sure on selection...also online...

[bigpig]

Del Amo Motorsports has a good selection of jackets. They are in Redondo Beach, right off of the freeway. They are pricey though. I would size them there and buy through on-line retailers.

Ebay?

[sr9004u]

BUY IT ONLINE! try a place called New Enough, They sponser the site, click support on the home page and scroll down, You can buy a nice jacket from them CHEAP and they ship fast.

[coyn586]

seriously.. Check out the Jacket line on http://www.njkleathers.com


These jackets don't look like everyone elses! And they're priced pretty affordable!

I've personally got the Red Textile Spike Jacket from NJK!

http://njkleathers.com/jackets/images/Spike-Red.jpg

[newbe]

what im looking for the most is protection and comfort as #1. I also like the look of the touring style jackets.
No i never had a motorcycle jacket before rode with shirt only, Love the cold air. Any advice on what jacket to buy. Why some are better then others. Oh yea i will be picking up my new sv650 this weekend:D :D :D . My first bike would stay with me too. It never failed me in over two years of every day riding rain or shine.

Alex

[JPJP]

Originally posted by sr9004u
BUY IT ONLINE! try a place called New Enough, They sponser the site, click support on the home page and scroll down, You can buy a nice jacket from them CHEAP and they ship fast.

Second that! www.newenough.com

they have some Technik jackets, leather, that are last years model and they're like 100.00!!!!!

I have one - they rock!

[sandie]

yeah, if you wanna by off the rack instead of custom, go try on a bunch at different shops and make notes of what you like, then go to new enough to buy...what they don't have in stock they can usually get for you

[malkey]

Originally posted by sr9004u
BUY IT ONLINE! try a place called New Enough, They sponser the site, click support on the home page and scroll down, You can buy a nice jacket from them CHEAP and they ship fast. Thirded. Just go try some on in the store to get the correct size first.

Even Sandie knows :p

[sr9004u]

WTF! Did I see 1981 KZ305:eek: and the A model to boot! You need full leathers accept nothing else:confused:

[SVSRyder]

I got mine at LA Cycle Sports.. good staff... and most of the time you wont pay the asking price if you "seem cool"

[newbe]

hey hey hey did someone make fun of my KZ:mad: . Its actualy a fun bike to ride. As long as you remember to rev it up very high. its normal to see a 9,000rpm on it. In heavy traffic very few bikes would keep up with me and the reason for it is size.
What can i say love that bike:love: :love:


Any way im going to take all of your advice and do my part. I would realy need the protection with a much faster bike and being a stupid man that im

Alex

[Old Dawg]

I am going to disagree with the crowd here and say that in my opinion it is pretty lame to try on bike gear in a shop just so you can order it online at a lower price. The dealer has to make a living too. Try the shop where you bought your bike and they will probably give you a discount. Our local dealer gives you a 10% discount on everything if you bought the bike there. For ever. You may pay more at a dealer but you are paying for the chance to try it on, see what it really looks like, and take it home today. You are also paying for a place that will be there with parts and service when you need it... Maybe....Or maybe they will go out of busness because everybody is buying online and you won't be able to get that part you need to get on the race track or go for a ride tomorrow.

[sr9004u]

Dawg your right.....if and I say if you can find a dealer that you feel comfortable with I will in fact pay the extra dough no questions asked, I still havent found one yet.

But I do use Cycle Rider in Montclair for about everything for my bike for the expertise and help with all things bike related.
On the other hand all the bike dealers around them are kurt and rude and unwilling to spend the time to answer the most basic questions.

[rwalterk]

Two online shops with huge selections:

www.ridegear.com
www.motorcyclesuperstore.com

[jamsuh]

+1,000,000 for newenough.com

hey there are few honest dealerships out there but look at stealerships like berts where the owner drives a 50k plus car, i wouldnt exactly call him a homeless starving person


i don't mean to sound like an ass and this isn't pointed directly at you dawg but like it or not we live in a capitalistic country, dealerships will rip off squids they can make their money that way but i'm all for free enterprise

[newbe]

Thanks guys you gave me alot of info on buying a jacket.
what should i look for in a jacket? im sure some brands are better then others. It seems like many people use joe rocket jackets. Are they good?

Alex

[sandie]

yeah, i would probably have to agree with you two old guys too if i had bought my bike new from a dealership ;)
however, since i've only once had a good experience with one dealership, and they carry minimal gear, i use the big rip off dealerships that make their money raping people on the price of their bikes (ya'll know who they are) to try on gear, and then order online :D

or i wait till the motoshow and either shop the good deals there, or try stuff on there :D

[BlackSun]

Originally posted by newbe
Thanks guys you gave me alot of info on buying a jacket.
what should i look for in a jacket? im sure some brands are better then others. It seems like many people use joe rocket jackets. Are they good?

Alex

Ive heard mostly bad things about joe rocket, with the exception of some of their top-of-the-line gear (speedstar?).

Anyhoo, I think most will agree that dainese, alpinestars, kushitani, rs taichi, and vanson make great gear. Firstgear and hein gericke seem decent, but sometimes they skimp on the armor (non-CE). I heard both good and bad things about teknic. I bought a teknic jacket, and while the quality seems much less than my alpinestars, dainese or kushi (gear ho), I think it would hold up well in a crash.

Seriously, I would buy the best, most protective jacket that you can afford. I also note that you are only looking for a jacket at this point, and not pants. Thats fine, but if you only get a jacket try to make sure that it has a zipper (360 if possible) to attach pants so that you can add pants in the future.

You should consider ebay too. If you are skerred of getting ripped off, check out newenough's ebay page. They are selling a bunch of their teknic violator (full ce armor throughout) jackets for very cheap!!!!

[LiN Mae]

Ya'll might wanna update Buymoto's address:
Buymoto.com
8969 Kenamar Drive
Suite 101
San Diego, CA 92121

Store Hours:
Monday - Friday : 11 am - 7 pm
Saturday : 10 am - 4 pm

Telephone:
Toll-Free - (866) 789 MOTO
San Diego Area - (858) 536 2828

[NiteQwill]

Cycle Pit Stop & Laguna Suzuki are officially closed.

I know Laguna Suzuki was bought out by Mission Motorsports (their customer service sucks balls). I think Cycle Pit Stop just bit the dust.....

[tyger508]

Marina suzuki experience:

Just brought my bike in for the valve clearance adj (15K mi), front braided steel brake lines, and a new front tire (Sporttec M1). I called last week to make sure they had the tire in stock, they didnt, so they ordered it and got it in over the weekend. I called again on thursday to make sure they still had the sporttecs in stock and he assured me that they had plenty. So I drop off my bike Friday afternoon and he tells me i can pick it up on saturday. Cool. I call on saturday evening and tell them i am coming to pick it up and he tells me that they dont have the sportec front tire and that they have to order it! So now I dont have my bike for a nice sunday afternoon and all i want to do is ride! Sorry to rant, but it is a frustrating experience.


Now I cant pick up the bike till wednesday, and its going to cost me $430 for eveything. That kind of pisses me off. They should give me a discount for not having my bike ready in time, any thoughts? Did I pay too much?:mad:

[acer66]

Originally posted by tyger508
Marina suzuki experience:

Now I cant pick up the bike till wednesday, and its going to cost me $430 for everything. That kind of pisses me off. They should give me a discount for not having my bike ready in time, any thoughts? Did I pay too much?:mad:

that sucks, i think i paid $250 for the 15k miles service at marina, i would talk to Andrew about discount etc he seems to have the most sense, looks like marina is slacking a lot

what about Hammy boy`s, how can they still have 4 stars ?

[tyger508]

well yea, the tire was about $130 or so of that cost. So i dont think i got ripped off too bad, i just think they should give a discount for not having my bike ready in time. I probably will look for somewhere else to bring my bike next time, hammy boys is no good? I havent had time to read all of these posts, i guess i will start reading a few more pages!

[acer66]

Originally posted by tyger508
well yea, the tire was about $130 or so of that cost. So i dont think i got ripped off too bad, i just think they should give a discount for not having my bike ready in time. I probably will look for somewhere else to bring my bike next time, hammy boys is no good? I havent had time to read all of these posts, i guess i will start reading a few more pages!

Hammy boys suck big time not only from my experience, i am trying to get to the point where i can do everything on my own or give the work/money to somebody on this board

[Dom]

you did there are plenty of places that would sell you that tire for like 90 bux

[acer66]

Originally posted by Dom
you did there are plenty of places that would sell you that tire for like 90 bux

local ?

[racinteach]

tyger why did you not come up here for brake lines and tires... I also do most installs of parts for the sv's., not just FE and TRE kits..I hat doing valves though....:p

[Dom]

it has to be local? but yeah you could do better than that local too if you didn't mind driving a little bit otherwise buymoto in SD and you won't get a better deal for their install price on the bike either. Then while you're down there do some riding because the roads are better anyway.

[Darth Lefty]

Not that you guys down in the smog care much...

So far all the business I've done at my local shops has been at Desert Sports Center in Ridgecrest. This is one of two motorcycle shops, the other being Ridgecrest Motorcycle Company, a much smaller outfit.

DSC is a Honda and Yamaha dealership as well as being a general motorcycle shop. They mostly sell dirt bikes. I'd say at any given time there are about the same number of dirt bikes as there are sports and cruisers put together. They also sell generators and hedge trimmers and crap like that.

The place is a mess, about as organized as a train wreck. It's crowded on the weekends, esp. in spring and fall, with dirt bikers making pit stops with their toy haulers.

I've bought a helmet and tires from them. Both had to be ordered and took about a week longer than I expected.

My tires came in just a few bucks under $300 the pair, mounted on the rims. Neither of the local shops will mount tires that were bought elsewhere, and both charge for installation. So I'd be SOL if I bought the tires online somewhere. The helmet I bought was way over wholesale, right at retail. So, not cheap. But it's a cheap helmet so the markup doesn't hurt as much.

Overall, I'm not impressed.

[tyger508]

Wow, I just want to say that I am not impressed at ALL with Marina Suzuki. I probably wont go back for any kind of service issue. I dropped my bike off over a week ago and they still dont have it ready! Unbelievable. They have been waiting to get the front tire in stock and they kept telling me they would get it the next day. So here it is Friday, a week and two days after i dropped off my bike, i want to go riding this weekend, i want to take my bike down to the bike show in long beach and i cant do either one!

Sorry for the rant, i just cant believe that place got a good write up. Andrew is nice, the boss is a little psycho, and all the guys who work there seem competent, but god damn why did it take so long to get my tire when they told me they had it in stock the day i brought it in?!?

Never bringing my bike there again.

[soulofadra6o]

tyger, your not the first to make a post about them..i think the best thing to do is buy the tires yourself and take them in with the bike...if you have stands and knowledge you can take off the tires yourself at home and just have the shop change em out...cheaper and takes a lot less time

[tyger508]

thats a great tip and thats exactly what i am gonna do from here on out.

[MOO]

Ok, so I posted this question a while ago and got some great ideas of places to get moto gear.

I went to a couple places around LA looking for leather jackets...I want to get one, but nobody has any selection whatsoever... I want to make sure it fits before I buy.

So, where are some good "brick and morter" places in LA to buy motorcycle apparel? I tried Cycle Gear in Lomita...they had like 2 leather jackets...so thats a bust..

Anywho, let me know out there if you guys have any ideas.

THANKS!

[J_C]

Forget brick and mortar. Go to new enough. pick out what you want. check the size charts. Order what you think is the right size. With new enough, worst case scenario, you send it back and exchange for a new size (you pay shipping, big deal) or send it back and get something else

If you insist on brick and mortar, go to berts or chapparal and wish on a prayer. Or you can go to the LB motorcycle show tomorrow and try things on in the booths


edit: berts has a decent selection of a* jackets. you can try those on there

[NiteQwill]

Order from Leo once you know what you want... he offers the best prices around.

[scottyu]

Howdy folks,

I'm new to the Venice/Santa Monica area, just moved here from the SF Bay area. Can anyone let me know any good local stores for parts and such?

I typically internet/mail order most hard parts, but I need to get batteries for my SV and my buddy's Monster, and don't like to deal with acid/filling/whatnot. That plus it'd be great to know where to get standard stuff at good prices, like oil filters and such.

Thanks a bunch folks!

best,

scott
was belmont, CA, now Venice, CA
'01 SV650S

[SV650Rider]

Whats the best shop in San Diego for gear? someplace with a decent selection of stuff. I went to Cyclegear and fun bike center but wasnt too impressed. Are there any better places?

[sbbandita]

I've been to SD House of Motorcycles and have purchased a few things. The customer sevice has been good, although the selection isn't that large.

[sdsv]

Cycle parts west on El Cajon Blvd. in North Park has the best prices on helmets and they just expanded their selection (HJC, KBC, ICON). Because it's desert season most shops have dirt bike gear out. National City Motorcycles recently expanded their entire store and they carry A*, ICON etc. Good luck.

[NiteQwill]

Try stuff on, want to buy it? ask Leo... ;)

[sandie]

just gor a great deal on a helmet from this ebay seller...seems like a nice guy! he's got TONS of stuff ...and he uses the "make me an offer" dealy, so you can do just that

http://stores.ebay.com/MotoGear911

[sandie]

OMG!!!! seriously, if you need something for your bike, or a helmet, or gear, check out www.motogear911.com (he sells directly thru ebay)...i ordered a helmet at a KILLER price the day before yesterday, and i got it today!!!! he's SUPER awesome!

[sirbubba]

+1 for Moto Tecnica. http://www.mototecnica.net

I got a full tune-up, new pilot powers, and a new chain for 700 bucks.
That might not be the cheapest rate, but Polo was cool, and I get a good vibe there.

(Also straightened my shift lever and rear brake lever. Saved me from having to buy new ones)

=)

[Sinaz]

I just ordered some salvage parts from http://rpmcycle.zoovy.com/

Started with an ebay auction, ended up shopping thier listing of parts for more stuff.

The owner was real cool about holding my order until I was done shopping and ammending the cost of shipping from the ebay order into a deduction on shipping for my order done directly through his online shop.

They have a pretty good selection of salvaged parts for SVs. I got a new axel, kickstand, and footpeg all for under 25 bucks each.

[smocohiba]

Originally posted by sirbubba
+1 for Moto Tecnica. http://www.mototecnica.net

I got a full tune-up, new pilot powers, and a new chain for 700 bucks.
That might not be the cheapest rate, but Polo was cool, and I get a good vibe there.

(Also straightened my shift lever and rear brake lever. Saved me from having to buy new ones)

=)

cool. I'm down w/ ELA. Plus they're near some of the best mexican & chinese food in town.

[SV650Rider]

guys,
whats a good place for gear, I need to buy some perforated pants as the ones I have right now are way too warm. I went to cycle gear and FBC but didn't see anything I liked, actually FBC had a grand total of 4 pants :-(

IS there any other shop in the San Diego area, or even within a 1, 1.5 hour drive radius that has a decent collection?

[tobychi]

hmm I don't know about SD area but if you want huge selection with a fitting room then go to Chaparral. Their website: http://www.chaparral-racing.com

[NukleoN]

A good place for gear is on your body.



:D

[SV650Rider]

hmm chaparral is an hour and a half from my place, maybe I will check them out tomorrow.

[stingray]

not local to you but i've had good luck w/ newenough.com

[gaian]

from my experience, Chaparal has a big selection of jackets, a good selection of suits, but very few pants. I was looking to buy a pair of Alpinestars pants, they only had 4 or 5 pairs, none in black (and I was going for the menacing look - so red didn't cut it).

[SV650Rider]

crap, yeah I need a selection of pants...

stingray
newenough is great but I need someplace local so I can try them on first.

[gnihton]

Some of you may know that my bike was hit a few weeks ago. Well it got appraised by "West Coast Appraisers" at $3.8k in labor and parts. I want to take it to a motorcycle body shop to get more estimates. I have had no luck finding any shops around my home. Anyone know any good places I can call up? Thanks in advance.

[sandie]

http://www.socalsvriders.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=242

[racinteach]

where in LA are you at?

[gnihton]

downtown la

[racinteach]

Van nuys suzuki, honda , suzuki of north hollywood, SF valley areas, then there is cycle depot in glendale...

[steveb]

There's a Suzuki of Hwd on Santa Monica Blvd maybe 1/2 mile west of Highland.

You can try a phone book or yellow pgs online.

Dealer locator: http://www.suzukicycles.com/DealerLocator/90060/Default.aspx

good luck.

[Thudds]

http://www.cragoracing.com/

[bombay]

Originally posted by sandie
OMG!!!! seriously, if you need something for your bike, or a helmet, or gear, check out www.motogear911.com (he sells directly thru ebay)...i ordered a helmet at a KILLER price the day before yesterday, and i got it today!!!! he's SUPER awesome!

so what helmet did you get and at what price ? i'm sure i can beat it ;)

[Ramon]

looking for a good place to buy tires and have them put on... I'm in Hollywood and looking for a set of Pilot Roads... any info would be really appreciated... is it better to buy them online and then take them to a shop? This isn't something I can do myself on my center stand is it (wheel balancing, etc...)? thanks ahead of time!

[agirls]

Uhm, if you have front and rear stands, and you can take off your own tires, then I'd get the tires from Cycle Gear. They will mount the tires and balance them if you bring in your tires and rims off of your bike. It is included in the price of the tire. I don't know about leaving the bike on just it's center stand though. Maybe throw a couple wooden blocks under the frame and/or engine just in case. I used a set of stands and got the tires on and off myself. Unless you REALLY want to shop around. Most shops are gonna charge you about $15 +/- $5 to mount your tires onto the rim. More if they have to remove the tires from your bike.

Hey, you have the same bike with a center stand!!?? That's not fair! It would sure make checking my oil a whole lot easier. It's a pain asking someone to hold the freaking bike up so I can look in the sight window. Who the hell brain stormed that up!!??

Cycle Gear, fronts are $115-120, and rears are $140-170.

If your using stock size, $118+$140=$258

I just bought Pilot Powers for $270 minus 10%. Then I bought their tire warrenty program which is 10% of the cost of the tires.

[acer66]

or try someone local from this board like Leonardo629 or since413 from JV711


Leo sells stuff and Andy (since413) sells and installs

[agirls]

Yeah, but you have to be located close to them or it's not worth it.

[illustr8dman]

I do comparative price shopping online includding the shipping cost and have it shipped to Mototechnica. Then I ride down have them put on the new rubber and boogy. They're in East L.A. and very fair on cost....

[agirls]

Mototechnica, where is that? And they change your tires off the bike? How much do they charge for that?

Ha Ha, your quicker than I am. And the stupid Administrator thing won't let me post without waiting 30 secs.

By the way Ramon... If in the future you decide to buy stands, do not buy the front stand that lifts the front by the forks. Why? 'Cause ya probably have offset forks, meaning they are not the same height off the ground. I found out the hard way. I am guessing that my forks are stock (bought the bike used).

[Rocko]

Originally posted by agirls
Uhm, if you have front and rear stands, and you can take off your own tires, then I'd get the tires from Cycle Gear. They will mount the tires and balance them if you bring in your tires and rims off of your bike. It is included in the price of the tire.

huh? they don't mount and balance mine for free. you must get the batlash discount :batlash:

[agirls]

Nope. If you buy the tire from them, they mount them for free. Cycle Gear in Oxnard does anyways. Thought they were all the same. Other local riders sent me there.

If you don't buy the tire from Cycle Gear, then I think they charge you $20/tire. Which is why I don't bother "shopping around". Not worth the hassle for me.

[Ramon]

You know I love this board. Agirls, my centerstand is fantastic

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i171/ramoncito7/6c985b54.jpg

Thats a pic from the underside. Worth every penny, never a problem with clearance, ever. Never noticed a weight difference, first mod I made on my bike.

So, with CycleGear, do I have to make an appointment? How much do they charge if I can't remove the tires myself (I don't think I'll be good at it.) I guess I'll look up mototechnica too... no idea where they are either... anyone have a favorite online tire place?

[agirls]

I don't think Cycle Gear will change the tires from the bike. Not sure though. As for online tire stores, I am sure later in the am when people are awake, there will be plenty of people posting where they find their deals!!

Hmmm, I wonder how that kickstand will do on the track? Just started going to trackdays and I am having dragging issues, and it ain't my knees! First it was my pegs, changed those out, now my kickstand! lol Well, now I have to learn how to hang off the bike and stick the knee out.

Good luck shopping!!

[illustr8dman]

www.tiresunlimited.com/motorcycle_tires.htm

www.mctiresinc.com

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/departmentC.aspx?Class=280&department=647&division=6

www.discountmotorcycletire.com/

MotoTechnica: 323-261-7050

I *think* it's $25 to mount tires on a bike.

[JV711]

Cycle Gear in Canoga Park on Vanowen will NOT remove your tires if you drive the bike in.

You can only bring your wheels in the back of your car, or by rolling them down the street walking backwards on them like a dancing bear.

cyclegear is $12.50 for take-off-your own wheels

going rate around town in LA is $25

CycleTRENDS in Van Nuys, I would just like to call out as the worst I found - $40 per wheel, and then they wanted to nickel and dime you for tire tax, lead balancing weights... I hung up before he could tell me there were separate itemized charges for valve stem caps and cubic centimeters of air.

[Ramon]

THanks for the links illustr8-do I have to remove my own wheels at mototechnica?...JV711, you're shopping around too, huh? I don't think I've got what it takes to remove the wheels myself. But maybe I'm wrong, how do you guys do it?

[racinteach]

there is Johnson and wood in north hollywood as well. Buy tires from them and mounting is free off the bike..cheap on the bike..

[agirls]

Originally posted by Ramon
THanks for the links illustr8-do I have to remove my own wheels at mototechnica?...JV711, you're shopping around too, huh? I don't think I've got what it takes to remove the wheels myself. But maybe I'm wrong, how do you guys do it?

Maybe someone will let you borrow their stands. That's what I did; I borrowed someone else's stands.

And once you have stands to put the bike on, all you need is tools. You have some of those right? Wrenches, sockets, a bar to slip over the rachet for leverage to break the bolts loose, grease, a couple cotter pins, and the time and patience. Do you have a service manual such as Clymer's so you can see what is involved. Let's put it this way, I am a girl with limited experience wrenching on stuff, and I replaced my tires by myself. A second set of hands on the rear tire would have been really f*cking helpful though. It was a pain trying to hold the wheel up, get everything lined up, and try and push the damn axle bolt through the tire. (By the way, I taped the stupid spacer onto the wheel so the stupid thing would not keep falling off).

[Rocko]

Originally posted by agirls
Hmmm, I wonder how that kickstand will do on the track? Just started going to trackdays and I am having dragging issues, and it ain't my knees! First it was my pegs, changed those out, now my kickstand!

dayum, girl! have you lowered your bike at all?

i have a haynes manual that is helpful for all sorts of stuff, but for just taking the rear wheel off, the shop manual you can download here is good enough. the axle is a bitch and two hands certainly helps, but if you're alone support the wheel with your knee or some wooden blocks

i've never bought my tires online but always at cyclegear...it always seems like they have sales and if any online place was cheaper, the cost of shipping makes it the same. i like picking my tires up at the store too and not waiting for shipping.

[agirls]

Originally posted by Rocko
dayum, girl! have you lowered your bike at all?

Sadly, yes. I wanted my feet on the ground. The person I bought the bike from lowered it for me. Now I am trying to figure out where to take my bike to have it lifted back up and do all of the suspension adjustments to help minimize my dragging. If I knew what I was doing, I'd go buy stands and do it myself. But I would really rather have it done right the first time, and then maybe I can learn how to do it and just do the fine tuning adjustments. I like doing things myself, as you can tell. It is a sense of accomplishment, ya know...

[J.Moto]

Dang, your bike must be lowered quite a bit. Mine is probably up to 5mm lower than stock and I've dragged my pegs (on jackup plates) but never my kickstand...

[sandie]

it's probably dogbones, april...and from my recent experience at installing a new shock, they're not THAT hard to change yourself...it's finding the stock ones that'll be the challenge

[agirls]

Actually, it is an adustable dog bone with three holes. Top hole is stock height, and the next two holes are each lowered an inch. Or so I was told. So, I wanted to move it up one hole at a time.

[sandie]

it's my understanding the longer the dogbones, the lower the ride...but i dont know cuz i've never used them :D

i'm glad i just shaved my seat to adjust height!

[illustr8dman]

Originally posted by Ramon
THanks for the links illustr8-do I have to remove my own wheels at mototechnica?...JV711, you're shopping around too, huh? I don't think I've got what it takes to remove the wheels myself. But maybe I'm wrong, how do you guys do it?

I ride my motorcycle there ....and let them do all the dirty work for me.

[steveb]

For me, the most reliable source for tires at lowest prices since the original discountmotorcycletire.com went out of business has been parts411 in San Dimas. Three sets of tires ago I was in a rush, ordered a pair by phone at 5PM and got them by FedEx before noon the next day with regular shipping :D so they were mounted for my track day on Monday.

You can't expect overnight delivery from them, but they have never screwed me around. Never! I always ask for price and availability before completing an order as sometimes the tires must ship from another location to them first.

120/160 Pilot Powers $97.29 + $129.80 + tax and shipping, and I believe they will let you pick them up at the store to save shipping cost.

I've bought one set of tires from http://www.buymoto.com/ in San Diego. So far so good, good prices too. They were recommended by friends in the SF Bay Area.

[codzilla70]

Originally posted by sandie


i'm glad i just shaved my seat to adjust height!


Now this is just begging for it!:p

[steveb]

Originally posted by agirls
Mototechnica, where is that? And they change your tires off the bike? How much do they charge for that?

Ha Ha, your quicker than I am. And the stupid Administrator thing won't let me post without waiting 30 secs.

By the way Ramon... If in the future you decide to buy stands, do not buy the front stand that lifts the front by the forks. Why? 'Cause ya probably have offset forks, meaning they are not the same height off the ground. I found out the hard way. I am guessing that my forks are stock (bought the bike used).

agirls,

What is the offset forks you are mentioning. I've used the PitBull stand that lifts from the bottom of the fork tubes on a large variety of bikes with no trouble. Also used the PB converter on the same stand to lift from the steering stem with no trouble.

Ramon,

You need a good wheel balancer as the stock wheel bearings have too much friction for a good job of balancing.

[sandie]

the offset forks are only on the 03 i thought...yet april has an 02...hmmmm, i'm confused AGAIN

[Kurt'sSV]

The offset of the forks/triple clamps doesn't have anything to do with the problem April is talking about with a front stand. That's just confusion of terminology. This is the problem she is talking about with a front stand and an SV:

On my bike, a 2001, when standing in front of the bike, the fork leg on my left ends lower to the ground than the fork leg on my right. This is because the fork leg on my left has the pinch bolt in it, making it necessary to add a tad of length to the leg for that.

So when putting the bike up on it's front stand, the front end will want to twist because the stand will connect with the left leg first. It's a little awkward, but if I hang onto the front wheel while putting it on the stand, keeping the front of the bike straight, it hooks up just fine.

[agirls]

Yeah, that's it...

the bike kept popping off the stand making me quite nervous.

[racinteach]

a fork mount stand or stem mount stand? sounds like a fork leg stand...bring it by ..I canhelp you out...my SHOP rates are pretty low...;)

[doub1etap]

Fellow dirt people rejoice! A cycle gear has just opened in Corona.

280 Teller St. Unit 115
Corona CA 92879
951-278-8700

[doub1etap]

Oh yea, they have a sale going on.

On sale (of interest):
Pair of tiedowns $4.99
Frank Thomas Cargo Tank Bag $19.99
Teknic Supervent Gloves $14.99
KBC TK-8 Graphic Helmet $59.99
Castrol Act Evo 10w-40 $2.99

Dunlop Qualifier Tires
120/60 $89.99
160/60 $104.99

There is a coupon for 20% any non-sale item in the store.

I don't work for them or anything.. just though you might be interested.

[thor310]

I'm looking for some good riding boots...I looked at some sidi vertigos and they're well into the 300 range.

Is there a cheap online store or outlet for gear?

[SVNerd]

Try used, e-bay, Craig's, group buys, and items for sale on moto-sites.

Good gear is never "cheap".

[Savage]

www.newenough.com

Sidi Verebra race $239 http://www.newenough.com/sidi_vertebra_race_boots_page.htm

Sidi Strada Evo Air - $200
http://www.newenough.com/sidi_strada_evo_air_boots_page.htm
(I have these and I love 'em)

Oxtar SS performance - $150
http://www.newenough.com/oxtar_ss_performance_boots_page.htm

[diulei]

Yea, I agree...there are certain things I feel you should spend as much money as you can on, like things that protect your life. Mattresses are another thing - having a good night's rest is priceless.

[onerjes]

does anyone know of the best place to get aftermarket parts for the sv. via internet or store. really appreciate it.

[Dante]

oooh, pretty. Whatcha looking for in particular? Search around these forums a bit and you'll see a few sites that come up a lot. In fact, I know there was a thread about this topic not too long ago... I feel an urge to merge comin' on here. ;)

BTW, nice bike. That's beauty, eh!

[stingray]

i get all my stuff from twinworks factory in reno.

[onerjes]

thanks for the reply fellas I'll check it out

[tj12]

i did a brief search on this and didn't get much...
yeah, so i paid $1300 for the 3 year mantainence thing at West Coast Motorsports in Perris, CA when i bought my '05 650s. i guess it is supposed to save me money on scheduled owners manual stuff over the long haul. i have no complaints about their service department as i have always received polite, expedious service on the basics. i will continue to take it there for oil changes and tune-ups as the manual specifies because it is already paid for.

My issue now is that the warranty is up and i'd like to find someone closer to my spot for tire changes and some mods i have planned. any input would be appreciated... i am in Riverside. hell, if you've got a lift in your garage and know what you're doing, let me know your rates. oh, and i don't want to hear about the Malcom Smith service dept. either, that's a whole different post. thanks all.

[sirrom]

I get all of my stuff from Polo @ Mototecnica

[cho034442]

Hello,
Can someone help recommending a reputable mechanic/service shop around LA for SV650 routine maintenance? I have been doing oil and coolant changes on my own, but need help checking the valve clearance.
Thanks,

[gambit]

Check with racinteach..... I can't say enough of good things about this guy. If he can't do it.. I'm suer he can recommend someone.

[Natedawgg]

Crago Racing (http://www.cragoracing.com/) is good. They are all about sport bikes and are small enough to be personable.

[Pdiddy]

+1 racinteach,

very helpful, great work, and better prices.

[codzilla70]

Since413 from this site has a shop and he knows SVs well, he races them. HTH

[Reygil]

I just bought a gel seat from marina suzuki and the parts guy Dave was very helpful and a cool guy to talk to...so i give that shop a thumbs up

[jeff762]

moto pro in oceanside merged with another dealership(i forgot who) and renamed and relocated. it is now called:
north county's house of motorcycles.
1725 hacienda drive
vista, ca 92081
ph 760 433 4333

they have been at that location for a little over a month. i thought some of you members that live in north san diego county would like to know.

[pAint]

Why isn't Cycle Parts on the LA area list?!?!? Me and my pops have been going there for years and they are great! They were the only mofo's to have a 03 sv650s K&N hi flow performance filter in stock! ADD THEM!

Cycle Parts
400 S Atlantic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90022
(323)264-4107

[NukleoN]

Cycle Products West/West Coast GP Cycles
Owner: Andy Palmer
11900 West Pico
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310-477-0997


This shop is under new management and they rock. Andy and crew are cool guys and very knowledgeable. They also have race experience on SV's and are/were messengers (I did this for a little bit as well).

Andy's recommendations already improved my bike quite a bit in the short time I've known him. He recommended a 180/55 rear tire (stock is 190/50) which offers better turning and more grip at lean (due to the taller profile) and he fixed a stall problem I was having which Marina Yamaha missed (simple idle adjustment).

Marina Yamaha turned me away flat when I needed my brake fluid changed and other work done..they were booked for a week solid, and I got tired of being turned away (twice) so I tried a new shop. It's not that Marina Yamaha doesn't do good work, but they seem a bit understaffed.

Also, these guys at CPW gave me a ride back to work (tho I wouldn't expect this every time). When I went to pay my bill, my card was (unknown to me) under fraud protection and my payment wouldn't go through, Andy let me pay him later without sweatin' me. How cool is that?

Another 5 stars for Cycle Products West!

Of course, I also give mad props to Racinteach..he's a cool dude and very thorough. I sill think he should go win himself a chopper from Build or Bust hehe.

[darksands]

Any recommendations on a shop or person that can do fork oil swap? I dont have the equipment as well as the confidence to do it myself.

Thanks

[illustr8dman]

I could do it but I'm a bum and would really need to be talked into it. Racenteach could do it for sure!!!

[Frenzy]

www.newenough.com

its like last years gear, sold at discounted rates, I realize that most of you probably already knew that. One thing that I found when ordering some gear was that at the end it asks you if you want to donate a free dollar to a web site, so I went down the list and found socalsvriders.org on there!!

I figured it would just add a buck onto my tab, whitch was fine, but thats not really how it worked. It added a dollar to my tab, then credited me a dollar, after sending it here! Pretty cool. I know its only a buck, but I figure since theres like 5 thousand members on here, if each member that bought something did that, it could add up really quick!!! (and its a good excuse to buy more gear)

ok, I guess theres like 7k members, even better

[slowmike]

Cyclegear in Corona did the rear tire on my R1. I thought I'd let people know that they did a GREAT job. Rodger, the store manager was super nice, and I was on my way with a clean wheel and new tire.

No waiting, no "leave it and we'll work on it later". I likes....

[NukleoN]

Mike you're aliiiiiiive! When are we gonna have the R1 re-union? Heh...hope all is well.

[slowmike]

All is well, I'm just going through life and enjoying.. New toys have shown up in my garage. heh

[leaftye]

Any suggestions? In the San Diego area, I've called Cycle Gear, House of Motorcycles and Fun Bike, and they all have limited selections, and tough return policies. I have wider back pockets, and doubt anything will fit right, but I want to try to protect my rear. Please help save my ass guys!

[leaftye]

After calling every place I could find a number for, it sounds like