Tips for Finding a Quality Motorcycle Mechanic When You Move

1. Basic Criteria
2. Biker Bars and Motorcycle Clubs
3. Good Questions
4. Take a Test Drive
5. Exploring your New Surroundings

If you are a motorcycle owner and you move across country for work or family, chances are you will want to ship your bike with a professional motorcycle shipping company. It is the safest way to get your motorcycle to your new home. With safe transportation out of the way, once you get to your destination, you will face the daunting challenge of finding a top-quality motorcycle mechanic for your baby. A good motorcycle mechanic is not always easy to find.

Basic Criteria

According to Cycle World’s article “Tips for Finding a Good Motorcycle Mechanic”, author Mark Lindemann lays out four criteria you should consider:

• Experience
• Training
• Professionalism
• Personality

Lindemann alleges that if you keep these qualifications top of mind as you research potential contenders, you will be on the fast track to finding the ideal mechanic for your bike.

But before you can audition any mechanics you need to find a quality pool of talent to choose from. Word of mouth is the most common source when it comes to referrals for motorcycle mechanics. As such, you’ll want to find places frequented by other bikers. Thanks to the web, there is no shortage of resources for finding biker-friendly locations.

Biker Bars and Motorcycle Clubs

BikerNet.com hosts a page dedicated to user recommendations of biker bars and hangouts across the U.S. and Canada. By visiting the website at https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/hangouts.aspx, you can search for biker-friendly bars and hangouts by state.

MotorcycleRoads.com allows visitors to search places for motorcycle-friendly establishments. On the same website, you can also search for motorcycle clubs by such criteria as your gender, state, and what type of bike your ride.

Meetup.com is another online resource whose networking capabilities can be applied specifically to motorcycle riders. If you go to motorcycle.meetup.com, you can search for local motorcycle groups specific to your new location.

No matter how you find your new home’s hot spots for bikers, once you make contact you can focus in on finding mechanic referrals from your new riding compatriots.

Even if you are on the shy side, most bikers are eager to talk. According to the article “How to Visit a Biker Hangout” on StartRiding.com, the best conversation starter is to ask a question about someone’s bike. Often times you won’t be able to get them to stop talking.

Good Questions

According to the article “Tips for Finding the Perfect Motorcycle Mechanic” on HappyWrench.com, one sign of a quality mechanic is in the questions they ask. If the mechanic takes an interest in your bike, they will normally inquire about its age and history. Such interest is a good sign.

However, unless the shop you are considering is a small, owner-operated establishment, chances are you won’t have much chance to talk to the mechanics directly. Typically, you will have to make your judgement based upon the questions and knowledge exhibited by the front desk service advisor. But have no fear, a savvy service advisor knows all the right questions to ask so that they can assign your bike to the right technician.

For instance, if you are bringing your bike in for brake pad replacement, a quality service adviser will inquire as to when the brake pads were last changed and if you are hearing any griding noises. If the service advisor doesn’t ask these kinds of questions, you may want to move them off your list of candidates to be your go to shop.

Take a Test Drive

Once you have narrowed your list of potential mechanic shops down to one favorite, take them for a test drive. Pick a minor repair or service item such as an oil change or replacing a bulb and see how the shop responds.

Just as you want your shop to respect you and your motorcycle, be respectful of their time too. Be prepared with the VIN, year, make, model, and mileage of your motorcycle, as well as a clear indication of what service you are brining it in for. This plays to your benefit because a well-informed technician will be able to diagnose your bike much quicker than one with no background information.

In the article “Finding the Perfect Motorcycle Technician” on the Allstate Insurance Good Hands blog, author Renee Charbonneau suggests one criterion to consider is if the mechanic you are vetting is a member of the Rider Friendly Business Association (located on the web at https://www.riderfriendly.com/). As the name suggests, the association provides a mobile directory of rider-friendly businesses.

Exploring your New Surroundings

If your bike means enough to you to bring along when you move, then it means enough to ensure you find a great motorcycle mechanic in your new hometown. Just because a shop is conveniently located around the corner, does not mean it is the best choice for the kind of personalized service you deserve.

Motorcycle owners are a unique species. You love your bike. Chances are your motorcycle is one of your most prized possessions and you are going to want to use it to explore your new surroundings as soon as you can. Just make sure you do your homework to find a top-quality mechanic before you need one.