Wellington Motorcycle Service Centers

[sameer]

Hello Riders,

I am new to wellington and hence looking for pointers to service my Triumph America.

I live in Lower Hutt but work in the Wellington CBD.

I am looking for someone who does a decent job and does not rip off my pocket.

Cheers,
Sameer

[jellywrestler]

I am looking for someone who does a decent job and does not rip off my pocket.

Cheers,
Sameer

any bike shop that is surviving in this day and age, that alone is testament to it's reliability etc

[Madness]

Boyles. Don't drink the coffee.

[Ulsterkiwi]

Personally I have had very good experiences with a couple of the dealers and negative experiences with others. My experience is not shared with everyone I have discussed the topic with. There are a couple of places I just would not go but others have a fabulous opinion on them and vice versa.
Try a place that is near to you, explain you are new to the area and looking to find a dealer/service centre you can build up a relationship with. You will know pretty soon if that place is going to work, for YOU. You have Motorad, Motomart, TSS RedBaron, RS Motorcycles, Wellington Motorcycles and Maidstone Yamaha all in the Hutt Valley. Good luck!
A general comment no paticularly aimed at you; I have found when you take the time to acknowledge good service and thank people, that is remembered and goes a long way to help when things go wrong or they are not so tidy. If you have enough interactions with any service business then something WILL go wrong at some point.

[pritch]

Try a place that is near to you, explain you are new to the area and looking to find a dealer/service centre you can build up a relationship with.

In the OP's case he may like to find one near where he works. The key thing though is building a relationship. If the staff recognise you as a regular customer that can make a difference in all sorts of ways: test rides, discounts, loaner bike, etc etc.

[Dodgy]

You are correct in that everyone has a different opinion based upon their own experiences, but anyhow here are my recommendations:

In Wellington itself you only have the choice of Boyles these days. But that's all good as the team there are three generations (I think?) into running a bike shop and of course Pete has gone back to his roots there! Seriously great bunch of guys who do a great job for a great price. Once they get to know you, you had better allow extra time for the obligatory chinwag.

In the Hutt, I wouldn't go past TSS. All round excellent team that Stu has there and a great workshop and simply brilliant parts and accessories team and range.

RS Cycles come well recommended too. I am unlikely to go there tho, just because TSS and Boyles have been so consistently brilliant over the years.

Motomart. This place can be a weird experience. Despite owning far too many Hondas and wanting to buy a new BMW soonish, I always feel a little underwhelmed here with the customer experience. I have bought gear recently from there and I would describe the service that I received as 'disinterested'.

Wellington Motorcycles. Well, this is the place where I bought my first motorcycle and gear from, far too many years ago. I had one very, very poor experience once and vowed to never, never spend another dollar there. Ever.

Motorad - apparently they are a bike shop? In the same 'experience' category as Motomart I have found.

Maidstone. I have bought to quite expensive new bikes from Mac over the years. Not a place to go and but accessories tho.

[Ulsterkiwi]

You are correct in that everyone has a different opinion based upon their own experiences, but anyhow here are my recommendations:

In Wellington itself you only have the choice of Boyles these days. But that's all good as the team there are three generations (I think?) into running a bike shop and of course Pete has gone back to his roots there! Seriously great bunch of guys who do a great job for a great price. Once they get to know you, you had better allow extra time for the obligatory chinwag.

In the Hutt, I wouldn't go past TSS. All round excellent team that Stu has there and a great workshop and simply brilliant parts and accessories team and range.

RS Cycles come well recommended too. I am unlikely to go there tho, just because TSS and Boyles have been so consistently brilliant over the years.

Motomart. This place can be a weird experience. Despite owning far too many Hondas and wanting to buy a new BMW soonish, I always feel a little underwhelmed here with the customer experience. I have bought gear recently from there and I would describe the service that I received as 'disinterested'.

Wellington Motorcycles. Well, this is the place where I bought my first motorcycle and gear from, far too many years ago. I had one very, very poor experience once and vowed to never, never spend another dollar there. Ever.

Motorad - apparently they are a bike shop? In the same 'experience' category as Motomart I have found.

Maidstone. I have bought to quite expensive new bikes from Mac over the years. Not a place to go and but accessories tho.

There is Scooterazzi in Wakefield St, they are dealers for Suzuki and Moto Guzzi as well as being scooter city.

Your examples are a perfect illustration of my point.

Agree with you on TSS, excellent place to do business.

Motomart however I have a good relationship with. I would say it depends on the specific people. There are some of the staff that I do not gel with, so I actively seek out the people I have rapport with.

Unless you do not intend to buy gear or accessories and do all your own wrenching, owning a motorcycle is as much about the relationship you have with the dealer/workshop as anything else I reckon.

[Navy Boy]

I too am fairly new to the Hutt Valley area - In terms of where to get motorcycles serviced and bits for them.

Thus far I've found Wellington Motorcycles to be fairly good and Motomart OK though I only bought a couple of T-shirts there so nothing too taxing from their perspective. The others are right about forming a relationship with a dealer though. It is an integral part of the bike ownership experience.

Let us know how you get on.

[BMWST?]

Isnt motorad a triumph dealer?Surely thats the best place to start.

[sameer]

Thank you so much for the replies people. I'll let you know which one I went to. Cheers.

[MD]

I have always felt compelled to use the official franchised shop so for Triumph as said its Motorad. Like you though i work in the CBD so how the hell do you get a bike to and from a dealer when they have all bloody moved to the Hutt. With the Yamaha now I dread the service intervals. Getting the bike to the back streets of beyond civilisation (Upper Hutt) is a total piss off.
I've lost all interest in buying another new bike ever again. Tyres is a regular need so fortunately Scooterazi are a few minutes walk from my work and nice people - like most bike shop people I've dealt with everywhere.

What are you worried about though. Aren't Scooterazzi a Guzzi dealership? Lucky you. I might have to buy a Guzzi.

[Hoonicorn]

Motorad are just over the bridge from Lower Hutt, on Victoria Street and they're the local Kawasaki and Triumph dealership.

If you wanted to drop it off in town (you work near the Terrace) Scooterazzi have a workshop, they are probably the closest (opposite the Michael Fowler Centre)

Boyles by the basin reserve? uuuuuhhh I think they have a certain type of clientele, I thought they did Kawasaki's but I didn't feel comfortable in there.

But Independent Motorcycles on Arthur Street in Te Aro, I only hear good things about.

[sameer]

Motorad are just over the bridge from Lower Hutt, on Victoria Street and they're the local Kawasaki and Triumph dealership.

If you wanted to drop it off in town (you work near the Terrace) Scooterazzi have a workshop, they are probably the closest (opposite the Michael Fowler Centre)

Boyles by the basin reserve? uuuuuhhh I think they have a certain type of clientele, I thought they did Kawasaki's but I didn't feel comfortable in there.

But Independent Motorcycles on Arthur Street in Te Aro, I only hear good things about.

Yea, I use to see Independent Motorcycles Shop when I used to walk home, Could see some old bikes in the garage, somebody who can fix old bikes can fix the newer ones (I assume) and also loves bikes in general. (*that's all my thinking)

[cheshirecat]

Boyles. Don't drink the coffee.
I survived after giving in to repeated offers but discreetly poured it into the gutter after a sip as my constitution couldn't handle the shock. The tea was surprisingly quite drinkable though. Boyles is the place though, been going for years they've seen my VFR do almost 200,000k