1st Kick has been working on my Vespas since 1986. Eric (owner) has always been organized and honest. I notice that some negative reviews here on Yelp entail a customer bringing a bike in once and then second-guessing the staff. From what I've read, some people may have purchased bikes that require more work than they expected. I have 100% confidence in First Kick Scooters based on over *30 years* of experience with them. They have always done right by me so I feel confident that you can trust them as well. read more

DO NOT BRING YOUR SCOOTER HERE FOR MAINTENANCE!! Especially if you are a woman or a newbie in terms of knowing what's what. I purchased my '03 Yamaha Zuma from First Kick back in 2006 and had a good initial impression as they guided me through the purchase. Fast forward to maintenance 2008. I recently brought it in for annual servicing knowing that I'd need at least the back tire and brake pads replaced. I OK'd the estimate for these two pieces of work plus yearly maintenance, approving work totaling no more than $350. I should have known something was up when I asked for the carbon for the work estimate, and the guy in the shop (Louis M.) said, "This is for us." I thought that strange, knowing that it was my legal right to have a carbon copy of the estimate, but walked without it, trusting them. A few days later, I get a call from another guy in the shop (Chris B.) saying they had "put the Zuma up on the lift and discovered dry rot in the front tire" as well as the need for a new front rotor. When I asked him how much parts + labor for those two jobs would be, he said (after "researching" part cost), "$400." When I questioned him about what seemed to be the exorbitant cost considering how easy it is to work on scoots, he replied, "That's what it costs." Yet again trusting them, I said, "Well, the work needs to be done, and if it needs to be done, then OK." Later that evening, I talked to a motorcycle friend of mine who basically said, "No way in hell should two tires, a front rotor, new brake pads and yearly maintenance (which is basically spark plug replacement plus changing out the oil) cost $800." I showed up at First Kick the very next morning and talked to Tony. I had spent a sleepless night lamenting my own sucka-ness in not being a better, more educated consumer. Most of all, I was angry that, in First Kick's mind, they felt they could d-ck me around just cause I have boobs. I insisted on going through the estimate for each piece of work line-by-line so I could understand better how they came up with $800. Sure enough, each piece of work was "padded" with some extra charge, totaling about $40 per job. When asked about the PHONY CHARGES, Tony replied that the parts guys put in a generic part at the beginning of the work order and clear it out with more accurate pricing after the job is done. After the line item scrutiny, my bill magically dropped from $800 to $622. I still believe they gouged me in terms of hourly labor cost, charging way more time than it takes to unscrew a front rotor bolt, for instance. (The final bill says a full hour to replace the front disc). And considering my scoot only cost a bit less than $2000 to purchase, $800 for routine repairs is outrageous. All in all, though, lesson learned. They have lost my business as a customer, and I recently steered away a friend from taking her scoot there for repairs. One positive thing to share about them-- Tony is a champ. I was sleep-deprived, outraged, and felt very much so taken advantage of when I spoke to him the day after. He took the time out of his busy day to explain in depth what goes on for each repair and was gracious enough to understand my frustration. Also, he wiped away the extra, unexplained $175 from my bill and (at least in my estimation) seemed to want to make amends. For that, he wins an Upstanding Man Trophy in my book. read more

Well, I just purchased a Vespa from Ebay, apparently this is a refurb originally from Vietnam and rebuilt in Australia and sent here to the states. Well First Kick has a policy not to even touch these...even though this bike is brand new basically, it runs great and its gorgeous! BTW, they rode the bike when I first got it and gave it a thumbs up. However, here is the problem, a brake cable broke this AM, and they said in more or less word, F you and get the F out with that bike. I mean its just a cable... and they left me out in the cold...would not even sell me cable to fix it myself. LAME LAME LAME! read more

I brought in my Honda Helix 250 from '86 to change the rear tire. Tires for this scooter goes usually for 50$. The only they had was 83$... then total was 156$... pretty expensive for a tire and labor. But, the worst part is, a day after they changed my rear tire, the exhaust started leaking (with a huge noise). I brought it back, they laugh, they say they'll have to charge me for replacing a joint. I refuse. They replace the join and 3 days after the same huge noise. I call back, asking them to fix it again, they say yes but the day after I loose my exhaust on the highway ! So not only the joint were damaged but they didn't screw the exhaust back ! The exhaust damaged the rear wheel and tire ! It costed me a couple of hundreds more to buy a new exhaust and have it bolt. Not a serious place. read more

This was where I used to take my first scooter for the occasional repair. No matter how minor the repair, it always required leaving my bike, usually for days and days. Then I'd have to call them to find out where the hell my bike was and why wasn't it ready yet. They always seemed reluctant to actually look at my bike, telling me "all Vespas leak oil." Oh really? THIS much?? Oddly enough, the even older Vespa I own now doesn't leak oil at all. Guess Italy didn't get First Kick's memo about the oil leakage requirement. Anytime I'd go to retrieve my bike I would have to stand around endlessly waiting for someone to help me because "we're busy here." Yeah, you're busy losing a customer. Basically they were ignoring me while they tried to sell some yahoo a plastic twist n'go. When my bike was totaled in a crash, they took more than a week to get me an estimate, I had to call several times to remind them I was waiting on an estimate and then they charged me more than any other place in town. When I replaced my totaled bike, I started going to SF Scooter Centre, where they are much more professional and have your bike fixed super fast and call you promptly. read more

I've been a First Kick customer for years. First Kick has been a great source for both vintage and modern scooter parts for me. David has always tried to find what I need. More than once David has tracked down parts after a phone call and had them available for pick up the same or next day. I cannot attest to the maintenance or repair service, but one of my club members used to work there and he is a dynamite mechanic. Secondly First Kick has been a generous sponsor for scooter related events and rallies. They've been sponsors for Classico Moto Italia in the South Bay, Scooter Rage, King's Classic, and others. You've got to support an organization that supports its customer base in the community as well as in its business. Know your clientèle. Serve and support them. That's a good formula for success. read more

nice, friendly folks. a tad pushy, but hey, they're trying to make a sale. in any case, i ended up buying a scooter that they didn't carry from revolution moto in santa rosa (north bay). definitely would come back to browse, though! read more

I LOVE FIRST KICK! i've been going to them for almost a year and a half now and honestly, they have one of the most knowledgeable and friendly staffs of any scooter shop in the bay area! Tony and Mike, who work in the parts department (which is pretty substantial), are flat out honest and will tell you what do (or dont) need and why. and if they dont have that part in stock or cant get it for you, they really try to help you out by telling you where else to get it or other alternatives. and! if you need new gear, THESE ARE THE GUYS TO SEE! super wide selection and they can walk you through every step of the way to make sure you have the best gear for you! again, veryvery knowledgeable, friendly and helpful! same goes for David in "vintage" parts! well stocked with a considerable range of parts for vintage vespas (and mopeds! how neat!), and very easy to talk to! he will always try to help you out when he can! he even helped me install the carburetor i bought! i cannot say enough good things about him! as far as the sales department goes, Noelle is your girl! what a sweetheart! i've seen her deal with customers before and she honestly cares and wants to see you on the bike that is right for you! granted, i've never bought from her, but i'm in there enough to see how genuinely nice she is and how much her customers respect and like her. the service department. what can be said? on more than one occasion, Chris B. took a look at my vespa and told me what he thought was wrong and what i was going to need to do to fix it, and like an idiot i took it to the "other guy" or to a friend who told me something completely different and fixed it their way. turns out Chris was right every single time and i should have listened to him in the first place! service gets pretty backed up sometimes though, but the guys are nice and try to help you out the best they can. :] anyways, I definitely recommend First Kick to anyone in need of parts, service, or even a bike! i've always had a positive experience with them over there, hopefully you will too! ps! who's the hot girl who works behind the parts counter? is she new? read more

after leaving my 79 P125X in First Kick for ! month, it is not only did not get fixed it now has other problems.When I called their service manager Chris I did not get any comittment for refixing. The bill for fixing backfiring was $381.00 I have had used them since 1995 now I do not know if I want to deal with them ever..... read more

So my buddy has a vintage bike and is looking for a pretty hard to find part or it. One thing that caught my eye about First Kick Scooters had to be fact that this place uses multiple resources for part finding. All I can say is that my friend, had his part off and running in no time flat. Super friendly, very nice and certainly without any disappointing hitches. When I am ready to roll, I'll get my Vespa from here!!! read more

Back in 2003, I bought a vintage vespa from First Kick. I got to know David at the parts counter very quickly. He always seemed to be able to find something I needed, which was perfect. Even when I moved to Hawaii, he was able to ship parts to me whenever I needed something. In essence, he was a solid-gold resource: parts, advice, whatever. Now back in the Bay Area, I learn that David no longer works there. I approached the shop with a list of parts I wanted them to find. I was ready to drop over $1000 for stuff (I fully expected it to cost this and more). I liked the business, and wanted to support a local shop (even if it meant overspending on certain things). I gave them a list. They said they'd get back to me. I checked in from time to time to see how it was going, but they always needed more time. After two weeks, I called and complained to an employee. He relayed the message to the owner. The owner (the person I spoke to originally) said, "big list, need more time". The company should have let me know from time to time how things were going. Don't know why they didn't. Two more weeks went by. Okay, they had their chance. They blew it. I called them again, and told them to forget about it. I could tell the guy was relieved. Was $1000+ really not worth it to them? Very, very disappointing. The difference is, David doesn't work there anymore, and they're losing money and customers as a result. read more

Do not bring your scooter or motorcycle here for service. Terrible experience on my beautiful 1972 vintage Vespa. The Service department Chris has absolutely no idea of what work is or is not performed. To sum it all I brought in the Vespa running needing a tune up and I am bringing it home with the engine apart in boxes after I paid $ 1,200. The place has changed a lot from 2 years ago. Run away. read more

I've been taking vespa to firstkick for many years now. There are only 2 vespa repair shop in the city, and first kick is one of them. Mechanics and owner are very cool. I like the fact that they don't try make you buy something that you don't really need - very cool in my opinion. read more

We purchased a 74 Rally Vespa, the previous owner as well as blogs mentioned First Kick as the place to go. 1st of all the website is very old and you can't order parts from it, as mentioned to us by the sales associate, Tony. 2nd, we spent a good chunk of money over time and had planned on spending more. We do our own repairs and just need a lot of parts. I showed up to pick up my back ordered parts on a Wednesday and wanted to buy more parts but they didn't have an experienced vintage vespa parts guy there that day. They told me they'd get my list to Tony and he'll see if they have the parts and call me. The next Tuesday I called again, Tony was busy, left a message with the person on the other line, they told me he'll call me back. Called back on Thursday and the sales associate apologized and said he'd send me over to parts and the guy there would be able to help me. That guy said he'd take down my part list and hand it over to Tony. Same thing. It's now been a week and a half since my original day in. I'll now bring my parts list to another scoot shop. Sorry guys, I need to get this job done and I can't keep coming into the city in hopes of catching Tony. When you do get their attention Tony is an awesome parts guy. So I'd give it more of a 2.5 stars, I've experienced better but when I have their attention they are good! read more

I recentley bought a moped from a private seller on craigslist that ended up needing a bit more TLC than I had thought at the time of purchase. I went to First Kick and talked to Dave and Craig. Even though they don't repair mopeds in their shop, they both were very knowledgeable and helped me get setup with all the accessories I needed. They are friendly and courteous every time I go in. Thanks guys! read more

Mike and Tony rule!!! My Vespa 250ie left me stranded on Sunday afternoon. I called First Kick first thing Tuesday morning. Despite a packed shop schedule, Tony told me to bring my bike to the shop and he would try to squeeze me in. I pushed my bike to the shop, Mike popped my hood (seat), took one look and diagnosed the problem right then and there...detached spark plug cap wire. We snapped it back into place and I was good to go! Not only was there no charge, they even offered me a loaner helmet to get me back home. These guys have earned my loyalty. Thanks First Kick! read more

I called for a new vespa tire and they squeezed me in right away. Price was pretty much on par with the other local shops. fast service + friendly and knowledgeable staff = I will go back again read more

Always come here for Vespa parts. The guys here have always been super helpful and friendly!

Eric and the folks at First Kick Scooters/SFMoto really go out of their way to make your scooter/motorcycle purchase enjoyable. Their low/no presure attitude is a breath of fresh air compared to other shops. My wife and I recently purchased a SYM HD200 (great scoot!) as an upgrade for a Buddy (also a great scoot but limited to city streets only). They allowed us both to take a test ride which is rare in SF. I liked the experience so much that I came back and bought a used Burgman from them a month later. We just had our first scheduled maintenence for the SYM and the service department was great to deal with. Highly recommended. read more

I don't know what these other poor reviews are about, but I have been coming to FKS for years and they have always treated me very well. The owner Eric is a good guy and Tony and Mike will go way out of their way to help you. Recommend this place to anyone. read more

This is the first time I created a second yelp account so as to write under a pseudonym. I want to keep going back to First Kick now and again, but not worry about this affecting the quality of work. That being said, I have to say that I don't think First Kick is very good for a number of reasons. #1 - Communication. The younger guy that works at that little desk in the service department needs to take an English 101 course at City College. I don't like being referred to as bro, nor do I like waiting around day after day to get a call back. You will be told one thing, then never get called back, then be told a completely different story. I realize things change after you diagnose a problem, but please just use common sense and this thing called a telephone. #2 - The wait. This place can take forever. I am probably the least loyal customer ever, and although SF scooter center drove me away for other reasons, First Kick is slow as molasses comparatively. A simple estimate can take 2 weeks. A tune-up, 2 weeks. Let's just say I went and got a bicycle last time my scoot was in. #3 - The price. Ok, yes, I knew what I was getting into when I bought a "vintage" Vespa a few years ago. I know I'm a pussy for not doing the work myself. But why, why, why, do costs always inflate out of hand at this place. You'll take it in for something routine, like a simple tune-up, and walk out having spent $500.00. This goes back to the whole communication thing. Last time I dropped off my scoot they went on a fixing spree without first calling me and saying, gee, part xyz isn't out, the entire system is out, and we replaced it all. Simply put, expect to double whatever price you think you're going to have to pay. It's probably a good idea to take a credit card in there, or take out a line of credit against your house - You'll need it. #4 - Quality of work. I've already said I don't do any work myself, so I can't be certain what goes on under there, but I know there's something up. For instance - They charged me a whole bunch of money to fix something, it went out a day later, they charged me again to fix what they said was a new problem with the same symptoms, then it went out again a few days later. Hmm.... Last time I said, umm, it's leaking a lot and I think valve xyz needs to be replaced, but instead of fixing the root of the problem, they did a fix on something more simple that sorta only half fixes the issue. (I'm generalizing to protect my identity here). Let's just say that bastard still leaks oil. Yes, it's old, but when repaired at other shops, ughhuuummm, it didn't leak. #5 - Did I mention the prices! So yeah, these things are old and rickety, but sometimes you just get the impression that someone is giving you the runaround, over and over. I don't expect it to be like new for 50 bucks, but I do expect honest and clear communication, quality work that is stood by a few days after the job, and the ability to feel confident in my machine afterwards. read more

i had this strange problem with my piaggio -- every few months, my battery would crap out on me and i'd have to replace it ($50-80 plus labor). this sucked. every place i took it to, the mechanics would tell me to charge the battery, or they'd scratch their heads and just replace it, chalking it up to a previous "bad" battery. not anymore! i took it into first kick and the problem was FINALLY diagnosed correctly. the scooter needed a new voltage regulator because the current one was overcharging (and killing the health of) every battery i put in there. it's like i was going to the acupuncturist and the chiropractor to fix the symptoms when i should have gone to the doctor for a proper diagnosis of the problem. the only negative part of my experience was a small part of the bill. i noticed that the initial 10 minutes of checking out my scooter before i even agreed to service was charged as a half hour of labor... but since they were able to fix the problem when no one else could, i am grateful. also, they had in stock a mirror that no one else i called had. they sold me the single rather than making me buy the pair, like other places would. bottom line, they know what they are talking about. read more

Love this place! Everyone there is so friendly and helpful and I feel like when I talk to someone they are genuinely interested in what kind of bike I have, what my needs are, and what are the very best options within my budget. read more