I've been a regular customer for a couple of years. As a motorcycle insurance adjuster I always let out a sigh of relief if clients requested repairs be performed by Rich. Rich and Suzie run a great shop! Never a comeback and always great service. Berkeley Performance is one of my "happy places." read more

Awesome...These guys are the best and most honest motorcycle shop in the Bay Area in my opinion. After having my bike stolen (in North Berkeley), Rich offered to inspect any bike for free that I was looking at buying on craigslist. I recently got a full inspection including oil & filter change and a few other niggling things that were annoying me about my new bike. I only realized that I forgot to mention the back brake light switch didnt seem to be working...not to worry, they caught it and fixed that too...all for under $80...beat that! Got a quote for new tires including fitting which was also very reasonable...If you need motorcycle work done by professionals who actually care about your bike and who are honest, call these guys read more

All roads lead back to Berkeley Performance Motorcycles. Rich has been around for years! He knows everyone in the industry and can get the job done through his shop. I have an old 1990 Honda Hawk and have been going by BPM for a few years. Rich has helped me when i have really needed it, over and over and over again, usually in a pinch, usually when I least expect it. Rich and his crew are really kind and personable. I always feel welcome and important, no matter how small my need or how simple my over-sight - they are kind, respectful, helpful, funny, and honest. I love these folks! They provide a great service to the motorbike community! i see all kinds of bikes there, 24 hour towing, networking/referrals, and just plain ole good kind welcoming smiles - you can't get that just anywhere.... read more

I buy tires and get flats fixed here. These people have always been friendly, fair and have good prices. It's a really good shop.

Honest and trust worthy mechanics... as a female rider, I consult often with the mechanics at Berkeley Performance. They are very knowledgeable and friendly. The repairs can be a bit on the pricey side but they keep my motorcycle in good condition. I will continue to take my motorcycle to them for maintenance & repairs and highly recommend their services! read more

THANK YOU PERFORMANCE MOTORCYCLE!!!!! I was in a serious jam yesterday when a spark plug came unseated while on the I80. Limped in to the shop with my bike sounding TERRIBLE. Bill was outside and came over immediately to help me try to work out what was causing my bike to sound so obviously broken. After about 5 mins of poking and prodding and crawling around on the ground he discovered the loose plug. Even though the shop was super busy and had an obvious backlog of work they got me in, replaced both plugs and got me back out onto the road again within a couple of hours. And the hourly rate is much cheaper than here in San Francisco :) If I ever move to the East Bay this will become my repair shop. Thanks again guys! read more

I have a buddy's Harley that wasn't running. I take pride in my own mechanical skills but this one I couldn't diagnose due to lack of adequate diagnostic equipment. Rich took the bike right away. They had it for almost two weeks (they are a busy shop so I was aware it would be awhile) ran tests to tell me the extent of the problem and gave me A LOT of info and who could do the internal head work, since they aren't set up for internal engine work. ALL FOR 1 HOURS TIME.........$75!! More than helpful and will most definitely take my junk back there! read more

Go to this place if you have a really nice sports bike, they'll give you great care. Take in a dirty, old bike and they won't do jack. Took in my 1991 GS500, not the prettiest bike and it ran decently at the time. It wouldn't start one day so I called them and had my bike towed in (towing was pretty expensive, $35). They preemptively billed me an hour of labor ($85) to inspect the bike and diagnose the starting issue. A few days later, they gave the bike back to me and told me it wouldn't start because the top end needed replacing (~$1000) because the camshaft had too much endplay. They basically told me to scrap the bike. Disappointed and surprised, I did a lot of research and found that older Suzuki's were actually designed to have camshaft endplay. I eventually figured out on my own that my bike wasn't starting because the regulator/rectifier was shot and the battery wasn't being charged. I bought the part ($25) and replaced it myself. Now the bike starts and runs like a charm. An engineering student in college solved a starting issue for $25, while trained professionals at a shop didn't do anything and still charged $120. Rich, the owner, seemed honest and helpful, but they obviously put absolutely no attention into my bike. Straight thievery. Never going here again. read more

I picked up my BMW R1100s up yesterday. Rich was polishing the bikes for his customers before they rode away! I think Rich is a good guy, I also appreciate him, saving me money doing the electrical bypass, and not buying the part from BMW. Thank you Rich, mechanics and staff at Berkeley Performance Motorcycle & Service! read more

I got a flat tire last week. Put the bike on the center stand and spun the tire until I found what I didn't want to find, a nail. I called around and was excited to find out that Berkeley Performance Motorcycle (only 6 blocks from my home) could fix it the same day. Fast forward to 3 days and 40 some-odd miles later. Went to ride home from work in SF and found my bike with a flat tire again. Checked the tire and sure enough, same nail is still there. They replaced the tire but didn't take the nail out! Incredible. I had to push it over to K.C Engineering and spend another $65 to have it fixed again. I went back in to Berkeley Performance Motorcycle and spoke with Rich today but unfortunately my $63 is more important to him than having happy, satisfied customers. He was courteous and explained that he believed his techs over me and that I must have just run over another nail. Needless to say, I won't be back. read more

This was once one of the greatest shops in the bay with an owner you could always trust to go above and beyond. I've been taking my bikes there for a decade but NEVER AGAIN! The owner just lost this shop to his exwife in a divorce and she will be running the shop without him now?!? I can not express enough how much this woman Is a person I would never give money to or trust. She has been working the counter there for years and I had nothing but terrible experiences with her. He was the saving grace of the place and was an actual master mechanic, she doesn't know how to ride let alone work on a bike how can I trust her when she is dependent on her employees for all her info? On top of her lack of experience she was always rude to me, criticized my motorcycle choice and made me feel uncomfortable. I always excuses her behavior and lack of knowledge becaUe I assumed the owner had no choice but to give his wife a job at the desk. However if she's in charge I will be heading up the road to California adventure touring in Pinole they may be further away but they are significantly cheaper and the owner is an actual mechanic with years of experience. So sad to see yet another authentic non dealer shop close. What a loss. read more

I brought my R1 in a few months ago to get a bad idling and stalling problem looked at and fixed. I usually do all of my own maintenance and work on all of my vehicles because I don't trust people with something that can potentially determine if I could live or die, but due to time constraints I had to bring it in. I know a lot about motors, and I didn't like the way they troubleshot my issue. They check EVERYTHING, which was unnecessary and costly. I could have told them it was either an ignition issue or a fuel issue, but they checked the air filter and oil, which to me made me feel like I was getting nickeled and dimed. They did a good job of fixing the initial issue and the bike was running fantastic, and they told me a few things to look out for. A few months later, the problem came back, but not as bad. It turns out it was because my power commander was being adjusted by my passengers. Anyways, it was time for a valve adjustment so I went ahead and had that done along with a full service. It cost about $600 for parts and labor. When I told them to go ahead with it, they told me it would be ready by Sunday. Then two days later, I get another phone call about the same exact conversation, this was very unprofessional, and my bike was returned 4 days late. When I finally picked my bike up, the original issue still remained, but because I no longer want to deal with such incompetency, I opted to take the bike as is, with a little remnant of the issue remaining. I obviously have trust issues, but you never know if places actually do the work that they charge you for and if they are honest about the prices for parts without looking at it yourself or doing it yourself. I most likely won't return here as I didn't get a great experience. I will try someplace else read more

When it comes to changing tires I want it done with the proper tools by someone who does it a lot. Even though I generally work on my own bike I don't have those tools and every 2 years or so is not a lot. My tires were installed here today and they checked out the bike overall, gratis. They found a safety issue with the brakes and repaired that gratis, {There were no parts needed for the brakes} When I called them about installing the tires I was asked to drop off the bike in the morning and it would be ready to pick up that evening. That's exactly what happened even with only one tech today. The best thing is that they didn't have tires to fit my bike and suggested I purchase online so I did and the cost of installation is the same with tires you bring in. I could give them 5 stars just for this transaction but the story goes back a bit further. I was taking this bike apart the fist time to adjust the valves and came across a part I could not remove. I have the manufacturers repair manual and there was no reference on how to disconnect this part. I called to leave a message but Rick answered after hours and made a suggestion that worked. Previous to that they repaired a flat for me while I waited { I brought them the rim) They have always been professional, courteous and helpful. I trust them with my bike and highly recommend them to all of you. read more

Awesome... Trustworthy, helpful, and informative. I wish there was a place like this in LA.

Early Saturday morning I rode from the north end of Sonoma County, bound for a meet a leather gear shop in Fremont. On the way, I made a brief stop in Berkeley to see a friend who noticed the cords were showing through my back tire before I could remove my helmet. With the humiliating realization of my screw up I prayed for a miracle and went immediately to Rich's shop. Though his shop was not yet technically open, Rich took a break from pushing bikes out to cheerfully check inventory for the tire I needed to get back on the road. Not only did he stock the tire I needed, he had the set and generously rearranged his schedule to get me back on the road quickly. Two hours later, at the exact time promised, I was back on my favorite ride that was now not only safe to make the journey, but also sparkly clean and shiny. Though they were the same tires I had before, Rich took time to go over proper tire pressure to run loaded and sport. With the miracle of delicious new skins, I continued to Fremont with friends to buy a beautiful new pair of leather gloves at Helimot. Thanks to Rich, it was a perfect day on the bike. Err... Just in case Rich was late getting some one's bike done Saturday, I would like to take full responsibility, offer my apologies and thank you for rescuing this out of town idiot on a bike. read more

i think those people who rated this place with 5 stars have got it all wrong.are you effin serious...do you know what a oil change costs..wow i guess you guys have money to throw...i had been to rich once before and i took a heavy blow 350 dollars to install some guards and change my exhaust, after that i swore i would never go back..but just my luck my bike stalled on 80 very close to the gilman street exit and rich was the only one close to tow. anyways so he charged me 150dollars to let me know that my cam chain was shot and my piston was broken...haha and no work done...and iasked why and he answers 2 hours of labor to detect the problem..never going back to him..total rip off and i am a student and everything and he knows , he could have atleast offered me a discount knowing that I needed to take it to the dealership anyways...with 150 dollars in this economy problems are solved not detected. AVOID THIS PLACE...EAST BAY MOTORSPORTS ALTHOUGH ITS IN HAYWARD DOES WAY BETTER SERVICE WAY CHEAPER... Lastly the only reason i made a yelp account was to inform other innocent people not to be strayed by all the wrong comments posted about how reasonable his prices are. sure he does a good job but the price is ridiculous. read more

rich is cool -- his shop/service was the first i ever used outside of a dealership for my first bike (ninja) when it got stranded in berkeley many moons ago. he is friendly and seems to know what he's doing. when i've brought my bike in, they are relatively quick to finish up the work, and are true to their word about when they will be done. they are straightforward, with no funny-business. rich and his crew all seem very down-to-earth -- real motorcyclists themselves, but also just real people. read more

the staff here are hella helpful and they treat my harley's with respect ! they are way better then how the dealership treats you .,. They know me well there .. read more

Did an insurance job here. They really set the expectation that the parts were going to take long to arrive due to my motorcycle being so new. I have a 2015 Harley Davidson Street Glide and the parts were coming pre-painted from the factory along with other oem parts. Low and behold it did take a long time, but thankful they set that expectation. Otherwise, received the motorcycle back all cleaned up and looking brand new. read more

Awesome place for repairs and service. Rich and crew are friendly, competent and reasonably priced. They service almost all makes and years.....Japenese, German, Italian and American. I recently brought my fork tubes in for a rebuild and they stuck to the price and time quoted. read more

Honest. Professional. Great service. Excellent guidance when I have questions. Love this place.

This place is great for a small job, and horrible for anything else. If you're under thirty and don't look like you have money they talk down to you, and your bike ends up at the bottom of the list for repairs. I had a forks seal job done that they completely screwed up, forks kept leaking. I brought it in again, they 'fixed it' and within a week they were leaking again. I finally took it up to Davis Motorsports where the shop re-did the job at a third of what Berkeley Performance charged me and six months later, still no leaks. read more

I took my bike in to have a lowering link that was installed by the prev owner removed and the stock unit put in. I also had the suspension adjusted for me and the bike dyno tuned. The did an awesome job on the bike. The suspension feels great and the bike pulls so much smoother after being tuned. I'm really happy to have had my work done by this shop and would highly recommend it to any one looking for work to be done on their bike. read more

Took my new (to me) 94 Triumph Thunderbird to another local place three times to solve a stalling problem.(The name of that venue doesn't matter since they are now closed). Tried Berkeley Performance Motorcycles. One service and a $1.00 "O" ring and the bike appears to be working. You guys rock. I wish I had found you a year earlier!! read more

I found myself in Oakland next to the freeway with a flat tire on a Monday evening. I called Berkeley Performance Motorcycle, and the outgoing message had the number to call for a tow. 20 minutes later Rich was there with his great truck, he picked me up and dropped me off at my home, all within an hour after I pulled over. That is fantastic service and I really appreciate it. I've had my bike to the shop before for tires and service, and they do good work at reasonable rates - I'm glad shops like this exist! read more

sorry pop your bubble people but rich is a snake. straight up. I called in with two bikes a friend gave me (they were semi-trashed) to fix up and sell. when he came to get them, as soon as I told him the situation I saw his eyes light up... he knew right then I knew nothing about bikes, a perfect sucker, right? but I gave him the benefit of the doubt, told him just get them running, bare minimum, so I can sell them. the interesting thing was watching the look on his wife/girlfriend/employee's face when I went in to pay up... this look of horror as he lied his ass off about what they did to the bikes. eg: he tried to tack on the cost of new batteries when I'd already replaced them both, and told him so too. this, amazingly, not once but twice in 10 minutes: he was reading off this phony invoice to me, and when he got to the charge for new batteries I corrected him. so he says oh, ok, then he keeps going down the list. a few minutes later, after looking at the bikes, and asking what exactly he did and watching him squirm, he hands me the same bill, with a straight face. I know a scammy kind of vibe when it's there. I dont ride but I'm not a fool and I've worked on cars all my life. I know he was about half full of shit. so the hell with him. he probably does right by his hardcore biker bros but he ripped me off and people should know it. read more

Needed a tire change on my FZ-09 so I dropped the bike off in the morning before class , around 9:30, and it was done by 11. Price was lower than the dealerships I called and everyone was really friendly, including the mechanic, who I talked with for a few minutes after picking it up. Definitely my go to shop for any work now read more

I took my trackbike to Rich after I had major power issues riding Laguna Seca. First thing Rich did was just start it and listen to the engine. He already had an idea of what was wrong with the bike from how it sounded. Of course Rich and crew took it apart to verify. After 5 days, I got my bike back 500% better. Not only were they fast, but very accomodating. Rich tried to get the bike back to me before I had another trackday, but the bike just wouldn't cooperate. He only missed the mark by one day. I was expecting to get charged an arm and a leg since other mechanics have given me astronomical estimates. His charges were not even close to what the other mechanics were going to charge me. Very knowledgeable, professional, and reasonable in labor charges. If you have any bike issues, take it to BP and spend some time chatting with Rich and his crew. They'll not only fix the problem, but you'll learn a lot of other things too! read more

amazing place! the people there are so informed and proficient. Very cool and down to earth. I rather like everyone who works there, and i trust the work ethic read more

yes!! my '06 fz1 didnt need a new tire. It was only a shard of metal as wide as a fingernail that kept my rear tire low. my bike is back and i gotta say that nice dude with blue eyes even gave me a break cuz i was 3 dollars short. i wouldn't try that again tho. they deserved a tip for getting me back on the road so fast. read more

These guys are great. Very competent, professional, helpful and informative. My bike was hit while parked, they helped me work with the insurance and got everything fixed fairly quickly. read more

I have brought all my bikes here! Always happy with the work!

Would recommend this place to anyone. It is very obvious that these guys know and love motorcycles. Everybody in the shop was very friendly and professional. I brought in my Motard, and it is a whole new bike! And to top it all off their rates are quite fare, and there was much discussion about options and cost control. read more

Very impressed with this shop. Brought them a bike and a bag of parts, and in time they put it all together. Responsive, and fairly consistent on call-backs. Would recommend, and will be going back if I need other work completed. read more

I have been to these guys numerous times over the last 2 years caring for my beloved drz400sm and they have always provided the absolute best service. I will continue to give them my business and send anyone to them that I can until I move out of the bay area. read more

Had a ZX-636, and worked 5 blocks away so this place was convenient. Had these guys work on my bike any time I was in need, and when I had to deal with insurance companies after someone backed into my bike, these guys were on my side. Rich and the Owner are awesome! Just bought a new Hypermotard, and already know where Im going to go even though they may not be able to honor my Ducati Warranty. I would rather pay out of pocket @ Berkeley Performance Motorcycles than waist my time anywhere else. read more

I have never written a Yelp review in my life, but after my experience at this shop I feel obligated to warn the general public about taking their beloved motorcycle(s) to this place. PLEASE read the following, it is a sincere and accurate story. I called the shop in the morning asking if they tires in stock. The lady on the phone said they have Pilot 3's and quoted me a price. I asked how long it will take, she said 2 hours, explaining they can fit me in between their existing appointments. I said, "Great, see you in 1/2 an hour." I dropped off the bike 1/2 hour later, had lunch nearby for 1.5 hours and realized my cell phone battery had died. I returned to the shop and asked about my bike. The lady at the desk said they had not started working on it yet. That was ok because it was still under the 2 hour estimate. I returned an hour later, and was told it is still not yet ready. I patiently hung around outside for an hour, making myself noticable hoping the job would be completed soon. My bike was on the lift at that point, but only attended to sporadically. I walked in again (now 3.5 hours of waiting) and asked Rich, "When do you think it will be done?" He looked at me coldly and said, "Soon." I sat outside on the gas meter cage for nearly another hour before my bike was finally rolled out. The lady at the counter presented my bill ($465......is that pricey?) and I signed it while stating,"4.5 hours is a long time to wait for tires." She said they do not encourage customers to wait for service without an appointment. I said fine, but reminded her she told me it would take 2 hours. She said she never said that, I calmy said yes, you did. She looked at me in awe, and that is when Rich stepped in. I explained the 2 hour estimate, and the 4.5 hour wait time, and he said his employees always tell clients without appointments they should not wait for service. I said I was not told that, and instead given a 2 hour estimate (I would have gone somehwhere else had that been explained to me in any capacity). Then Rich said, "Don't be an asshole complaining to my girl at the front desk because you did not have an appointment." Please note: I am not an antagonistic guy at all, I'm just not the kind of dude that incites people to be inflammatory, to curse, to be rude and disrespectfull. Rich is all of the above. I maintained my composure and explained I paid him $1200 two months ago for a tune up, sprockets and chain, and that job took nearly 1.5 months to complete. I said, "This is how you run your business???...I'm taking my money to Meteor Motorbikes." PLEASE do yourself a favor and and avoid this shop: Save yourself a world of frustration and total disrespect and take your bike elsewhere.....Save yourself from a world of frustration and total disrespect. My girlfriend and I could not take a ride to Point Reyes that day, as we had planned. Go to Meteor Motors in West Oakland, instead. Rob actually cares: he is courteous, attentive and respectfull of his customers....everything Performance Motors is not. Thank you for reading, and happy riding! read more

This shop has fair prices, and a good location if you live in the Berkeley area, however do not expect good customer service. The staff seems to get extremely annoyed by small things, and they do not go out of their way to help. Just go right next door to Berkeley Honda Yamaha or Rockridge two-wheels where the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. I got my 600 mile service at Bekrley- honda - yamaha, and in comparison to these guys, they seem lovely. If you want decent customer service, and normal, un-agitated workers, just go next door and skip the headache that BPM will give you. When i called to ask for the supervisor in order to review my customer experience, and to go over why i felt my experience was lack-luster, the lady on the phone, who said adametely that she was the owner, proceeded to call me "a sensitive little dick" threatening she would call neighboring shops to try and convince them not to take me as a customer. All because i asked to speak to the supervisor and review my experience? I would never have even written this review if they simply treated me as a regular customer, so thats why i feel i have to make this known. This is the first Yelp review i have ever written, as i believe yelp to be a bit superfluous, yet following my experience today, i felt it was necessary. read more

hot weather is coming up and it's time to get those beautiful bikes ready. maybe this is the place to perform any mediocre task, like checking tire pressures and topping off fluids, yet my experience with lay-back Rich was the most frustrating I've ever had. this place is the worse in every category known. i was involved in an accident in which i rear-ended an little truck, i had obvious front end damage. the accident happened on 4th of November 2014, by the 5th it was in this shop, they did not worked on my bike until Saturday noon time, and finished at 6:45 pm of JANUARY 24th 2015!!!! now i know that it sounds like i brought in a destroyed bike, but it wasn't. GEICO was very helpful on my end, the appraiser was quick to give me a preliminary check to get things going. after two weeks of no response back from this shop i called only to be told that nothing can be done unless a mechanical inspection occurs to detail all the hidden damage, sure enough the initial check from GEICO only covered 50%, but no problem 4 days later the added funds were sent out to PM. screaming, and yelling and showing up to the shop nothing got ordered until january, i asked him for tracking numbers to check the status, he pretty much told me to go pound sand, that the holidays screw everything up and if i'm not happy i could take my bike somewhere else once i pay his storage fees. my bike was being held hostage. finally the 24th arrives. i sign his release form and i make it to my home at around 7:30 at night. on Sunday morning i pull the bike out to the sun, i heart just sinks. i'll start from lowest nit picking to most severe things wrong found on my bike. dirt, and oil and mud was splashed all over my bike, of all the time left outside in his fenced area, like if a cat stepped on an oil puddle and then climbed on my bike, greasy finger prints all over from his mechanic, they don't believe in gloves. the side fairings and head light not seating properly in the frame, the intake manifold loose, new scratches on panels that had nothing to do with the accident, he only replaced the inner tubes of the forks, (the silver, shinny part only) there were leaking, no wonder it sounded like i was carrying a bag of rocks, my rear brake assembly was damaged and the light sensor was seized, and to top it off my front wheel was dented! and the front tire had a bulge on the side wall. after all the calls, visits, taking time off work, dealing with the insurance on the terms of my policy, i get back a bike that's unsafe to drive!!!! i immediately called GEICO, i told them that i'm not taking back my bike to this place, they agreed to have it looked at a real dealership. EBMS in hayward calls me up two days after they receive my bike, "hey Chris, here's the estimate $2,167 added damages missed" thank you for taking the time in reading my review, but i believe i'm just returning the favor. I WILL NEVER RETURN HERE. read more