Totally agree with other reviews. Taylor is a master mechanic. My Bonneville was serviced by other shops for years. Taylor found and repaired so many things that had been overlooked at incorrectly repaired. The bike now runs better than it ever has. read more

Taylor went above and beyond to get my CT90 running again - I inherited the bike from a family member who wrenched on it, and told him what I'd been told going in. Turns out, it was MUCH worse than what I'd been led to believe! Taylor was looking at part bikes online, trying to figure out the best way to move forward, and in the end did a complete engine rebuild. For the amount of work done, I feel like the price was well worth it, and now I have a bulletproof vintage trail bike for the next 30 years. He just earned a customer for life. read more

Reliable Cycles - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

Taylor is an expert vintage bike mechanic and a great communicator. The Bay Area vintage motorcycle community is blessed to have him. He sorted out my '69 BSA Thunderbolt in an intelligent and efficient manner, could not be happier. read more

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I hit up Taylor after purchasing my first vintage Honda because it had a leak and it wasn't running too great. I called other motorcycle shops and no one really seemed to have any interest in taking in vintage bikes. I'm an absolute noob when it comes to working on motorcycles and Taylor came through with the knowledge and expertise to get my bike running it's best. Having someone with deep knowledge of vintage bikes was the major reason I chose to go to him. After getting my bike back I could tell it was a whole different bike, night and day in how it ran and sounded. Any questions I had after he was always quick to respond and didn't judge me for being a complete amateur haha. If you have a vintage bike and are in the Bay Area talk to Taylor first. I'm so glad I brought my bike to him and I will absolutely be taking it back if I ever run into any future issues. read more

Reliable Cycles - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

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Let's be real, in the world of vintage motorcycle repair, it's slim pickings here in the Bay. The fact that we have a local gem amongst us, is nothing short of a miracle. Even more miraculous, is the level of service. My '69 Honda Trail 90 needed a fuel line repair and some overall TLC. Taylor dove right identifying the issue and making excellent suggestions on other issues - not trying to upsell me but making legit, well informed comments on what is and should/could be. I opted for everything he mentioned, zero regrets. My bike will only be serviced here, end of story. This place is the exact reason you should buy a vintage (pre '77) bike. Tail wagging the dog? I think not... read more

I can't say enough good things about Taylor and his shop. Helped me out a bunch with my 1970 CL 350 and was able to turn it around quickly for me. If you're in the bay and run a vintage bike, Reliable Cycles is your shop. read more

Taylor was great to deal with, he took care of my bike and was always in communication on what was being done to it or issues with it. He definitely knows what's up with these vintage bikes. I'm so glad I found him, now I have someone I can trust to take care of any issues I may have. Thanks again Taylor!! read more

Reliable Cycles - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

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I restored a '73 Honda CB 350 four. The bike turned out beautifully. Except I rebuilt the carbs- the bike would run, but not well at all. I took it to Taylor, and he redid the carbs, synced them correctly, fine tuned the rest of the motor and went through and fixed some odds and ends. Now, the bikes performance far exceeds my expectations. This guy knows vintage bikes. I would recommend Reliable Vintage Motorcycles in a heartbeat. He has my business locked up. Thank you Taylor!! read more

Reliable Cycles - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

Super job rebuilding and syncing the carbs on my 66 CB450K0. Taylor had correct jets in his parts stash, then timed it to perfection. I purchased retro tires from the shop. They installed and balanced them, greased the bearings and cleaned up the brakes while apart. A lot of other fine adjustments and minor repairs to get the bike humming. I really appreciated the progress photos and video message updates. Top notch! read more

Taylor is your Zen Master of motorcycles. Can't say enough good things. Brought my CB350 that wasn't running, and Taylor brought it back to tip top shape. It absolutely rips now. Taylor does an amazing job at keeping you up to date with his progress. It's overall an amazing deal and way better customer service than any other shop I've brought my bike too. He'll also answer any question you have and is just an all around patient and knowledgable person. Can't recommend him enough. read more

Talyor is a master! Three shops had rejected my grandpa's 1968 Honda Cub 50 for repair ("you can't find these parts" or "you'll have to put a brand new engine in"). Taylor took one look, provided me an estimate in a few days, and in just a few weeks had my cub running better than it has ever run. He even spent the time to send me updates on where he was with the complicated repairs and parts search. For having this kind of speciality, I was pleasantly surprised that even the pricing was totally fair. You are lucky if have found Reliable Cycles in Oakland, CA. read more

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I brought Taylor my 72' CB350. If I could summarize my experience in one phrase, it is that he tuned my motorcycle from a tractor to a screamer. He is very meticulous, communicative, and a savant of vintage motorcycles. He pointed out all the things that were wrong with my bike and offered a fair assessment as to what to fix and what to kick down the road. Yes, the bike took a bit longer but please do not confuse his shop with Jiffy Lube instant oil change. He is busy because a dozen other people have already waited in line and he is busting his butt off turning those bikes around. Words cannot describe the gratitude I have for this man. It has been my pleasure to have my bike serviced by him. I will surely return for those "down the road" items. read more

Nothing less than a great experience. I purchased this beauty knowing it had some issues. Turns out it needed a complete transmission rebuild. Other local mechanics wouldn't touch it, but Taylor came through. He also gave me a comprehensive diagnosis on all the bike's systems. Happy to be riding again. Happy to have found Taylor and Reliable Cycles. read more

Reliable Cycles - 1975 CB750 - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

Taylor is amazing: meticulous and knowledgable, very communicative: texts vids during the process to keep you in the loop and for making decisions; he's fast and a miracle worker with engines. My carbs have never sung so sweetly. I don't know how he keeps his prices so reasonable. Probably by the sheer volume of bikes he has flowing through his shop. He is absolutely worth every penny. A+++++ read more

Reliable Cycles - my baby is running smooth thanks to Taylor - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

I have a 1970 trail 90 and it was giving me problems. I found Taylor's shop and brought it over. Immediately in about a two minute inspection he was already diagnosing multiple issues that I had n idea about such as chain to tight my spark plug connection was deteriorating and various other things. I left the bike with him for a few days and when I came to pick it up it ran like a champ followed with lots of bits of advice about keeping that style bike running. read more

Reliable Cycles - Up and running - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

Reliable cycles is the only place I bring my vintage motorcycles to. Very knowledgeable and friendly. He wants the best for you and the machine. read more

I bought my first bike (1970 cb350) last May and quickly realized that there were more issues with it than I had realized. Was it the best purchase? Probably not, but I was committed to making it work. I got a hold of Taylor and he handled the restoration like a real pro. His communication is great. After his diagnosis he clearly laid out all of the things that needed to be done and worked with my budget to decide on the best course of action. He sent me progress pictures as the work was being done and was super transparent about the cost. Super pleased with the work done and will continue to go back for maintenance! read more

Taylor is an absolutely amazing mechanic and I wouldn't hesitate to send him my bikes. Ever. He's extremely knowledgable, super thorough, and really easy to get along with. He documents his work, frequently checks in with the owner whenever a (costly) decision needs to be made, and his quality all around is top notch. Don't think, just go to him. Old bikes, new bikes, it doesn't matter, he is a savant in his craft. read more

My new go-to bike mechanic located here in Oakland. Taylor runs this shop and he is real knowledgeable about motorcycles/scooters. I recently got a new used Vespa and needed to get an oil change badly. We set up a time through email. We met up at the agreed time and within 20 minutes he finished changing the oil. He gave good suggestions regarding maintenance and his charge for labor is low compared to if I was to take my Vespa to the dealer for maintenance. I'll be returning to Taylor for all my future maintenance. read more

Can't recommend Reliable Cycles and Taylor enough. I brought my vintage Honda cb350 bike in after having 2-3 seemingly qualified mechanics "fix" it and Taylor immediately pointed out like 20+ things they completely botched. In the end he completely re-worked the bike and it finally feels exactly as it should. It's honestly an insane difference and to his point it makes you realize vintage bikes can ride and feel just as good as a modern bike. Just need to find a mechanic who actually knows their stuff and cares...this is where Taylor comes in. If you have a vintage Honda there is no where else to bring your bike. He's the man and I could tell he definitely put in more hours than he billed because he wanted to do it all right. So big thanks Taylor. Will definitely be back! read more

Taylor is awesome! I took my Honda Benly (baby dream) here because he came highly recommended by friends. The dude knows his stuff! I have had this bike in the garage for about 10 years and tried to get it going without success. He tore the carb apart and it was a mess. He rebuilt it, worked on ignition, adjusted the valves, changed oil, deep cleaned the fuel tank and generally gave this thing a complete once over. The bike hasn't run this well since it was new! He also fixed up some jenky electrical issues. The shop is awesome and all he works on is vintage bikes (pre 1977) His communication was great, giving me daily updates and videos. His labor rates are about the same as any other mechanic and he had really good prices on parts, some that were really hard to come by. Long story short, if you have and old British or Japanese bike, Taylor is who you want wrenching on it! read more

Reliable Cycles - My bike is the second one from the left. - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

Took in my 1984 BMW R100RS. Was running very rough. Within a day Taylor had the bike all sorted out and solved a couple of long-standing problems. First time ever my bike has not had an annoying valve cover leak. Took it up to Northern California for an 850 mile rip a few weekends later. No problems. I highly recommend read more

Reliable Cycles - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

Taylor took great care of vintage Honda. Made sure correct OEM parts were used, provided great insight on project and got bike running better than ever. Communicated well throughout process and made sure everything was dialed in great. Would highly recommend Reliable Cycles. read more

Taylor is the man!!! I don't hesitate to say that his passion and knowledge of vintage motorcycle is top of the world level. Taylor has fixed so many tricky problems when I brought my 1971 Honda CB750 K1. This guy is absolutely amazing! My CB750 runs like a brand new. He is very reliable and he runs his business in same manner. I want to give this shop ten stars if I can!!! read more

Reliable Cycles - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

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Taylor is the real deal. He got my '72 Honda running perfectly and it's still going strong. Could not recommend more strongly. Rare in today's world. read more

Taylor is the third mechanic to work on my 1975 Honda CL 360, he is also the best mechanic to work on it on top of that he had the most reasonable prices and explained to me in detail the process of getting my motorcycle back in working condition for my own personal understanding. Not only did he get it back up and running it's running in the best condition since I bought the motorcycle back in 2015. If you are looking for a mechanic and own a old vintage motorcycle take it to Taylor at reliable cycles over all other mechanics. It's not worth the time nor the money to look elsewhere. read more

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Huge thanks to Taylor for the unbelievable restoration work he did on the vintage Royal Enfield I sent him. This motorcycle had been sitting for years in disrepair and needed parts that had to be sourced from all over the world. Taylor kept me informed with texts and videos, and gave lots of advice. It was a tough job. Front forks had to be custom machined, bike had to be completely rewired, all kinds of stuff needed to be researched and ordered. I am so grateful to have found someone as knowledgeable and skilled as Taylor willing to take on this project. The motorcycle is done, and it looks as great as it rides, Thank you Reliable Cycles! read more

I knew that buying an older bike would come with a few problems, what I wasn't prepared for was the half-assed fixes the previous owners would complete for serious issues and the problems those fixes created. Over the course of 2 years I ended up taking that bike to 4 different shops, none of which ever seemed truly capable of fixing everything that was wrong with it but at least they got it running again. Unfortunately, I had gotten to the point where I had nearly lost hope or ever getting the bike to run the way it should. But then I heard about Taylor and that changed EVERYTHING. When he initially saw the bike he explained that he normally didn't work on projects this old or this customized and, to be frank, I don't blame him as the bike had been nothing but trouble since I first got it. But after a few weeks at his place, what I got back was better than I ever expected. My 1980 Yamaha SR 500 now runs better, and faster, than it's ever run before and I have Taylor to thank for that! If I have any bike issues ever again, he's definitely who I'm going to be calling first. read more

Taylor knows his stuff and takes pride in doing things the right way. He fixed the mistakes of past mechanics and got my old Honda CB360T shit-pile running correctly. He is very good about communicating what he's doing and updating you on progress of the bike as he works on it. He can be a little grumpy but in a genuine, salty, kinda way. What's important is that his work is solid. read more

Taylor is absolutely fantastic at what he does. He was very communicative and responsive before, during, and after the repair process. He also recommended someone to safely tow my bike to his shop. My 1971 Honda CB350 had been cold for awhile, and needed some tune-ups to get it going smoothly again. Throughout the repair process, Taylor sent me narrated videos explaining what he was finding, whether and why it needed repair or tune-up, and the different ways (at different costs) that we could choose to repair it. I actually learned some helpful info about the motorcycle's ins and outs and idiosyncrasies that I will be using in the future. Taylor waited for my input before doing any repairs or ordering any supplies the bike needed, which was really nice. Additionally, he's been quite helpful afterward- checking in to make sure everything is going well. All around a good guy and excellent at what he does with older motorcycles! read more

Fantastic service. I had a difficult tune on a old twin carb Honda SL175. Taylor picked the bike up - got it running smooth as a sewing machine and delivered the bike - all in a week. Gave me numerous progress update and was very communicative as to the status. Taylor is a under promise / over deliver pro in a field full hobbiest / amateurs at best. So glad I found him! Highly recommended! read more

Us Bay Area vintage cycle owners are very fortunate to have a guy like Taylor around. He's worked on my '74 Yamaha DT a few times now and has done a fantastic and thorough job. IMO, Taylor sets himself apart because he genuinely cares about high quality work and doing things the right way. No shortcuts. He's also realistic, pragmatic, knowledgeable and one helluva communicator. It's a total bonus that he also happens to be a nice guy. I still have a lot to learn about troubleshooting my bike, but he's been helpful and provides peace of mind when I leave my bike with him. As much as I wish he was less busy (when I need him ha), I can only give him the highest recommendation. read more

Reliable Cycles - 1974 Yamaha DT360 - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

I brought my super crusty barely running 1972 Honda CB350 to Taylor and he worked his magic to bring it back to health. He was able to diagnose and tell me exactly what was going on. Throughout the entire process he was super informative sending me updates and even videos of everything that was he was finding and fixing along the way. He went out of his way to bring my bike back to life and she is absolutely purring. You are not going to find a better mechanic in the area. He also was very helpful showing me tips on different techniques to keep my bike in working order. 10/10 great guy with a great shop. read more

When you have your first vintage motorcycle, you need the piece of mind that everything is running properly,my norton commando 750 needed some tweaking and a mindful eye cast over it.... Taylor is the man for the job,he has the passion and interest for vintage machines,first class communication, videos of what he was doing,even transporting the bike for me,great service all round read more

Reliable Cycles - Motorcycle Repair Near Me

Taylor is the best. We texted more about my bike than my wife about our kids. His attention to detail, easy going nature and communication is the best. The world would be a better place if everyone ran their business like Taylor. That's why its gonna be worth the wait to get your bike in to see him. read more

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Meeting Taylor was a godsend when we got our first bike a few years ago (a 1972 Honda CB450). No regular mechanic would touch it. We were wondering what we got ourselves into and started getting pretty down about our new hobby. We found Taylor working in his off hours out of his own garage at the time. There was a wait to get in, but it was well worth it. He flooded us with his knowledge, knew exactly what to do, and wanted to talk us through it too, so that we could begin our education on the world of vintage bikes (serious passion projects for us newbs). Fast forward to 2 months ago. We wanted to purchase a second vintage Honda so my husband and I could ride together. We visited one on Craigslist and took it for a test ride. I loved the way it felt and sounded. Through conversation, it came out that the previous owner had had it worked on by Taylor and shared with us the email he invoiced her so we could see everything that had been done on it. Honestly, mentioning that she had taken it to Taylor is what the sold the bike for me. I knew I could trust the good feelings I had about the sound and feel knowing that it had at one point passed through his shop, especially once looking at the extensive list of things he did. I knew he did quality, detailed work, that he didn't miss things, that he didn't do rush jobs. Also I knew we could just call Taylor up and ask him if he remembered the bike and ask his advice on buying it. Which we did; he gave us his time and advice and we bought the bike. We took it in to him to adjust some things for my height and comfort and check things over. Taylor was great at updating us on his progress along the way and getting us super excited about the process. The ride out of his shop was epic for me. It ran like a dream and filled me with joy and confidence, something I had not totally quite felt before since I think the 450 was just too big (heavy) a bike for me to start on. Anyway, I wrote him a text telling him so, and he was genuinely, totally thrilled to hear it. And that's the thing about Taylor: he does great work, and is incredibly passionate about vintage bikes. Everything he does is to incite the same passion in others. He wants to do whatever he can to remove obstacles that might create frustrated, burned-out riders. Vintage motorcycles aren't easy. They also aren't cheap to work on. Visiting Taylor might not be a cheap pit stop, but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Taylor is worth every penny. He is a god damn encyclopedia of vintage bikes. I won't consider going to anybody else. read more

Taylor has been my mechanic since i bought my first vintage honda and he has been very meticulous. Im super picky with everything that may go wrong and he makes sure he goes through my entire motor to make sure its safe to ride. He's also very available when i have questions. Taylor goes out of his way! read more

Taylor is a great mechanic. I've got an old motorcycle, and sometimes I just don't have the gumption to fix it myself. Taylor's come to my apartment 3 times (for entirely separate issues) to help me fix particularly tricky problems. Taylor is quick at diagnosing problems, up front about how long it's going to take him to make repairs, and has extremely competitive rates. If you need help with your bike (especially vintage) do yourself a favor and call Taylor at Reliable Cycle. read more

I have a 1980 Honda CM400T. It's a reliable bike but I do run into occasional problems and Taylor is always available to help. I recently had my choke go out and he was able to take a look at it the same day I called. He knew exactly what was going on and ordered the part that day. Thanks to him, I"ll have my choke back up to snuff with a week's turn around. And I'm not a weekend rider- my bike is my life. Since he got referred to me by another vintage Japanese motorcycle enthusiast via Meteor Motors I've had him take a look at anything that needed looking' or feels weird i.e. my shifter, battery problems, oil changing and plugs...and my recent choke debacle. I know this is a review about the work he does but I just have to say that he's not a jerk- a lot of mechanics I've dealt with leave a bad taste but Taylor is good, clean ethics kind of guy and a straight shooter. He really appreciates old bikes and will give your bike the time and attention it deserves. He is willing to answer questions and will gladly show you what he's doing. He's a no nonsense, helpful guy who is good at what he does. I have faith when I get on my bike after he's given it a once over that I'm in good shape- and we all know that's not how we always feel riding a bike that's older than we are... read more

As far as I'm concerned, Taylor is the man. Literally - as in the only man. I have a 1975 Honda 360T that wasn't sparking, and after calling every shop from Hercules to San Leandro and finding nobody willing to work on my bike, I was fortunate enough to reach someone who referred me to Taylor. He called me back right away and spent a good amount of time talking to me over the phone about my issues before I even hired him. Since then I've found him to be responsive, personable, knowledgeable, and completely professional. He came up here to El Cerrito and even though he was coming from Oakland during rush hour he showed up here exactly when he said he would. It was clear he knew my bike inside and out and in no time at all he not only had it back on the road but left me with a list of prioritized recommendations, none of which involved him making any money. He put up with me looking over his shoulder and asking questions and filled me in on all sorts of things I didn't even know to wonder about. His rates are beyond fair, and that's before you even consider his willingness to make house calls. In short, Taylor's knowledge and passion for these vintage bikes would be enough to make me recommend him wholeheartedly, but then on top of that he's totally professional and personable. Even my five-year-old was completely comfortable around him, and he won't even sit on Santa's lap. read more