Motopia Marin

Received great service help from Preston here. They were able to see me last minute for a puncture, and they were great about checking a few other things. Preston adjusted my clutch, changed out my brake pads, and generally tightened everything. Great attention and friendly service.

I really have tried hard to like Motopia, I honestly have, but all said and done I really cannot stand this place. Over the past year I have stopped in dozens of time to order parts, attempt to buy items in stock/​off the shelf and to get two simple services done. Each and every experience has led to complete frustration. Of the 6 or so replacement parts I have had them order, half took forever to show up (even though they quoted me next day availability) the other half I was given the wrong part — which derailed or ruined riding plans.
I bought a set street tires with the understanding and verbal confirmation from staff that they would be price matched from a web competitor and installed free. Upon pick up I was informed that the price match was within $ 25 of the competitor not price match all said and done it was $ 50 more than what was quoted… I hate to argue semantics but that’s not price matching — not even close.
Today, I stopped by to have a mechanic pop off a stuck flywheel with the engine was out of bike in the trunk of the car, to be told rather indignantly there was no way anyone could even entertain my request, there was absolutely no time. It’s like a 3 minute job, but there was absolutely no time. Friends of mine who have come to Motopia have experienced similar issues. There are not many brick and mortar options in Marin, and to be frank, this isn’t a good option either. Good luck trying to get your needs met here, you’re going to need it.

Jeremy was the bomb helping a young damsel in distress… Can’t thank you enough!!!

Great shop. Visited for the first time this past week. Staff was super helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. I strongly recommend you swing by if they’ve got a bike you’re looking for.

I was very pleased with our experience at Motopia. Just bought our second bike there and again received a fair deal, good advice and easy transaction.
Good, honest shop… highly recommended.

Bought a scooter — was significantly misled.
I bought a Honda PCX scooter through Justin at Motopia. All seemed well over the phone and through the sale EXCEPT he insisted the scooter was 150cc. I asked several times and he confirmed. When I asked to see it on the engine Justin claimed it was too difficult to open the paneling. Just took it in for my first service and confirmed it is a 125cc. Seems like a small difference, but 150cc is the legal size for highway.
They seem like nice guys, but will mislead you for a sale.

come see justin and his crew. they always get the job done fast and ontime. when i first started to come to these guys for my bikes service and tires they always went above and beyond needs. when i get back to riding again ill be by again

I went to Motopia with my son to get an oil filter for his DRZ and bought a really nice pair of Italian gloves. Before i had gone a mile, realized the gloves were too big and took them off. The next day, my son went back to exchange them for another pair and they wouldn’t do it. I went to the shop myself and the person at the register was beginning the process and was interrupted by the guy who sold me the gloves originally. He said that the gloves were «used» and couldn’t be exchanged. He said that he would give a discount on another pair but that was all. He was very rude and said the gloves couldn’t be sold and it is a small business, did we expect him to just «eat the cost» and walked into the back. I asked the woman behind the counter when the owner would be in and she said he WAS the owner. I felt that we were treated badly and left feeling very angry and frustrated. I don’t recommend Motopia to anyone and i will never go back there. I really like supporting small businesses and was actually considering buying a cute little Yamaha from them but that after that encounter, i think not.

Spoke with Justin on Thursday — very friendly. I was interested in an RC390. My plan was to come up Friday morning, do a quick test drive, and take her home. He mentioned there was minor windscreen damage that would be fixed — ok, no problem.
Arrived Friday morning at 9:30am. They didn’t open until 10a but were very accommodating — kudos in that respect. They actually had three bike that I was interested in checking out — CBR250r, Ninja 300, and the RC390. I started with the Honda. They had a hard time getting the key to turn and then start up. They finally got it running after lubing it up and I took it for a spin. It died 100 yards down the road and I couldn’t get it restarted. Not a good way to start. I walked it back and they said, «It must be an electrical problem. We’ll get that fixed.»
So on to bike #2 — the Ninja. No problems with the bike but didn’t like the heavy feel of the front end. I am coming from dirt bikes and it felt like I had to really put some effort into turning it. It also seemed as if the front wheel was following every crack/​line in the road. It made for a very interesting test drive. I asked the guy when I returned (I think his name was Wes) and he said that’s typical of Ninjas. Okay… not for me.
To bike #3, the RC390. First off, the battery was dead. Then noticed the throttle assembly was lose. Then noticed the left turn signal was broken (PO must have dropped on left side) and there was more damage to the front windscreen than I expected (but they did say it would be fixed) — clearly the PO dropped the bike, perhaps even a low speed crash. The guy took the bike in the back and jump started it. But, he couldn’t tighten down the throttle assembly — he said the screw to tighten down looked stripped.
I traveled 1.5 hours away to test drive the KTM. I was ready to purchase a bike. Out of the three that were there, two had issues. In their ad, it states, «All Motorcycles go through our Pre-​certification process as follows» and lists what they do. There’s no way these bikes go through a thorough pre-​cert process or these problems would have been resolved.
As I was leaving, I noticed they had put the CBR right back in the front with all of the other bikes rather than in the back to be fixed. I guess the moral of this story is BUYER BEWARE!

I really want a shop in Marin and have given these guys a fair amount of business, but I won’t be going there anymore. There have been other bad vibes, but recently I brought in a small tire (kids bike) to have new tube put in and they charged me almost $ 40. I agreed to the $ 25 cost for changing tube out even though I felt it was very high and they should be helping out good customers with stuff like that. I just didn’t have the time this week to do it myself. The thing that rubbed me though, and it’s happened other times in this shop, is just the lack business sense and courtesy. The tire on the rim I brought in was brand new and when I went to pick it up, the guy tries to add on the cost of MY tire. The cashier who was the guy I talked to the day before didn’t even know so they started talking about charging me until I said no. I can understand an honest mistake, but they were not courteous at all about it. It was just the last straw.
If you deal with this place, get every single detail in writing.

I was happy to find Mototopia would work on my older bike. I had fork seals replaced and they did a good job, hence the 2 stars. Recently had a battery replaced. Two out of three bolts holding the battery clamp in place are missing, including a damper bushing that is no longer made! I drove over to ask for the missing nuts and bolts. The response was ‘are you sure they weren’t missing when you dropped it off’ with no offer to look for or replace. I won’t use again.

I was passing through San Rafael with my gf when my honda motorcycle died in town :(At first I thought it was the oil but after walking to get some and still no luck, I knew I needed some help. I called a several shops but none of the others could help me. Finially I reached Mototopia and they said they’d try their best if I brought it by so I had a tow truck give us a lift 2 miles to Mototopia. Justin (I think his name was) helped us right away even though they were busy. He took a look and within moments he figured out I had a dead cylinder and needed a coil replaced. We were from San Jose and just on a day ride so we didn’t really have the option of leaving the bike there. Justin was super helpful and we were able to limp the bike home. He took time out of his busy day to help us and didn’t even charge us. He’s a SAVIOR. They really know what they are doing. If I lived nearby I would definitely take my bikes here for any issues or andy kind of work I need done!!!

Very bad experience with their customer service be warned get everything put in writing before having any work done they are not customer friendly take advantage of the novice

Dropped off the rear wheel, which was flat, for a new Metzler tire (upper end).
After mounting the wheel on my bike myself, I came out to a flat tire the next morning.
They hadn’t replaced the $ 14. inner tube. Didn’t even ask me if I wanted it done. When asked why this happened, they said «must have fell through the cracks». I went back to have it replaced and they hit me with the full $ 76. charge to swap out my tube. While waiting to be re-​serviced again I had the pleasure of hearing a similar story from another unsatisfied customer. I’ve never left a negative review here before, but this was a burn. No-​mo topia for me, thanks.
–Wes F.

Super friendly, great tire deals, good chemicals for the bike, always ready to help…
Glad to have a quality independent moto shop left in Marin… now if they sold espresso and lattés I would be a regular… maybe time for a Motojava type place here in Marin?

First let me say that I really wanted to give them 5 stars because I found them to be very friendly.
First the bad news: The new chain was not tightened down and was so loose that I could hear it slapping around and it slipped the first time I goosed it. Slack should be under 2 inches on most bikes and it was around 5 – 6 inches. A test ride was obviously not performed. I keep a clean shiny bike, and the 2^nd problem was that I found oily palm prints on the tank and all over the chrome pipes. I’m not exaggerating: every one of my 4 chrome pipes had several very oily palm prints. My first stop light was a cloud of smoke so bad that people were staring at me. It was a chore to clean off the baked oil. It’s a bit sloppy to return a customer’s bike like this.
Now the good news: I know that shops like to sell their own parts because they can make a small profit and pick a reliable supplier. But I wanted to save a few bucks and brought in my own parts. Problem is, I ordered the wrong rear shoes. Luckily Justin didn’t make me feel like a cheap bastard and I think he was honest and told me I really didn’t need new shoes. Just an adjustment. They could easily have charged me more for new ones and extra labor. That was much appreciated. I also like the fact that they gave back the old plugs without asking. Again, they were friendly and down to earth.
Conclusion? I still saved money compared to the guys down the street. They’re a young crew with the right attitude and they certainly deserve another chance.

If you ever need motorcycle tires, this is the place to go! Natalie ordered tires for two of our bikes, Julian did the job quickly and efficiently and the owner, Justin, is a really nice guy who runs a great shop. If you bring your wheel, they will change the tire for free, but if you need them to do the whole job, their prices are so reasonable. Nice store, super nice people, sweet dog. As good as it gets. We will be bringing all of our bikes here in the future for service.

If your looking for someone to service your bike, get some cool gear for a really good price. Motopia Marin is the place to be.
Natalie is such a doll there, she helped me find the perfect gift for my mans bday. Thank you!!!

Love these guys, super down to earth, not to mention the amazing sweet dog that greets you when you arrive! They have a good selection but if they don’t have what you need they are happy to order it for you. Anyone living in Marin who has the itch for dirt biking knows how limited we are when it comes to mx supplies/​service. I’ve dealt with a couple other shops in the area and have encountered cockiness and absorbent prices. Motopia services bikes and their prices are reasonable.
Thanks Motopia, from your new loyal customer!

Finally, a place to take my bikes in San Rafael. Natalie and Zak are delightful people who seem to genuinely care about your experience in their shop. They have only been open about a month but with their service and can-​do attitude this shop should be around for many, many years.
Play fetch with Onyx the Lab while you wait. He enjoys the game.
There is no «we don’t do that» attitude that the other two local shops have. These are really great people who deserve your business. Give them a try.