KC Engineering

Don’t bother with the internet services with your tires. Talk to the guys here. Stephanie/​Amanda/​Zach will let you know just what tire is going to give you the best ride for your bike with the best price. It may cost just a little extra but don’t you want to be riding down the freeway knowing that everything is just perfect.

Very friendly, honest, prompt service. I’m in sales and I have to say — everyone I spoke to was very articulate, and took the care to explain everything they were doing and run me through my different options. It was a level of communication that I don’t often see from those who work with vehicles. Best of all, their prices on tires were substantially lower than my dealership. Will definitely use again.

Had a new rear tire on my bike in less that 40 mins.
That’s from the time I rolled in to the time I rolled out.
Fantastic service, and very knowledgeable.

I call a couple days in advance needing to put a paddle tire on my dirt bike and the guy I talk to is super friendly telling me it’s an easy job. Come in with the bike and they help me un load it and all. They have the tire off in just a few minutes. We ran into a few issues with the tire size and chain so it took longer than expected. What surprised me the most was they were super honest about my inner tube instead of trying to sell me on buying a new one and saying it was ok for a few more rides. Price is a little high but hey it’s down town SF and its expected, not to mention the girls that work the desk are GORGEOUS ! Lol. Over all great experience and I’ll for sure come back.

Stephanie and the mechanics that work here are cool. I had my tires replaced and my bike was given back to me a lot shinier than it was when I dropped it off. I’ll go back again.

Boy was I lucky to pull into KC Engineering again.
My motorcycle died on me right at the end of the exit on 4^th and Bryant (charging system failure).
I was able to push it three blocks into the trusted KC Engineering shop. Amanda was able to write me up, get all settled, and take my bike in the same day, all during lunch hours. Advised me that they would have to order parts and may take an extra day. Mechanic even suggested that they can diagnose the stator before having to replace it, instead of having to order both stator/​rectifier. He also suggested that I go with OEM since I personally replaced the stator/​rectifier 4 times over past 2 years. Two days later I get a call that the bike is ready to be picked up, turns out the whole charging system fried, cables, connectors, rectifier/​stator was fried. They were able to replace all that for under an hours worth of labor. Diagnostics + OEM Parts (i think?) + Labor for only $ 300. They even checked and noted the tire pressure for me.
What’s even better is that I had my bike sitting in dust for a while, and I’ve been riding it that way. When I got my bike back, the tach and mirrors were so clean, it felt as if I had the bike returned brand new, I’ve honestly never seen it that clean before. Special thanks for that! The steering is also a lot less stiff than it used to be, feels much easier to maneuver now. Thanks again K.C. Engineering.
I heard Ken’s daughter runs this place now, good job keeping all your employees happy! Very friendly and competent crew at this shop. Much thanks to Amanda/​Mason/​Zach for getting everything settled :)
Don’t forget the 10% Unilocal Check-​in offer!

Called to have my tire changed and the dude on the line said they’d have to nickel and dime me for an «outside tire fee» ‘cos I had my own tire. I added the nickel and dime bit.

I am so glad that I’m seeing bad review about this place. I felt completely ripped off and manipulated. I got a 80 dollar quote to do something simple for my bike. Actually wheel/​rim repair. Remove some parts from old wheel to new. No big deal. But after working on bike they called me and told me I need new bolts and it was broken. How could i have rode my bike all these time. Then later they said I need screws. Yeah i got «screwed» alright. i paid about 350 – 380 bucks.

KC Engineering rocks! I’ve had my scooter serviced here since 2002 and they’ve been fantastic. I still ride the same bike and it looks and feels good as new.
It needed a tune up the other day and the service was excellent and the price was right. Zach was my mechanic and Stephanie runs the shop – I can’t stay enough positive things about my experience.
They’re trustworthy and honest and you can’t do better than that!

The mechanics here can be down right rude. I came in needing help with starting a bike and the mechanic was extremely curt informing me that they are booked out and cant look at a bike for 2 weeks.
The lady behind the desk, on the other hand, was extremely nice offering a business card and saying i should call to check for availability. As soon as she did that the mechanic chimes in again (we werent even talking to him! — she was being courteous with a customer) — «i told you, we are very busy and wont be able to get to it to until another 2 weeks». At this point, i gladly left the store — seeing that customers are not welcome.
There are soooo many well reviewed bike stores in SF. Take your business somewhere else. I did, and even though i live two blocks away i would never go back to this place or even recommend it to a friend. If they are this rude at the very beginning i cant even imagine what happens when your not fully satisfied with a repair — suffice to say, looking at other reviews you can see that (the guy with a brake line failure). There are tons of repair shops with 5 star reviews — for a reason!

I’ve been going to KC Engineering for tires and chains since 1999 – 2000, and they are generally fast, friendly and do solid work, however this past experience was not a good one.
I went in for a new chain, sprocket and cog. The replacement went swimmingly well. The mechanic even called out that I should get a new clutch cable because it was fraying and could break anytime and I would be stranded. He also said that my rear brake disc and calipers were wearing funny and they should be replaced soon. (Nice attention to detail, I appreciate that!) When he was done with the repair. I rode directly to work 45 miles away on the 101. As I was nearing my exit, I went to use the rear brake and it was soft. At first I thought oh yeah, he took the caliper off, he might have re-​spaced the calipers to get the wheel back on. I just need to pump them a couple times to reseat the pistons and the calipers. So I did and… NOTHING the foot brake lever just bottomed out. I pulled over to see what was going on. The rear brake line was caught between the tire and the swingarm, and the tire ground it’s way through the hose line and all the brake fluid bled out of the rear brake line. It was all over the swingarm, it was all over the tire, my pants, you name it. (brake fluid is nasty caustic stuff) I took pictures, then carefully moved the hose back on top of the swing arm where it belongs and rode carefully to work. I called KC when I arrived. They apologized and said bring it back. So I brought it back again early the next morning…
When I arrived, Stephanie already started to write up a work order — odd. The mechanic walked over, looked at it for all of a minute and stated that «it’s not our fault, I didn’t touch the caliper, I only worked on the left side of the bike.» Then Stephanie looked at it and said it was «old wear and that this couldn’t have happened in one short ride, it was cumulative.» I reiterated that I rode 45 miles on the 101 at 65 – 75 mph, a tire could easily grind through a hose on that ride when wedged between the tire and swing arm. I said, I came in with a fully functional rear brake, I ride to work right after you worked on it and the brake failed on that ride. Then the mechanic blamed it on me and said it was the way I set up my brake line. (it was stock) They then told me that they could fix it for me, but I had to pay. I was shocked, said no thanks and left with it as was. Stephanie argued that it was dangerous to ride and that I should let them fix it. I politely declined and said I would fix it myself.
Now…the bike is a Honda 919. He said he didn’t touch the caliper. BS — That is a NOT TRUE the caliper mounts to the rear wheel axle. It is NOT attached to the swingarm. So just by removing the rear wheel to replace the sprocket the caliper comes completely free from the swing arm and will hang by the brake line. You can see what I am talking about in the parts diagram link below.
I called them back and called them out on this, and said that due to the design of the caliper mount he had to touch it. She continued to be argumentative about it and said what do you want us to do? I said just own up to the mistake! I spent almost $ 400 on the original repair, and they didn’t want own up to a simple mistake and replace a part that retails for $ 39.
I’ve been riding since 1987, I’m not a squid or a hooligan. I commute almost 100 miles a day every day rain or shine. I’ve put over 45,000 miles on that bike alone. I’ve ridden with Keith Code passed all 4 levels of his school, attended his race schools. I’ve done a ton of track days with Pacific Track Time, passed the AFM race school and even raced with the AFM a couple of seasons. I stopped when I had kids. I have a degree in metalsmithing. I do a lot of metal work and I’m mechanically inclined. That said, I do a lot of work on my bikes. This time, I just didn’t have the time to chase down all the parts and put them on. I was lazy and went to KC. I can’t tell you how bummed out I was by this experience as a long term customer. I don’t think I will be going back again. This kind of mistake could have killed me.

I’ve used this shop several times and am never disappointed. I use my bike to commute daily over the bridge and I’ve rarely had to leave it overnight. Typically I drop it off in the morning or even midday and by the time in out of work it’s ready. I don’t have a ton of cash to spend and they get that. They work with you on price and help prioritize the work that is essential for safety. If you want a shop that is competent but not pretentious, take your bike here.

So far so good — I have taken my scooter here a couple times for tires, alignment and oil. I have been very pleased with the service, turn-​around time and professionalism of Stephanie (?) who works the counter.
Will return for more!

Excellent repairs on my Suzuki Bandit that O’Hanlon screwed up 6 months before. It seems that O’Hanlon (touted as near godly on Unilocal) put together my carb vacuum system completely wrong and charged me $ 500 to do it. I rode six months with a barely running bike thinking what O’Hanlon said and repairs as godly. The bike ran so badly that I was considering dumping it for junk. On one, last attempt, to fix the bike before junking it, I went to KC Engineering. 30 minutes after going to KC Engineering (touted as dogs on Unilocal) they noticed the botched job and has my bike running perfectly (put the vacuum system together properly) for less than half the price of the never again O’Hanlon botched job.
Thank you Jose and Dave at KC for saving my bike from the dump! It runs GREAT

Ken and I worked out our differences getting things situated on my 1977 Ironhead Sportster chopper project will now go back to work. Im glad. He’s got a biker’s heart and soul! I don’t see that too often out here in California. So if you got a ride give this crew a call.

Nice people but I’m not 100% sure of their competency. KC was good about squeezing me in at the end of the day but I think the tech must have been in a hurry to get the job done before close. They put new tires on for me and about a week later I took my bike in to Desmoto. The guys at Desmoto told me that the tire was on backwards…
I can only see this being a problem when riding in the wet as the tread pattern is facing the wrong direction. Since I ride every day to and from work in all conditions its a potential safety concern.
Next time I’m doing it myself at MotoShop.

I am a huge fan of the work that K.C. Engineering does and the people who do it. When I first got to San Francisco I stumbled across this shop when I was in dire need of an ultra-​quick tire replacement and they went out of their way to make things happen. They have an amazing stock and selection of tires for almost all makes and models.
After the stellar service provided by Stephanie and the team of mechanics who worked on my bike I vowed to make K.C. my shop in «The City.» I have used them now for a few years and can’t speak highly enough of what they do. They have all the right connections to get all the right parts and the right people there to do the work.
Use K.C. You won’t be disappointed.

Needed Pirelli Sport Demon tires for my moto. Found them here same day. Stephanie & team were super nice and upbeat on the phone… and whaddya know, in person too!
Smiles, great service and instant gratification @KC Engineering. I’m a happy camper.

I’ve been here a couple of times for new tires in the past couple of years and never had any issues. Straight forward, in and out service.
I was apprehensive to bring my bike in for a tune up at first per the reviews on Unilocal but I was able to look past it and give them a shot for myself; I have to say, it was a great overall experience from beginning to end.
I called the day before to get a quote; spoke with a Jose and he was nothing short of accommodating and super nice. I showed up the next morning a little before they opened at 8:30. Zac the mechanic was already there waiting for the shop to open as well. He was super quick to introduce himself and strike up a conversation. Another awesome dude.
Stephanie opened up shop promptly at 8:30. She whipped up the paper work real quick, I handed over my key and I was on my way 5−10minutes later.
Got the courtesy call in the early afternoon informing me that my bike was ready. When I got to the shop, zac informed me that there was a slight mishap who my brake fluid reservoir due to wear however they replaced it pro-​bono (huge thumbs up). Stephanie cashed me out and proceeded to wipe down my bike (rims included) with cleaning solution even when I told her she didn’t have to given my bike was long overdue for a wash when I brought it in.
All in all, I definitely give KC Engineering 2 thumbs up and will continue to bring my bike here for all my bike needs. Jose, Zac and Stephanie are three stand up peeps!
**disclaimer: I don’t always write up reviews, but when I do, it’s usually when I received exceptional service (unless it was absolutely terrible).

I shelved the idea of reviewing this place for quite some time, as I hate to bash any small family run joint, and because I like Stephanie (Ken’s daughter) because she’s not only very pretty but she’s really sharp at running the business when dad’s not around, however, I just came across my last invoice for a tire purchase/​install and I can’t let this slide no mo!
Running an almost bald rear tire with a fast approaching long distance road trip, I stopped in here, after not coming around for awhile since I was still pissed off about my last experience, but alas, here I was one last time, for a good nickel and dimeing experience. Please pass the lube.
It’s true that they usually have your tire in stock.
It’s true that they can probably get you in/​out of there in under 2 hours.
It’s true that you’re gonna get ripped off on price and all the additional «fees» that come with a tire install.
Shock drop? Gotta pay extra.
Spokes need weights? Gotta pay extra.
Need a tube? Gotta pay extra for the labor.
But wait… there’s a silver lining to all these costs. If you pay cash then you save on tax!!! Never mind that you just overpaid for all your parts to begin with and you just got nickel and dimed on all the extra fees. By the time you walk out the door, you just dropped almost $ 400 for that new rear rubber goodness, that will haul your ass down the road for about 7k miles.
BTW, if it’s got a white wall, you’re gonna roll out of there with it blue, cuz’ they ain’t gonna clean it for you unless you… pay extra for that phool!!!
I now order my tires online, at a substantial discount and I have them delivered to shops either in Berkeley or Santa Clara and get them mounted at a fraction of the price with flat rate install rates and no extra bullshit fees.
Sorry Ken but I don’t like your business practice, so I choose to exercise my right as a consumer and take my business elsewhere.
Good times in Frisco.