Twinline Motorcycles

I ordered a seat fender cowl combination for my 77kz650 from these guys and it never looked cooler it turned my bike from a weak street cruiser to a petina-​ed out café racer. Super friendly great all around fabricators. And nice guys. I hope one day I can have a custom bike made by them. Forgot OCCC I’ll take a bike from twinline any day. Thanks guys

This is my go to shop. I’ve had a couple of experiences here and all have been great. First, I had a flat rear tire on 1980 Honda CM200T that I had purchased a few months prior. I pulled the wheel off my bike and walked it to the shop. They took a look and noticed that I had a couple of broken spokes and the rim what fairly rusty. They said they wouldn’t touch it as it wasn’t safe to ride on but gave me the name of a guy that could rebuild it. When I finally got a replacement wheel, they put the new tube and tire on while I waited at a reasonable price.
Next, I had tried to change the oil on the bike but the plug was stripped. Took the bike in and they changed it in 1.5hr’s or so. Worked out well as I had a couple of errands to run. When I had dropped off my bike I had mentioned that the gas cap cover wasn’t closing/​locking well. Only took a minor tweak but they fixed it at no charge.
Every time I’ve called stopped by the shop the techs have been friendly and helpful. Always fun to check out the projects going while my little odds and ends are being fixed.

After coveting the work that comes out of this shop for quite some time, I brought my own ’75 Yamaha RD350 in for some TLC and was very happy with the work and the straight up good communication. Jeff knows these RD’s inside and out. Going back for some additional upgrades in the very near future. Maybe over time my little rd will become a tricked out twinline custom.

Twinline gave me the feeling of my own garage dream.
The shop isn’t a showroom so don’t come here expecting to see brand new bikes and fancy displays of parts etc.
Come here for a costume job on your bike or simple repairs or maintenance.
After trying to get service at another garage not so professional garage i called twinline and explained my needs. Surely they told me to drop by and they would take care of it. 30 minutes later i arrived I with my parts and Ricky greeted me and took a look at the bike and quickly started working on it. took around 40 minutes tops to finish and he even tried to solve another little issue on the bike.
overall was a good experience for me!

Review #3 for Twinline. I should have stayed away from this place but after spending nearly $ 400 on my electrical assembly repair here, I figured they owed me a fixed bike. So, I reluctantly brought my bike back after realizing the turn signal relay was stalling… still. This was the original reason I took my bike there and they didn’t even fix it.
Get this. I took it back in and spent another $ 200 for them to replace the turn signal relay. They charged me an hour labor, the part, PLUS another 30 minutes labor ($ 60) for CLEANING THE PART. That’s right. They charged me $ 60 for wiping out the inside of the turn signal box while replacing the relay.
Now get this. When I go back a few days later and get on my bike. Start it up and turn on the left signal… no dice. Right signal. Nothing. The guy there tells me that I just need to warm up the bike for about 20 minutes before I ride and the blinkers should be fine. Seriously? DUDE. the engine doesn’t need to be running to use the signals or lights! Even I know that!
Needless to say, I spent nearly $ 650 dollars to repair my electrical assembly and blinker at this shop and in the end… I got some new parts that I don’t need and the same problem I had in the beginning. I was so shocked by the idiocy of this place that I’m not taking my bike back here, even if they owe me a fixed bike. They’re not touching my bike ever again

These guys are true pros. I went in with some thoughts on trimming my fender and installing new lights, and they told me it might be 2 – 3 days to work on. Accustomed to long waits at most bike mechanics, I prepared for a week’s wait. They called me back the next morning and it was done in a day. They gave me some great feedback on my ideas for customization and even diagnosed some of my engine troubles, taking extra time to check my battery voltage. They fixed my tachometer which hadn’t been working without even mentioning it — very cool. Keo and Tower both helped me to make my bike looked just how I hoped it would, and in less than half the time I expected. Realistic timing. Prices are a bit high, but they’re the real deal. I’ll be returning for more custom work. Thanks, Twinline!

While I wanted so badly to give Twinline a great review, I unfortunately had a horrendous experience with them, necessitating a single star.
I stopped in one day on a whim to see the operation and see what kind of product they turned out. Their show bikes as seen on the web site and in pictures looked great, magnificent in fact, so I had some high hopes and expectations for this place. After being approached by one of the guys and chatting him up, I found that one of their part time guys was possibly selling a project bike that he had. After getting in touch and meeting in person to view the machine, talk price and time frame, we settled on a price (²⁄₃ cost of a brand new Triumph Thruxton. Put $ 1K deposit down) for the current machine with a few alterations to make it more street legal/​daily rider friendly. 4 – 6 weeks was the agreed upon time frame, which I felt was more than ample time for an upholstered seat pad (shipped out seat pan to upholsterer), addition of a tachometer, exhaust muffler, kick stand, and satin black paint.
To make a very long story short, issue after issue and very sparse communication (I began stopping by the shop once a week to check progress myself. They aren’t close, I don’t live in Seattle) left me frustrated and fed up. By week 10, after the bike sat idle on a workbench for two weeks with its wiring hanging out, I placed the call to the builder to explain (and very nicely I might add) that the time frame was long since passed and I could no longer afford for a sizable chunk of my money to sit in limbo for an undetermined amount of time. While this deal didn’t work out, I wanted to maintain a good professional relationship with the shop (due to their deep involvement in the Seattle Café Racer subculture). Instead I was lashed out at, being told that I should have expected it to take this long, as well as trying to pass blame onto another employee that was supposed to assist in a small portion of the work. Not cool and not professional, man.
Along with the issues with time frame, I had some issues with this particular persons quality of work…
–Satin black paint was supposed to be gunned, looked uneven and orange peeled. I tried to ignore this and figured I’d wet sand it myself to try and even things out.
–Kick stand, when in the up position, was less than 2 inches from the tip of the gear change lever. When I voiced my concern I was told to «use the tip of your toe. it’ll be fine»
–One of the foot pegs’ mounting was completely cracked through, leaving the remaining 50% of the mount to assume all of the support. On this one I was told that I can come back to have it fixed if it gives me any trouble. Wow.
In the end, I was out of my $ 1000 deposit, as the builder felt he deserved it for time and work spent on the still unfinished bike, and attempted negotiation for even a partial refund failed. Soft deadlines were set, none were met, and the customer service aspect was practically non existent.
While I really like the guys that work there (Keo, Tower, Bryan, they were always super nice and welcoming and had a serious passion for vintage bikes and bike building in general), I have a hard time considering this a business. It seems to be more of a group of friends whose priority is enjoying the scene, lacking any sort of business structure or process.
For the amount of money I was about to pay, I am extremely disappointed with my experience. I will not be returning here, nor will I recommend it.

The Short of It:
This is a five star joint.
My Bike Experience:
I’ve ridden dirt bikes for about seven years and street bikes for about two.
My Take on the Staff:
These guys know their stuff really well. It’s what they do day in and day out. They’re enthusiasts that simply want to share the awesomeness that are vintage bikes. I can tell this, because I stopped in on 5÷14÷2011 and approached a gentleman named Jeff. Jeff was plugging away on a project, but was more than willing to talk to me for a few. I explained I was looking for a café racer style bike and hoped he could steer me in the right direction. I proceeded to ask questions regarding size of bike, size of engine, manufacturer of bike, key elements to look for in purchasing, etc.
Jeff was more than willing to answer my questions and was very generous with his knowledge. I didn’t expect to be treated like I was a longstanding customer. Most of the time in showrooms if you’re not buying, no one really wants to spend time on you and you’re blown off. Not the case at Twinline, and it isn’t just Jeff.
Because of this single interaction, I contacted Twinline after I purchased a used motorcycle on 5÷22÷2011 for a tune-​up and tires. The day I took in my bike was a pretty slick experience. I ended up working with Ian (Owner) who was perfectly content with my either dropping off the bike and coming back later or my kicking around the shop while I waited — I’m glad I waited.
Ian, much like Jeff, was equally generous with his knowledge and was more than willing to explain what was going on with my bike. His level of customer service was outstanding. He explained why things were happening and what needed to happen to fix the problem (s).
There were a couple of other guys around the shop too, all of which were courteous and reasonable. If you’re looking for a good tuner that can help get your bike to its peak performance, you’ve found the place.
Cost:
As with most things, you get what you pay for. I certainly got more than my money’s worth.
Environment:
Twinline is in a more industrial-​like area of town and isn’t really a dealership. While Twinline may look like a sea of bikes, they’re not for sale. This speaks to the volume of customers they interact with and projects in hopper. Every now and then the staff know of customers that are trying to buy/​sell, but they’re not a sales group. They’re a build/​repair shop. If you’re looking for the typical showroom with a receptionist, sales staff, and teeny tiny sales offices to negotiate in, you’ve come to the wrong place.
The Crowd:
The environment at Twinline hits the spectrum. When I first arrived, it was mellow and chill music played throughout the shop. As the weather got warmer, I was amazed at the amount of people that floated through. All in all, the environment was very welcoming. While I was there, I saw everyone that came through get some attention, all while pressing on with various projects. The attitude of the shop was great, each customer I saw come and go seemed quite pleased with the work Twinline has performed (including myself).

Don’t let these guys touch your bike. I’ve seen who works in this shop and its scary.
If you are riding a vintage bike, you need to know how to, and have the space to work on it. If you do not have a desire to learn, buy something stone axle reliable and new like a Nighhawk or W650 Kawasaki. Letting Sierra Auto Acedemy drop outs try to sync carbs on a 6-​cylinder Honda ‚…

Twinline is the best shop is seattle hands down, It can get pricey but thats the name f the game, and the work this shop does is worth every dime.

Yes, I’m about as straight-​edge as they come. No tats, No piercings, and no crazy hair. But I do love my vintage motorcycles. I came to visit the shop while I was in Seattle since these guys do custom builds and I was hoping to see some new tricks I could incorporate on my bike when I overhaul it this winter.
The people here were busy, so no hamming it up with the Bay Area visitor, but hey, if my bike was being worked on I’d be pissed if my mechanic was chit-​chatting. Got to see some good looking vintage two-​wheelers, but nothing awe-​inspiring.
Looks like creativity comes from within, while kick-​ass maintenance come from Twinline.

I have had 2 bikes built by Twinline. Both experiences have been great. They treat each bike as a work of art making sure that it is always different from the last. I sat down with both Ian and Isaac and talked about what I wanted as far as design and power. We sketched out a plan and made tweaks as the bikes were built because we liked something more or less as the process went along. I have dropped by and they were obvioulsy crazy busy but if you are patient and wait for a free moment you learn things by osmosis and you will be helped. With old bikes timelines have to be flexable. There is always trouble around the corner. Custom is just that it takes time. Both my bike any my wifes bikes consistantly draw a lot of attention because they are unique not checkerboard wearing clubman bar «café» bikes these are dark and unique. If you want something cookie cutter buy a Thruxton or Ducati Sport Classic.
Realistically when you buy a bike on Craigslist it needs to be completly rebuilt=electrical, mechanical etc. You may luck out and ride it for 3 years or it may break down on the way home but usually when you touch one system something else goes out. Sorry so long just felt when I saw negative reviews I needed say something.

Just had my 1966 Honda CM91 tuned-​up at Twinline.
Not only was it done in less than 2 business days, but the genuine attitude and overall down-​to-​earth vibe was awesome. Having limited experience and knowledge with older scooters these guys were able to break everything down and simplify any answers to questions I had without any sort of condescending attitude.
Were they totally professional and postured like a dealership garage? No. But you can also be assured that you probably won’t have to deal with any bullshit and forced costumer-​service associated with these other places.

It’s true, Twinline is not a store where you can browse and buy — go to Seattle Cycle Center for that. Twinline is also not a motorcycle showroom. The majority of the bikes there are waiting to have work done. In fact, I am glad that they are not chatting up passers-​by since they are mechanics and if you are having work done it’s nice to think that the person working on your bike is focused on it.
Twinline is, however, the best place to take your vintage Japanese bike in Seattle. I bought a 1973 Honda about a month ago and Ian has been so great with making time and room (they are packed, hence the bikes outside while they are open) to work on her quickly and he has taken the time to explain lots about my bike to me. They are also very up front with their repair estimates and if anything makes them think they’ll go over, they call you first before doing any more work on it.
Also, if you want any custom work done on your vintage Japanese or British bike this is the place to take it. They do excellent work and have great taste. Check out the Honda CB750 «Pimp» on their site. It’s hot.

Stopped in on a Saturday to ogle motorbikes and after checking out the dozen or so parked in front, decided to root around some more in the shop. This place is admittedly more of a repair shop for your ubiquitous «modern classics» as in seventies era Honda’s and less of a sparkly showroom. But we wanted to throughly check it out and chat up the proprietor given the awesomness of their mission. The staff that day seemed to consist of two working on an electrical problem and a third quaffing pizza. We had to literally stand a yard away from them to even have our presence acknowledged. To be fair, they seemed rather involved but it seems like rather basic business sense to oh. be friendly to people visiting your hole in the wall shop. We were briskly told that all but two of the bikes outside were customers and that was it. No question if we had need of their services and quite frankly, given the reception, even if we had I would have left anyway.
I don’t care if this shop was the best in the universe or if they were selling my wet dream bike, I will never go back again. Obviously they didn’t wan’t my business.