Cycle Werks in Barrington

They don’t sell or service Moto Guzzi anymore. Pity.
They are 100% BMW.
Also, the Kaptor brothers sold out to new guys. That is probably a plus, me thinks the Kaptors were getting a little tired of the business.
1 star rating is because I am a Guzzi man and they stopped selling Moto Guzzi.

I bought my bike in Chicago BMW a few years ago and was really disappointed with their customer service when it came to maintenance. The service manager at the Chicago shop has a really bad attitude that is bad for business. You can tell he know his stuff, but he is very condescending to customers. Well, this led me to try Cycle Werks @ Barrington.
Cycle Werks has a great service department with knowledgeable and friendly people. These guys are experts and do not walk around with an attitude, which is refreshing after my bad experience at Chicago BMW. I will definitely buy my next bike from Cycle Werks.
I also, want to express my appreciation to Scott and Guy as they have always been great at servicing my bike. I once took my bike in for service late in November and there was constant snow after that, so I could only pick up the bike safely without a tow. I asked Guy if I could pick it up once the road conditions were safe and he was cool with that (no storage fees). These are the things that win over customers.
This location is also convenient for anyone that lives close to the Metra Northwest line. I typically drop the bike off and then take the train back home, since the dealership is close to the Metra Barrington stop.

This is an interesting shop. New beemers on the lower level and the older (and much more interesting) used and vintage beemers up high.
The one thing that I don’t like is that when you walk in through the main floor level to look at the new bikes, there’s always an employee (owner?) whom seems to «swoop in» and hover asking if I have questions…
I just don’t enjoy that. I want to be left alone to sit on a bike and when I’m serious about buying yet another motorcycle, I’ll initiate… To me, it shouldn’t be like going to a car dealership. Those of us whom enter a motorcycle shop like this know bikes… and it should be assumed that we’ve done our research before we go in to kick tires.
Sorry for what sounds like a rant. I apologize. Heck, maybe that go down just to avoid any theft issues…
Moving on — I do like the fact that you can sit on everything for the most part. The used/​vintage section is always fantastic to check out. They have had a couple of gorgeous airheads there this past summer…
It’s a great area to ride out to. Definitely worth checking out.

This shop specializes in BMW and Motto Guzzi motorcycles. They sell new, as well as vintage. The new bikes are on the ground floor, but make sure you get upstairs– they’ve a nice selection of used bikes for sale (mostly BMW), as well as some beautifully restored motto Guzzis on display. I haven’t purchased a bike from them, but have had mixed experiences in terms of treatment by the guys who run the place while browsing– sometimes very nice, sometimes attitude.
They have a full service department fixing motorcycles, but I’ve never used them for that. THEIR PARTS GUY IS AWESOME– a genuinely nice, laid back guy and the #1 reason I ever come here. Phone him up, tell him what you need, he’ll tell you if they’ve got it and put it aside waiting for you when you stop in to pick it up. Prices aren’t cheap (we’re talking BMW parts!) but there are few local options either so when you need a part soon, these guys are your best bet.
They sell jackets and helmets and stuff here too– climb the metal spiral stair case up to the third floor for that, but don’t expect an enormous selection. They do carry good quality brands here though (Hein Gericke, Arai, etc) and can order whatever size you might need if there’s something you want.