Jim’s Cycle Santa Cruz

I’ve been going to Jim with my vintage honda cb to slowly fix up issues old bikes have. He’s been very helpful and honest, and he doesn’t over charge. Reviews have mentioned that he is grumpy although I’d say he’s just a no bs guy and on the quieter side. He’s a good guy and an honest mechanic. Glad to have found a reliable and affordable place to get my bike worked on when I need it.

I was in Santa Cruz for weekend with my motorcycle (Honda Nighthawk250)
and the clutch cable broke at the handle lever. so i GPS located Jims Cycle mechanic and i made my way there in 1^st gear.
I get to his shop and i say hello how are you to Jim, he asked what i needed help with
and i told him about the broken cable, and right off the bat he said he could not help
me, he told me about a tool shop in santa cruz. then started trying to put channel
lock pliers where my cable lever was, scratching and marring my clutch lever assembly, I told him to stop I will be on my way.
I left his shop with still a broken cable, and now scratched and cut up clutch lever
assembly and less faith in humanity.
I then went to home depot and fixed the cable in 15 minutes at a cost of 1.75c
If you want to go to a mechanic that grumpy rude and does not care about helping a person out/​doing there job or the condition of your motorcycle and an overall bad
experience make Jims Cycle your first stop.
Read other bad reviews, there just as bad of experiences and simple of issues.

I found myself in a pinch with a flat tire at the Summitt. Scotts Valley Motorcycle Repair recently closed so I had no idea where to go. I found Jim on Unilocal and gave him a call. He is straightforward and courteous.
As the tow truck pulled in he headed to the shed to get a tire. He took care of it right there with minimal fuss.
This was a pretty simple fix — no guessing on what needed to be done — and I’m hoping that he will work out just as well for ongoing maintenance.

How many repair shops can you walk in and get immediate help — especially with tire mounts — saves the hassle and delay — knowing the service is so good — I order new stuff and it helps to have it done asap.
He isn’t grumpy — he works on bikes. He’s not there to talk or to soothe your fragile personality. Want your bike fixed? Take it to him — watch him work instead of bitching and wining about how insensitive he is? There’s 30+ in his movements and you can ride knowing the bike is safe. Quit your bitching whiners!

This guy knows his stuff! I hope he lives another 200 years. He is FAIR, honest, and will not charge you a cent over what you owe… this type of honest hard work is VERY hard to find. He is extra knowledgable and without shaming other businesses, knew EXACTLY what was wrong with my bikes when others took days and shrugged off the problems… his work is masterful and he’s VERY efficient. I highly recommend him for any of your old bikes, old tuneups or even service appointments for newer bikes. Jim is a very honest, very direct and genuine human being. A true treasure in the myriad of cheats and dishonest mechanics — I’ve had plenty to deal with… don’t have one bad thing to say about Jim. He’s honest and friendly with a dry sense of humor. A+.

I have been looking for a good motorcycle mechanic every since the longtime local Kawi dealer went out of business. Needed an oil change, a job I usually just do myself but I wanted to break the ice with Jim. Called him up for an appointment, showed up on time to drop the bike off. He said he might get to it as he didn’t have enough oil to perform an oil change. Really? Maybe he could have mentioned that before I dropped off the bike and arranged for a ride back. Also the guy is fairly rude which I dont really mind as long as he’s competent and he may be but I doubt it if he cant do a basic oil change.
I did the oil change myself, the search for a decent mechanic in SC continues.

I’ve used Jim a couple of times on my older Yamaha. I have a new Yamaha now and I don’t think I want him touching it. Yes, he’s cranky and you pretty much have to kiss his a**. He is relatively inexpensive and I trust him with the old bike. But, he is a little sloppy. I don’t trust him with my new bike for fear of scratches, grease, whatever. Old funky bikes yes; gleaming new bikes no.

Jim seems like a great guy! I’ve got a little Honda C70 Passport scooter that rides and runs like a dream. Although, every once in a while it does actually need a little «assistance.» Being a young blonde woman, I’m used to getting certain looks from mechanics, not taken seriously, and being overcharged for maintenance that might not even need to be done. But Jim was totally honest with me!
I could tell my brakes were not what they used to be and assumed I just needed new brake pads. So I called around to several shops trying to find the lowest price, most of which were usually charging well over $ 120 and immediately trying to place the order, even though I was simply looking for an estimate. Jim’s Cycle was the only shop charging less than $ 100 (~$ 80 actually), and the only one who didn’t require a pre-​ordering of parts. I brought my scooter over immediately and after a quick inspection he told me my brake pads were only slightly worn and didn’t need replacing just yet. He even showed me how to make the simple adjustment to tighten the tension on my brakes — free of charge and out of there in around 5 minutes!
If I ever need any more work done on my scooter, I know I’ll be taking it straight to Jim :)

Condescending, inattentive and argumentative.
I had high hopes for Jim. Who doesn’t want a veteran motorcycle mechanic who’s been around forever? You know, someone who’s cranky, but secretly has a heart of gold, and as a mechanic is brilliant? That was my hope originally. Well, cranky, yes. Heart of gold, didn’t see it. And brilliant, not so much.
The Experience
Though I’d had a bad experience with Jim earlier, bike mechanics in SC are harder and harder to find. I thought I’d give him another try.
I took my Honda VT1100t in because I was having a hard time starting it, and I wanted a minor tune-​up. Every once in a while, I’d press the starter it would just… EHH. Nothing. Then sometimes it would be fine. There were many morning that I had to start my bike by bump starting it down the hill.
When I took it to Jim, I described the problem and he told me I’m not starting it right. Did you use the choke on cold mornings? he asked. Yes. Did you hold down the starter? Was the engine switch on? Yes, yes, I know how to start my bike. I’ve been riding for 25 years. He told me there was nothing wrong with it and that I was just starting it wrong. He showed me by starting it. I showed him that if you kept starting it, sometimes it just wouldn’t start. He said, just do it again. It was infuriating. It was like the old joke: A guy goes to the doctor and says, «Hey Doc, my arm hurts when I do this.» Doc says, «Simple. Don’t do that.»
In the end he charged me several hundred dollars for a minor tune up but denied there was a problem starting the bike. I even had a problem getting the bike out of the shop because it wouldn’t start. Later I took it to Werkstatt in SF and they immediately identified the problem as a bad starter and swapped it out.
The whole experience left me simmering, wondering how he deals with other customers. Did he just not like me? Was he just having a shitty week? Is he off (or maybe on) his meds?
I know mechanics are hard to find here, but find an alternative to Jim’s Cycles.

This guy knows his stuff. He’s soft-​spoken, intelligent, and extremely nice.
Taken my bike in on short notice twice. Both times he’s provided me great service and even let me watch and learn what he was doing.
Don’t think I’m gonna take my bike anywhere else from now on.

He worked on my ZRX1200R. I dropped my bike off at 9 am and he worked on it until about 2 pm. He installed my new tires, installed a high and low horn and changed my oil.
He did a great job and charged a fair price. He is a good guy. Old school and does know his stuff!

Sure beats the young pups at the dealers who dont torque bolts, put wheels on backwards and over look the obvious.
Jim is one of the last of a dieing breed.
Send your local bike biz his way.

I love this cantankerous dude! He always treated me fairly, great prices, fast service and deep knowledge of his craft. This is the moto-​mechanic all others should strive to be.
I only wish he’d work on my Italian bike. :)