Black Kat Motorwerks

Matt is a genuine guy and knows exactly what your vintage bike needs, he doesn’t mess around with prices and has a straight forward attitude about any problem. He’s helped me out with multiple bikes and every one of them comes back running better then it ever did, probably better then it ever did from the factory! I’d suggest Black Kat Motorwerks to anyone and everyone!
Thanks Matt!

If you have a vintage bmw there isn’t another place in LA you’d want to take your bike to. I’ve been relying on Rick and Matt for 15 years to keep my r69 in top shape.

black Kat totally delivered. I had them repaint and fix the dent on the fender of my side car… Couldn’t ask for better work done. Show quality.
Thanks

I’ve been going to Black Kat for years with my ’72 R75/​5 and they have always been super friendly and easy on the pocket book. Now that Matt has taken over the business, it’s now even better with always fast and perfect repair work. Only place in town for my airhead.

Matthew is an amazing person and a great mechanic. He inherited the reconditioning of my BMW RL65LS from the previous owner who is legend in BMW repair himself. I am sure he thought long and hard before selling this business to Matthew. I gave them a budget which was way less than the posh stores around where I live where you can spend $ 20−40k to recondition a bike just for the honor of wearing their t-​shirt. Black Kat did my recondition of my 30 year old bike up to 2015 standards for a fraction of the price and for the first time I feel comfortable riding the bike on short and long trips. Matthew kept calling an apologizing each time he found something else but he would than tell me it should be done and now I have a bike I am totally proud of and I’d put up against any of the cache bike reconditions in Los Angeles both for looks and performance. Thank you Matt. Keep up the reputation and amazing work.

Short version — quality work and great owner (Matt).
Needed my R60 serviced in a bad way. I was looking around the Reseda area for the right place to get it done properly without getting ripped off. I came across Black Kat Motorwerks, Google’d them, and saw the reviews on here. Lots of good reviews, seems like a solid guy. I’ll try him.
I’m glad I did. While I don’t have any experience with motorcycle mechanics, I’ve had my share of experiences with lousy car mechanics. The owner Matt came across as a decent guy who loves bikes and is there to do his job with pride. Very professional and personable. The first time I picked my bike up I wound up just shootin’ the breeze with him for 30 minutes or so.
I brought it in to have a few basic things done, which he did that day. Brought it back the following week to have a few things done that he found while checking it over for me. Never got the feeling I was being screwed, never felt like I was being taken advantage of. Every time I bring my bike in to the dealer, there’s some new service they want to do that sounds like they’re making it up as they go along. But not here. Matt really is a straight shooter. He not only told me the work he suggested be done, but showed me the «what» and the «why». He even suggested me to come by with the bike next week so he can make sure all the work that he did was up to my satisfaction and that it fixed the issues I was having.
Matt has gained a loyal customer now, and anyone I know who rides is going to hear about his shop.

There are a lot of recent raving reviews of Black Kat and Matt and they are well earned. Since Matt recently took over the shop he’s already saved my ass twice. Once for a simple clutch cable and then again fixing up some ongoing issues I had been having, getting my 77 R100/​7 running better and stronger than it ever has.
It’s very clear that these guys love these bikes and love working on them and you’re not going to find a more honest and transparent mechanic than Matt. Not only will he fix any problem you’re having, but he’ll talk you through what the issues were and what he did to fix them.
If you own an old BMW motorcycle and are taking it somewhere else, you’re missing out.

After a few attempts with other shops I finally found my match!!!
Black Kat has blown me away with the efficiency of their operations.
I owned a 1971 R ⁵⁰⁄₅ that had an engine failure about a year ago, and after a few conversations with some «specialists» it became apparent that a rebuild was going to cost me more than the bike was worth.
I mentioned swapping engines to these shops, but no one was confident to do that.
After a consulting call with Rick, the previous owner I felt hopeful that Black Kat Motorwerks was able to handle it.
Due to the fact that they were on the middle of moving the shop I waited a few month to drop my bike at the new location.
When I called I found out that the shop had a new owner, and Matt (the new owner) took things from snail pace to overdrive.
He was so professional in all regards.
Matt found me a bigger engine, had me come by to show me the insides of the new engine, kept me in the loop with pictures, and had my bike ready to go in 1 WEEK!!!
This bike never ran this good before.
And Matt’s prices are completely reasonable.
This guy is bonkers. He puts his heart and soul into his shop, and it shows.
I’ll never set foot into another shop again.

I recommend Black Kat Motorwerks without reservation to anyone who has a vintage (i.e. old) BMW motorcycle that needs work. I recently bought a 1971 BMW R60/​5 (w/​sidecar) that badly needed new tires and a good looking-​over with experienced eyes. I took it to Black Kat, and here is what I learned.
1. Matt, the owner of this shop, still works with Rick, the prior owner. And they LOVE these old bikes. In fact, they love these vintage BMW airheads so much that they work only on vintage BMW airheads. What this means is that they know these bikes inside and out.
2. Black Kat’s dedication to customer service is TOP NOTCH. The other day, I couldn’t get my bike started so I sent a text message to Matt asking for his advice. What would most shops do? Right, they’ll tell you to bring the bike in. But not Black Kat Motorwerks. First, Matt gave me some suggestions via text message. When I told him that I still couldn’t get my bike started, he told me not to worry because he would help me out. The next day, after work, Matt and Rick drove to my house — and it’s not like I live close-​by — and SPENT TWO HOURS IN MY GARAGE FIXING MY BIKE. Oh, and what did this home-​service cost me? Nothing. Matt didn’t charge me a single penny.
3. Speaking of cost, Black Kat charges very reasonable rates. They will work with you to address problems with your bike in a way that fits what you can afford. Motorcycle maintenance can be very expensive for guys like me who couldn’t wrench his way out of a paper bag. Black Kat’s efforts to keep costs down is much appreciated!
Black Kat Motorwerks has definitely earned my loyalty as a customer, and they will earn yours as well.
And Matt, thanks for letting me borrow the battery charger!

You won’t find a better shop in the LA area to service your vintage BMW. I’ve had work done by both Rick and Matt, and these guys are both very good, honest mechancis that work at extremely affordable rates.
I first brought my R100S to Rick at the old location a few years ago after the Dyna crapped out. Rick fixed the ignition, and also got it running far better than it ever had before, taking the time to explain what he was doing and why, while giving me options to stay within my budget.
I just brought the bike back to Matt, the new owner at the new location (although Rick was there!) and I was happy to see him carrying on Rick’s legacy. He basically did a complete tune-​up for a fraction of the price, got my brakes working the best they ever have, and found several other problems that needed to be addressed. All at more than reasonable rates, and he even came in on his day off to get it done so I could make a road trip on time. Matt’s an honest, friendly guy, and a very competent mechanic who really cares about his craft.
Most shops won’t even touch older BMW’s. Not only is Black Kat enthusiastic about working on them, it’s their specialty. I highly recommend this place.