First Kick Scooters

after leaving my 79 P125X in First Kick for ! month, it is not only did not get fixed it now has other problems. When I called their service manager Chris I did not get any
comittment for refixing.
The bill for fixing backfiring was $ 381.00
I have had used them since 1995 now I do not know if I want to deal with them ever…

this is same review as for sf moto as it is same company
this is service review, i have not bought a bike there.
i did however bring a bike in for a courtesy check up (free) the mechanical wizards at SF MOTO found many problems on the bike and gave me the estimate.
there were couple known problems on the bike (that was of most importance) and they have failed to find both o them…
but they did say that it needed new fron brake pads and labor for it is 2hrs. Wow you guys need new techs in that case, furthermore cost of replacing h4 headlight bulb ($ 8 bulb and 3 minutes labor for anyone) is $ 65 at this shop.
anyhow i understand that the overhead in SF is high, but some of the estimates were just plain hideous, and they failed to find 2 obvious problems.
also i brought in the bike later in the day they said it will be done later that day or first thing in the morning, but finished it next day 4:30pm.
long story short, if you looking for very high prices and mediocre techs go here,
if you want the real deal there are few nice shops in the city that does that but unfortunately this is not one of them

Always come here for Vespa parts. The guys here have always been super helpful and friendly!

We purchased a 74 Rally Vespa, the previous owner as well as blogs mentioned First Kick as the place to go.
1^st of all the website is very old and you can’t order parts from it, as mentioned to us by the sales associate, Tony.
2^nd, we spent a good chunk of money over time and had planned on spending more. We do our own repairs and just need a lot of parts. I showed up to pick up my back ordered parts on a Wednesday and wanted to buy more parts but they didn’t have an experienced vintage vespa parts guy there that day. They told me they’d get my list to Tony and he’ll see if they have the parts and call me. The next Tuesday I called again, Tony was busy, left a message with the person on the other line, they told me he’ll call me back. Called back on Thursday and the sales associate apologized and said he’d send me over to parts and the guy there would be able to help me. That guy said he’d take down my part list and hand it over to Tony. Same thing. It’s now been a week and a half since my original day in. I’ll now bring my parts list to another scoot shop. Sorry guys, I need to get this job done and I can’t keep coming into the city in hopes of catching Tony.
When you do get their attention Tony is an awesome parts guy. So I’d give it more of a 2.5 stars, I’ve experienced better but when I have their attention they are good!

Do not bring your scooter or motorcycle here for service.
Terrible experience on my beautiful 1972 vintage Vespa.
The Service department Chris has absolutely no idea of what work is or is not performed. To sum it all I brought in the Vespa running needing a tune up and I am bringing it home with the engine apart in boxes after I paid $ 1,200. The place has changed a lot from 2 years ago. Run away.

I brought in my Honda Helix 250 from ’86 to change the rear tire.
Tires for this scooter goes usually for 50 $.
The only they had was 83 $…
then total was 156 $… pretty expensive for a tire and labor.
But, the worst part is, a day after they changed my rear tire, the exhaust started leaking (with a huge noise). I brought it back, they laugh, they say they’ll have to charge me for replacing a joint. I refuse. They replace the join and 3 days after the same huge noise. I call back, asking them to fix it again, they say yes but the day after I loose my exhaust on the highway ! So not only the joint were damaged but they didn’t screw the exhaust back ! The exhaust damaged the rear wheel and tire !
It costed me a couple of hundreds more to buy a new exhaust and have it bolt.
Not a serious place.

So my buddy has a vintage bike and is looking for a pretty hard to find part or it. One thing that caught my eye about First Kick Scooters had to be fact that this place uses multiple resources for part finding. All I can say is that my friend, had his part off and running in no time flat. Super friendly, very nice and certainly without any disappointing hitches.
When I am ready to roll, I’ll get my Vespa from here!!!

nice, friendly folks. a tad pushy, but hey, they’re trying to make a sale. in any case, i ended up buying a scooter that they didn’t carry from revolution moto in santa rosa (north bay).
definitely would come back to browse, though!

Tony fit me in an amazing shark helmet & some gear, Eric and Jim worked a good deal on a 2007 Honda Rebel. Kris adjusted the bike to fit me comfortably. I’d passed my motorcycle safety course. I was ready to ride. Fast-​forward 3 months and 700 miles later, I was ready to trade. I talked to Jim & explained how I’d out grown my Rebel & how happy I was to have learned on such a reliable bike. We talked about what I was looking for, the riding I did, & what riding I wanted to do. I sat on a few bikes and decided on a 2006 599 Hornet. The bike is the perfect next step for my riding style. I signed the paperwork, and rode HWY 1 to Santa Cruz & back. Great power, nimble handling, a blast to ride.
2 Bikes, Honest sales, Great service, & Friendly people that LOVE to ride. I’ll never go anywhere else.

I called for a new vespa tire and they squeezed me in right away. Price was pretty much on par with the other local shops.
fast service + friendly and knowledgeable staff = I will go back again

I’ve been a First Kick customer for years. First Kick has been a great source for both vintage and modern scooter parts for me. David has always tried to find what I need. More than once David has tracked down parts after a phone call and had them available for pick up the same or next day.
I cannot attest to the maintenance or repair service, but one of my club members used to work there and he is a dynamite mechanic.
Secondly First Kick has been a generous sponsor for scooter related events and rallies. They’ve been sponsors for Classico Moto Italia in the South Bay, Scooter Rage, King’s Classic, and others. You’ve got to support an organization that supports its customer base in the community as well as in its business.
Know your clientèle. Serve and support them. That’s a good formula for success.

Well, I just purchased a Vespa from Ebay, apparently this is a refurb originally from Vietnam and rebuilt in Australia and sent here to the states. Well First Kick has a policy not to even touch these… even though this bike is brand new basically, it runs great and its gorgeous! BTW, they rode the bike when I first got it and gave it a thumbs up.
However, here is the problem, a brake cable broke this AM, and they said in more or less word, F you and get the F out with that bike. I mean its just a cable… and they left me out in the cold… would not even sell me cable to fix it myself.
LAME LAME LAME!

DO NOT BRING YOUR SCOOTER HERE FOR MAINTENANCE!
Especially if you are a woman or a newbie in terms of knowing what’s what.
I purchased my ’03 Yamaha Zuma from First Kick back in 2006 and had a good initial impression as they guided me through the purchase.
Fast forward to maintenance 2008. I recently brought it in for annual servicing knowing that I’d need at least the back tire and brake pads replaced. I OK’d the estimate for these two pieces of work plus yearly maintenance, approving work totaling no more than $ 350.
I should have known something was up when I asked for the carbon for the work estimate, and the guy in the shop (Louis M.) said, «This is for us.» I thought that strange, knowing that it was my legal right to have a carbon copy of the estimate, but walked without it, trusting them.
A few days later, I get a call from another guy in the shop (Chris B.) saying they had «put the Zuma up on the lift and discovered dry rot in the front tire» as well as the need for a new front rotor. When I asked him how much parts + labor for those two jobs would be, he said (after «researching» part cost), «$ 400.» When I questioned him about what seemed to be the exorbitant cost considering how easy it is to work on scoots, he replied, «That’s what it costs.» Yet again trusting them, I said, «Well, the work needs to be done, and if it needs to be done, then OK.»
Later that evening, I talked to a motorcycle friend of mine who basically said, «No way in hell should two tires, a front rotor, new brake pads and yearly maintenance (which is basically spark plug replacement plus changing out the oil) cost $ 800.»
I showed up at First Kick the very next morning and talked to Tony. I had spent a sleepless night lamenting my own sucka-​ness in not being a better, more educated consumer. Most of all, I was angry that, in First Kick’s mind, they felt they could d-​ck me around just cause I have boobs.
I insisted on going through the estimate for each piece of work line-​by-​line so I could understand better how they came up with $ 800. Sure enough, each piece of work was «padded» with some extra charge, totaling about $ 40 per job. When asked about the PHONY CHARGES, Tony replied that the parts guys put in a generic part at the beginning of the work order and clear it out with more accurate pricing after the job is done.
After the line item scrutiny, my bill magically dropped from $ 800 to $ 622. I still believe they gouged me in terms of hourly labor cost, charging way more time than it takes to unscrew a front rotor bolt, for instance. (The final bill says a full hour to replace the front disc). And considering my scoot only cost a bit less than $ 2000 to purchase, $ 800 for routine repairs is outrageous.
All in all, though, lesson learned. They have lost my business as a customer, and I recently steered away a friend from taking her scoot there for repairs.
One positive thing to share about them– Tony is a champ. I was sleep-​deprived, outraged, and felt very much so taken advantage of when I spoke to him the day after. He took the time out of his busy day to explain in depth what goes on for each repair and was gracious enough to understand my frustration. Also, he wiped away the extra, unexplained $ 175 from my bill and (at least in my estimation) seemed to want to make amends. For that, he wins an Upstanding Man Trophy in my book.

Eric and the folks at First Kick Scooters/​SFMoto really go out of their way to make your scooter/​motorcycle purchase enjoyable. Their low/​no presure attitude is a breath of fresh air compared to other shops. My wife and I recently purchased a SYM HD200 (great scoot!) as an upgrade for a Buddy (also a great scoot but limited to city streets only). They allowed us both to take a test ride which is rare in SF. I liked the experience so much that I came back and bought a used Burgman from them a month later. We just had our first scheduled maintenence for the SYM and the service department was great to deal with. Highly recommended.

I recentley bought a moped from a private seller on craigslist that ended up needing a bit more TLC than I had thought at the time of purchase. I went to First Kick and talked to Dave and Craig. Even though they don’t repair mopeds in their shop, they both were very knowledgeable and helped me get setup with all the accessories I needed. They are friendly and courteous every time I go in. Thanks guys!

I had a scooter for 3 years, and all the maintenance repairs were all done here, including a major repair after an ex friend crashed my honda elite into a parked car. I believe them when they say they try to keep it as cheap as possible.

I LOVE FIRST KICK!
i’ve been going to them for almost a year and a half now and honestly, they have one of the most knowledgeable and friendly staffs of any scooter shop in the bay area! Tony and Mike, who work in the parts department (which is pretty substantial), are flat out honest and will tell you what do (or dont) need and why. and if they dont have that part in stock or cant get it for you, they really try to help you out by telling you where else to get it or other alternatives. and! if you need new gear, THESE ARE THE GUYS TO SEE! super wide selection and they can walk you through every step of the way to make sure you have the best gear for you! again, veryvery knowledgeable, friendly and helpful!
same goes for David in «vintage» parts! well stocked with a considerable range of parts for vintage vespas (and mopeds! how neat!), and very easy to talk to! he will always try to help you out when he can! he even helped me install the carburetor i bought! i cannot say enough good things about him!
as far as the sales department goes, Noelle is your girl! what a sweetheart! i’ve seen her deal with customers before and she honestly cares and wants to see you on the bike that is right for you! granted, i’ve never bought from her, but i’m in there enough to see how genuinely nice she is and how much her customers respect and like her.
the service department. what can be said? on more than one occasion, Chris B. took a look at my vespa and told me what he thought was wrong and what i was going to need to do to fix it, and like an idiot i took it to the «other guy» or to a friend who told me something completely different and fixed it their way. turns out Chris was right every single time and i should have listened to him in the first place!
service gets pretty backed up sometimes though, but the guys are nice and try to help you out the best they can. :]
anyways, I definitely recommend First Kick to anyone in need of parts, service, or even a bike! i’ve always had a positive experience with them over there, hopefully you will too!
ps! who’s the hot girl who works behind the parts counter? is she new?

I do most of my own vintage vespa repairs myself, but I’ve been buying parts from First Kick for years and years. Eric H. has been doing this stuff longer than some reviewers have probably been alive.
Sure, First Kick has expanded into other models/​makes of two-​wheeled vehicles, but if I need basic 2 stroke vintage vespa parts, Eric usually has them in stock. And the guys who work here have always been cool and friendly to me.

This was where I used to take my first scooter for the occasional repair. No matter how minor the repair, it always required leaving my bike, usually for days and days. Then I’d have to call them to find out where the hell my bike was and why wasn’t it ready yet.
They always seemed reluctant to actually look at my bike, telling me «all Vespas leak oil.» Oh really? THIS much? Oddly enough, the even older Vespa I own now doesn’t leak oil at all. Guess Italy didn’t get First Kick’s memo about the oil leakage requirement.
Anytime I’d go to retrieve my bike I would have to stand around endlessly waiting for someone to help me because «we’re busy here.» Yeah, you’re busy losing a customer. Basically they were ignoring me while they tried to sell some yahoo a plastic twist n’go.
When my bike was totaled in a crash, they took more than a week to get me an estimate, I had to call several times to remind them I was waiting on an estimate and then they charged me more than any other place in town. When I replaced my totaled bike, I started going to SF Scooter Centre, where they are much more professional and have your bike fixed super fast and call you promptly.

I’ve been taking vespa to firstkick for many years now. There are only 2 vespa repair shop in the city, and first kick is one of them. Mechanics and owner are very cool. I like the fact that they don’t try make you buy something that you don’t really need — very cool in my opinion.