Great customer support. They never make me feel like a "dumb girl," and are always right on target with getting the work completed. They even did some troubleshooting with me before I decided I didn't want to (attempt to) do the work myself. read more

Motorcycle Performance - Motorcycle, thumbs up - Motorcycle Dealers Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Driven by and seen the 'very small sign' for many years but never stopped in because I never heard anyone talk about them. After joining Madison Motorcycle Club and hearing talk within the Club of what they can do, I decided to stop in and ended up picking up several items and ordering more. And, ironically, now I hear people talking about them all the time (good things). Haven't had any actual work done by them (just ordering parts) but sure am impressed with their knowledge. If you haven't yet, stop in - you'll be impressed, too. read more

The best compliment you can pay a mechanic is this one: these guys are honest. I've been taking my vintage, temperamental cycle to Motorcycle Performance ever since I got it this spring. It's been a couple years since I've dealt with owning and maintaining a classic bike, and the prospect is daunting and often surprisingly expensive. The guys at Motorcycle Performance have been working with me ever since the first tow. When they quoted me on a problem and a part a couple months ago, I decided to do my own research to see how the price for the part compared to what I could find on my own. Guess what? The number one internet part source for that part was exactly the price they quoted me - no upcharge, no padding of the cost, no screwing me over. The labor was totally reasonable, too. These guys know their stuff and are great with speciality bikes. Their website has a lot of good information (e.g., winterizing tips) to help you look after your bike when it's not at their shop. It may take them a bit longer to get the work done on the bike, but they will do it right and you don't have to wonder if they are treating you fairly. I also appreciated the fact that when I took ill out of town and was away for a couple weeks, there was no hassling me about the bike being stored with them until I could get back. They are happy to stay in touch via email, too, and will often send you detailed info about diagnoses and what they did to fix things. I really recommend these guys as decent and honest local businesspeople who really know their stuff. If you are a motorcycle owner, particularly of a vintage or classic European or Japanese bike, take it here. read more

The Motorcycle Performance team have never left me down. Trust is a component in a service related business that is key to its success and to this I give five stars to Bill and staff. Knowledgeable and competent follow with five stars. When someone backed into my Ducati this summer it was not a pretty sight but within an hour Bill was there with a trailer to pick it up and three days later I received the call to pick it up. Everything was perfect! I highly recommend Motorcycle Performance. read more

Motorcycle Performance - Motorcycle Dealers Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The last thing I ever imagined was stepping into a motorcycle performance shop and being told to "read my service manual" and "I'm not gonna hold your hand on it". First off... I never met this man before and second off, I never realized that asking a "performance" shop to re-jet and tune my carbs would be such a problem! My wife had gone in on another occasion to surprise me with some parts. During her visit she experienced the same treatment with a little "women don't belong in motorcycle shops" attitude! She knew what she was gonna buy, but his old school mentality caused her to walk out the door. The other guys in the shop seem fine. But the older man (I assume the owner) needs to work on his damn people skills and leave the attitude at home. Making a potential customer feel as if he or she is wasting your time, is probably one of the top no-no's of business ownership. read more

I've been going to these guys off and on for over ten years. Everyone there is super friendly and very knowledgeable about motorcycles...AND they are honest! If you're paying out of pocket, they will do what they can to help you save money. They have a decent selection of used bikes too if you're in the market. I highly recommend them! read more

Very knowledgeable, but the mechanic I talked to made me feel like a real idiot. They know their stuff but are fairly expensive for the work provided. If you've got the extra cash go for them, but I will be shopping around in the future. read more

I've had decent luck with these guys in the past - overall they charge a lot compared to the competition, but the quality and thoroughness of their work has always been superior - though I did get some of that "you're a dumb college boy" attitude in past visits, it was not a big deal. I moved away from Madison over the winter, leaving my bike (valued at less than $1000) behind with a known electrical problem. I called MP to tow it to their shop and investigate the problem. Within a day or two, I was given an estimate for almost $900.00 for: towing diagnostic replacing the battery and testing the rest of the electrical system replacing worn front tire gas tank line cleaning/fuel replacement oil leak patch and a seventy-four dollar fee to wash it first, because of the "dangerous pigeon poop" that had accumulated over the fall/winter. Obviously, most of this stuff is a bit extraneous for an old tank like mine - the only thing that really needed to be done was replacing the front tire and the battery. I told the guy (William Wisenant) to skip everything but that, but he insisted that he would not start repairs without charging me $74 to clean it - and still said it would be ~$600.00 for the tire, tow, battery, and further electrical diagnostics (which I had already said I didn't want) Since that's obviously ridiculous, I had took the time to drive to Madison, replace the battery myself (purchased elsewhere, thank you very much), and wash the stupid thing (it took like 5 minutes, $74 my ass), and then asked them to charge the battery for me and replace the front tire. I was going to take it somewhere else out of irritation, but they told me they could have it done the next day (they did). Both on this visit and on the return visit to pick the bike up I could hear the mechanic (William, presumably) swearing and yelling about my decision to do it myself, the battery, and the "labor" it took to take the damn seat off. Overall I escaped with about $300.00 in charges, which was not unreasonable for the tow, dead battery diagnostic, charge, and front tire replacement. The front desk guy (another William) was pleasant and seemed a bit sympathetic about the situation, but overall it was a fairly uncomfortable experience, and I won't be using them again. Motorcycle performance, you are not doing me a favor for getting my bike running again. Even if I'm the biggest cheapskate in the world, I'm still paying you an honest fee for the work I DID have you do. You wasted an entire day of mine to make me come up there to avoid ridiculous fees and unnecessary diagnostics. I don't know if the problem is just with this one mechanic, but this is an unacceptable way to run a business. Unless you have a really nice bike that you want to keep in tip-top condition (and are willing to pay out the nose to do so), I would stay away. Suter's on the east side works cheaper and more politely, though the quality is not as good. read more

CANT FIX HARLEY'S!! They soaked me for $2500! Had to go to the dealership after for repair work and was told they'd have charged me $1K less for the same work!! Has to be the WORST shop in town! Wouldn't take a crashed bike to dump in your parking lot. Horrible attitude towards customer, wouldn't listen to the customer. Bill was right no matter what I said. Totally inappropriate. Accused me of lying to them when they couldn't figure out the problem and they had to fix the same problem twice and now it has failed a third time and Bill refuses to talk to me. Your regional reputation is quite accurate; your an asshole. Will make sure to spread your poor service to everyone who will listen. Update...and motorcycle performance cost me another $1600; had to have the dealership fix another mistake; total clutch rebuild. read more

WJ and Bill, WJ at the front desk and Bill in service are a treasure trove of knowledge. Always have the basic things I need for service and access to order anything and willing to do their best to be price competitive. They practice what they preach both have motorcycles and ride them to work on a regular basis. read more

I just had Motorcycle Performance upgrade the suspension and brakes on my 2006 Honda CBR600F4i and the results are incredible, it's like a new bike! I bought the F4i last year with only 5700 miles on it, a one-owner bike in showroom condition. Rode it for 6K miles just to get used to its characteristics, but I already knew the fork springs were too soft for my weight. So Nick at MP installed stiffer Racetech springs, as well as the Racetech rebound valve kit. I also asked him to install some braided steel brake lines (I always put those on my bikes). Nick nailed the setup, the results are simply stunning. Now the bike just rails through the bumpy alphabet roads here in SW Wisconsin. Choppy pavement that used to induce an unsettled, disconnected feeling with the road is now completely absorbed by the front suspension. It feels like the front tire is glued to the road! And of course the brakes have a much firmer, more solid feel as well, making it easier to modulate braking force as you approach a corner. Don't waste your money on a loud exhaust & Power Commander, the real bang-for-the-buck comes from suspension upgrades. I can feel the improvement in all types of riding, not just in the twisties. The bike is much more composed and comfortable at all speeds, it's not a subtle difference! I won't let anyone but Motorcycle Performance work on my bikes (I also have a 1991 Honda Hawk GT). These guys have forgotten more than I'll ever know about bikes, and the quality of their work is simply unrivaled. They'll tell you exactly what they think is best for your bike, which may upset some people who expect to be coddled and told what they want to hear. I'd rather have people deal straight with me, and that's what Motorcycle Performance does. They are a vital motorcycle resource in the Madison area, I'm damn glad they're here! read more

I walked into Performance about 10 months ago just to have a look around since I go to Madison, WI quite often on business. I was treated like a king. This is a great place to go and check out vintage bikes and it's also one of the oldest motorcycle shops in Madison. Performance is Definitely the place to take your bike if it needs repairs. read more