Moto Java San Francisco

Their web site says, “Friends don’t let friends ride to Starbucks”. MotoJava is a brilliant concept and a must-stop destination for motorcyclists when traveling through San Francisco, a coffee shop and a motorcycle shop sharing the same space.

An eclectic variety of used motorcycles covers every spare inch of the floor on the moto side. BMWs, Kawasakis, Triumphs, Hondas and Suzukis in a variety of styles (standard, cruiser, sport bike, dirt bike) are the shop’s bread and butter. If it’s metric, MotoJava will buy it, tune it up the re-sell it. They also carry helmets, gloves, jackets and other motorcycling accessories. They also are known to dish up good advice to riders just graduated from the safety course and experienced riders alike.

The café- and motorcycle-shop was a concept that had been in owner Paul Somerville’s head for a long time. At a certain point Somerville mentioned the idea to fellow racer and friend Joe Pardo. Joe’s wheels got turning, as it were, and he made their dream a reality. It was a pretty sure bet that the three would be successful as a business team together– Joe, his wife Saskia and Paul had won a racing championship together.

While they mostly do repair and service work on the bikes they have sold, they will service your metric bike if you are willing to wait for an opening on one of their benches. As Paul says, “Since there are just two of us spinning wrenches and we don’t have any employees, we’ve been at capacity from day one. By keeping our service mainly limited to performing tune ups for folks who bought bikes from us, we can make sure we have capacity to look after the bikes we’ve sold.”

Since opening the doors 2002, they’ve refurbished and sold over 1,000 motorcycles, often to repeat customers. Marija Helt, a moto customer, liked doing business with them so much that she invested in the café portion of MotoJava and she now runs the Java side of the operation.

The décor on the Java side is a testament to a great many years of accumulating motorcycling paraphernalia. It’s an assorted collection with a lot of clever pieces int eh collection, and not too much kitsch. Posters and racing flags adorn the walls, along with autographed pictures, leathers, and bike parts. There is a collection of miniature motorbikes that hang from the ceiling, and Marija’s Ducati is tucked into one corner. Her riding gear, including the motocross boots she wears while riding her Ducati, are tossed nearby.

There’s a constant stream of patrons sitting and reading or alternately making use of the café’s WiFi. In addition to excellent Java, homemade baked goods and frittatas are on the menu. Healthy lunch fare such as sandwiches or the Soup of the Day is also served, as well as beer if it’s after your coffee break time.

For all the shop’s owners motorcycles are the primary form of transportation, so bikers are a large part of the crowd MotoJava attracts. With dedicated motorcycle parking (metered) on 9^th Street in front of the shop, it’s easy to join the crowd. Come on a Saturday morning if you are looking to meet other riders, as it’s a launching point for many before heading off to destinations in the Bay Area and beyond.

Indeed, why go to Starbucks when there’s MotoJava?

Alisa is a motorcycle traveling writer! You can read more posts from Alisa by clicking on her name at the top of this post. This will also link to Alisa’s Bio and a link to her site!