Duke Motorcycle

What to ask a garage in Dublin, Ireland

• Do you work on my make and year? A workshop that mostly sees late-model Japanese bikes may not want a 1978 twin, and it is better to hear that on the phone than at the counter.
• Will you fit tyres I bring in, and what does that cost? Many workshops will, some will not, and the ones that do usually charge more per tyre than for rubber they sold you.
• What is the diagnostic fee, and does it come off the repair if I go ahead? Ask before the bike is on the lift.
• Appointment or walk-in, and what is the turnaround right now? In season a good workshop can be two or three weeks out.
• Can you collect a bike that will not run, or do I need to arrange recovery? Some workshops have a van or trailer; most do not.

Rain is the maintenance story here. Tread depth and chain lube matter more than almost anywhere else, brake pads go faster in the wet, and salt on gritted winter roads eats fasteners and exhausts, so rinse the bike after a salty ride. Workshops get busy the first dry week of spring, so book ahead of it.

Worth the ride from Dublin, Ireland

• Firehouse Bakery

  Coffee

  Open 8:30am to 4pm every day, so it suits an earlier stop, just off the N11.

• Johnnie Fox's Pub

  Food

  Use it to open or close a Dublin Mountains run, with the kitchen ready from noon.

• Avoca Kilmacanogue

  Food

  A place to gather the group before the Wicklow run, with the food market opening at 9am.

All 9 places worth the ride near Dublin, Ireland →

Riding here?

Make Duke Motorcycle a stop on your next ride. Find a route that passes by, schedule a group ride with it as the stop, or see how 2 Wheels in Common works for riders.