Radikal Motosport

What to ask a repair shop in Gatineau, QC

• Do you work on my make and year? A shop 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 mount tires I bring in, and what does that cost? Many shops will, some will not, and the ones that do usually charge more per tire 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 shop can be two or three weeks out.
• Can you collect a bike that will not run, or do I need to arrange a tow? Some service shops have a trailer; most do not.

Riding season here has a hard stop. Before the bike sits, fill the tank and add stabilizer, put the battery on a tender, and get the ethanol out of the carbs if it has them. The spring rush at every shop starts the first warm weekend, so book the pre-season service in late winter, not April.

Worth the ride from Gatineau, QC

• Nikosi Bistro Pub

  Food

  Open Thursday to Sunday only, with weekend service from 11:30am, so plan a Wakefield ride around those days.

• Biscotti & cie

  Coffee

  Breakfast until 11am at the main gate of Gatineau Park, right before the Gatineau Parkway climbs to the Champlain Lookout.

• Wakefield Covered Bridge

  Viewpoint

  On Tourisme Outaouais's motorcycle route, riders cross to the Wakefield side of the Gatineau River and pass beneath the covered bridge.

All 8 places worth the ride near Gatineau, QC →

Riding here?

Make Radikal Motosport 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.