Prairie Iron Motorworks

What to ask a repair shop in Winnipeg, MB

• 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 Winnipeg, MB

• The Forks

  Destination

  Where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet, Winnipeg's best-known gathering place.

• Thom Bargen West Broadway

  Coffee

  Open from 7am on weekdays, an early stop before heading south over the Assiniboine or west on Portage Avenue.

• Salisbury House Pembina

  Food

  Open 6am to 11pm daily with its own lot, at the start or end of a run south on Pembina Highway toward St.

All 3 places worth the ride near Winnipeg, MB →

Riding here?

Make Prairie Iron Motorworks 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.