Conselyea Michael Cesarczyk The Bike Masters of Brooklyn Moto Sep 08, 2011 by Michael Cesarczyk
The folks at Brooklyn Moto know bikes. with locations on Conselyea Street and on N. 10th Street, the store’s four co-owners have spent most of their lives riding, repairing, storing and even building motorcycles from scratch. they also share a passion for educating customers about their vehicles.
“We let people be a part of it,” says co-owner and mechanic Christopher Henry. “I love teaching people and they love that. if you explain something in a normal way, they get pumped up and the feedback we’ve been getting is great.” Co-owner and fellow mechanic mark Mayzler agrees, “We’ll take the time to tell people how the bike’ll affect them. It’s only fair.”
Mayzler and Henry first met at a Ducati dealership in Soho, where Mayzler was working part-time as a shop boy. Henry came in as a customer and the two bonded over a love for Ducati bikes. Eventually both went to Wyo Tech in Daytona Beach, Florida where they received their Ducati certifications in 2007 and then returned to the dealership, where they were trained rigorously by the head mechanic, “Irish Mike”. “He put us through hell,” admits Mayzler. “But we became good mechanics as a result.” Mayzler and Henry enjoyed learning their craft at the dealership, but felt that its management only cared about sales, resulting in zero quality control. “It cost $100 to put your bike on the bench,” says Mayzler. “And the customers were fed lies by the service managers, who didn’t know anything.”
After a year at the dealership, Mayzler left and rented a small space to repair bikes at the Shop in Williamsburg, where he met Wilbur Meinen III, who rented space for his bike there. the two, along with fellow gearhead Chris Cragoe spent the winter of 2009 making plans for their own motorcycle shop. “We spent two months creating designs and looking for different places in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg community area because we’ve been operating here for so long,” says Meinen.
The trio finally opened the first Brooklyn Moto on Conselyea Street in May 2010. although its focus was on storage, it also had two workshops maintained by Mayzler and mechanic Tim Harney. four months later, the Soho dealership closed down and Henry joined the crew. An increase in demand for space and service led to opening the second shop. Enter Pierre Guzman, another old friend of Mark’s, who lived three houses from the first Brooklyn Moto. Not only was Guzman an avid biker, he was adept at storing motorcycles himself – keeping four in his basement.
The second Brooklyn Moto opened on N. 10th Street in May 2011. Along with a spacious garage that holds dozens of motorcycles, this location has a stylish store which sells helmets, tires and various apparel including vests, jackets, jeans and gloves. all the windows and doors are recycled and were bought from BuildingGreen. Meinen, who worked in high-end construction, was closely involved with designing the second site. “I wanted an asymmetrical design and a place that wouldn’t feel like a stock box. we wanted more of a rustic feel.”
Brooklyn Moto, however, offers far more than a sleek space for bikes. the keyword at this establishment is accommodation, a lesson Mayzler and Henry learned well from their early days at the Soho dealership. Brooklyn Moto keeps longer hours than other motorcycles shops in Williamsburg (Mondays-Saturdays: 10am – 10pm and 10am – 9pm on Sundays) and the N.10th Street location is the only shop to offer motorcycle parking, services, parts and apparel all at the same place. Moreover, customers who keep their bikes at Brooklyn Moto receive 10% discounts on parts and apparel and priority access for service. Prices are not bad, either. Storage costs $150 per bike per month. other shops around the city usually cost $175-$225. “We don’t think it’s fair to charge that much,” says Mayzler. Given the increasing number of motorcycle thefts city-wide, Brooklyn Moto and similar Williamsburg establishments –including MotoGrrl on Metropolitan Avenue and Works Engineering on N. 14th Street –are becoming a commodity for the growing motorcycle community in North Brooklyn. in fact, storage is almost like paying for insurance.
Brooklyn Moto also prides itself on maintaining a family atmosphere. Mayzler’s wife, Bessie is the shop’s service manager, bookkeeper and factotum. in short, she’s the glue that holds the business together. Whenever she’s not juggling customers and accounts, she can be seen taking care of little Myles Mayzler. Her attitude towards her job nicely sums up the philosophy of Brooklyn Moto. “It’s fun and challenging. everything can be learned and you learn something every day!”
Brooklyn Moto30 Conselyea Street215 N. 10th Street
