Combustion Cycles

Hands down the worst shop I’ve ever dealt with!!! Brought these guys a Honda cr250 dirt bike rebuild. First told me 3months and $ 2300 which was a little steep but figured they would get it done right so I went for it. They rebuilt the suspension which is TERRIBLE and They sent my motor out west which they ruined my top end so we had to get a new one. Guess who paid for it?! that’s right this guy! Then 7months later I finally get the bike back and it runs for a few then quits. Of course it wasn’t there fault! He just gave me a bunch of excuses on what he thought was going on and blamed it on the carburetor?! Which I already had payed him to rebuild as well. I get the bike back out the shop and this time it runs but not how it should so I take it back again cause at this point the $ 2300 we agreed on has now turned into $ 2800! Figured third time is the charm! Get the bike to the track where again it ran but not how it should, it just would not get up in the power band. Then the exhaust that I had him repack completely blew out! So at this point I take it back again! Figured a shop owner should stand behind his work. I know I would if it was my work. Instead they call me and tell me I just need a new exhaust. The new exhaust was $ 320 and he called to tell me they would need $ 400 deposit to get things started plus he would have to charge me for another carburetor tuning! You would think at this point a shop owner would just want to make things right but not these guys. I got sick of giving these guys money and not seeing any outcome of it. So finally a year later and $ 2800 down I go pick my bike up which they wheel out to me with a box of parts and send me on my way HAHA WHAT A JOKE!!! These guys are just a bunch of arrogant pricks that want your $$$$$$ and could care less about the out come of your bike!!!

The problem these days with not being on social media as much (including Unilocal) is that from time to time the places that I’ve gone will slip my mind. «Where did I eat last weekend?» «What did I do?» Jeez, how did people actually do things before the check-​in function? My bad, a digression.
Location: 3 out of 5
From where I live, everything is essentially «30 minutes away» and Combustion is no different. While they aren’t the closest shop to me for repairs (Jockey’s is), they are one of the closest shops to get a state inspection done. From work in the RTP proper, I can get to this place in about 15 minutes.
Customer Service: 3.5 out of 5
If the staff seem a little brusque at first, consider the following: a) Based on what they sell and what they do (including scooters and service), they can be swamped from a work and resource perspective so time and efficiency are of the essence, and b) Based on what they sell and what they do AND the types of people that might be attracted to said items and services, they can be swamped and inundated by people who can be less socially aware than say, customers who know exactly what they need and want walking into Garcia Moto. This is not intended as an insult, it’s just a consequence of Combustion’s operations. Everyone that I meet there is business-​like at first, but once things settle down a bit and we get to chatting, they’ve all warmed up nicely to me, much like the Seca II. Congrats if you know the reference to that bike…
Efficiency of Safety Inspection: 5 out of 5
I do understand that it doesn’t take a whole lot of time to do a safety inspection on a unfaired sportbike, but from the time I parked by bike to the time they were done, it was about 15 minutes. While I was at it, they did a chain adjustment and a lube quickly and didn’t try to gouge me on it from a financial perspective.
Value: 4 out of 5
State inspection fee was about 12 or 13 bucks, chain adjustment and lube was 20% of the labor for a new chain install (which is more or less fair since I would have spent at least 15 minutes after I got home setting up my stands, adjusting my chain, and then slowly lubing it.
Variety of Used Bikes: 3 out of 5
I spent a full year + living in Milwaukee where Road Track and Trail regularly offered 300 — 400 used motorcycles at any given time. This establishment is NOT a mega warehouse facility, but every time I’ve gone just to browse, they have a handful of cruises from model year 2000+ onwards, a handful of sport bikes from model year 2000+ onwards, and three or four «special bikes» of varying vintages that are special either because of rarity in model run, or because they’ve been tastefully customized. If you’re in the market for a motorcycle, they’d probably always have something if you’re a brand new rider (think 300cc and below cruisers/​standards and sportbikes), if you’re into niche bikes (think nice café racer projects or ‘nicer’ European sportsbikes), or if you tend to gravitate towards what’s referred to these days as midweight cruisers (between 650 — 1100cc). I don’t know that I would come here to add to the bike stable, and because I’m fairly picky about what bike (s) I like riding, I don’t know that I’d ever just trade in my current ride, but you never know. This is likely an impossible task, but keeping the website up to date to reflect current inventory would be helpful, but realistically quite time consuming.
Overall: 4 out of 5
For speed and pricing of a state safety inspection, I can’t see myself going anywhere else. Used bike pricing is what I would consider to be fair, and the upward trend in customer service as time goes on is appreciated.

I had a great experience at Combustion. I needed a 50cc scooter, and the guy helped me pick a bike that I would like. Having never driven a moped before, he even let me crash his test bike all over the parking lot with a quick lesson so I could become at least skilled enough to not crash my brand new scoot immediately after buying it, which probably would have happened. It was a great way to start moped riding for me, especially because I was kind of nervous to dive in.

Updating to improve from 2 to 3 stars. I have gone back to them for some routine maintenance and diagnostics for more serious problems. No complaints. So, I’m not sure if there is a better place to take your bike in the area, but the most I could say is I wouldn’t warn you away from Combustion.

In May, my husband decided that we should get some scooters. As Durham makes parking more restrictive and more expensive, scooters seemed like a great solution. I was on board, solely because I think they are cute. I was in. We visited another shop first. The staff there was nice, but not really helpful. When my husband asked if we could try out a scooter, we were told, no. Basically, they would order the darn thing, we would pick it up, and be on our own. Scary.
In comes Combustion Cycles. We had met the owner a while ago, but had not thought about cycles including scooters.. . they do. We decided on a Genuine Buddy 50. They have sexy vintagey colors are just plain cute. The best part? Dave spent time with us on a crappy shop scooter they had. We did not have to dump our sexy scooters to learn to ride. Dave was patient and taught us about the scooters.
My husband took to his scooter like a duck to water. I have not been so lucky. I dumped mine (in my driveway,) and shook my confidence. I scarred her pretty face and was too scared to get back on her. I went back to Combustion yesterday and Dave went through the lessons with me again on the beater. I have my confidence back. I practiced some more in my cul de sac last night and rode my girl to Crossfit today. Yah!
If you are thinking of buying a scooter, check out Combustion.

The owner contacted me and asked me to change my review because it made him look bad. He did nothing to change my mind or offer condolences for the bad service I received. He made me feel like it was my fault for his bad shop. Reinforced my original review. Stay away.

DO NOT GO TO THESE PIRATES!!! Bought a scooter from these people. I asked them to tune it after having done almost all of the upgrades myself. 7 weeks later it still was not done. All they were capable of is repeated, lame excuses. After having it for 7 weeks they ran the bill up to $ 700 and still had not completed the job! I picked it up and took it someplace that not only actually knows what they’re doing but VALUE customer service. They didn’t offer to reduce the bill one cent even though I had bought the scooter from them. These people are full of BS and haven’t a clue what they’re doing. Save yourself the headache and time and stay FAR, FAR away!!! I wish I could give them negative 5 stars!!! Read the other posts in here and you’ll see there’s a trend. They are HORRIBLE!!!

Stopped by today to look for a helmet and jacket. The rep was super friendly and was happy to help me out. I only give them a 4 because their jacket selection is a bit lacking. The few jackets they did have were nice, but I was looking for something sportier. They did offer to order them in for me, but I figured I’d just order it myself.
Helmet wise, they have the full line of Bell helmets, so a better selection than the jackets.

I recently bought a Sym Wolf Classic 150 from Combustion Cycle. These guys are great to work with– not pushy, not just out to make the all mighty buck. I recommend them to anyone who is in the market for a scooter or motorcycle.

Great selection of Bell helmets, in fact I think it’s the only place in the triangle where you can find them! Very helpful and friendly staff, and they have an eclectic collection of motorcycles and scooters for sale. Also, one of the associates is a veteran so they offer a military discount!

We had an exceptional experience here on a busy Saturday afternoon. Jason was extremely patient with us, even though we had a ton of questions and even though we weren’t familiar with scooters or motorcycles at all. There was absolutely no hard sell at all — it was clear they were interested in sending us away with the scooter that would be best for us, along with ensuring that we would be safe (helmet!) and secure (big chain!)
I would enthusiastically recommend these guys if you’re in the market for a scooter.

I bought my first-​ever scooter here and couldn’t have had a more pleasant experience. I had been to several other shops around the triangle and so I had an idea of what I wanted (and what I didn’t want), but I still had loads of questions. I was greeted warmly, all of my questions were answered, and I got to take the model I was considering buying for a test drive. I left feeling super happy with my scooter purchase, along with a helmet that was more practical than pretty, a lock for my scooter, and a great feeling of having not only picked the right scooter for me, but the best place to buy. Awesome experience, start to finish. I can’t imagine how much patience it must take to sell a scooter to someone with no clue at all what they’re getting into. But I LOVE my scooter and now I love Combustion Cycles too!!!

I have not bought from Combustion Cycles yet but I do want to comment on their customer service which I recently experienced a few days ago.
My husband and I are looking for a 50cc scooter. Neither of us have ever owned or used two-​wheeled motorised vehicles so you can imagine we have lots of questions about owning one and running one. We had done some research ahead of time and were deciding on a particular model. Then off we went to Combustion Cycles.
I was very impressed with the customer service that I experienced. I’m sorry I didn’t get the sales person’s name. We told him we were interested in a particular model (which I’m not naming here since I’d rather not spread bad information about a scooter company). The salesclerk who is an official dealer of that brand said since this year that model has not been very reliable due to changes in manufacturing, so he shifted our attention to another model that they also carry. We spent a long time talking about scooters, 2-​stroke vs. 4-​stroke, accessories and so forth.
We haven’t bought anything from Combustion Cycles yet. At this point we are looking at another model but I’m not sure Combustion is able to carry the model but I hope so. Another scooter dealer in Durham does carry that brand officially but my experience with that other dealer (Triangle Cycles) was very poor.
Anyhow, kudos to Combustion Cycles for spending the time and effort in introducing two scooter neophytes to the world of scooters! Very awesome service at that level!