Piston & Chain

I came upon Piston & Chain by accident, seeking ”Ugly Venus”, but found this Absolute Gem of a Club. I thought it was a British Pub [Ugly Venus] like the Old, ”Rose & Thistle” [long gone] on California Street betwixt Van Ness and Polk nearest my digs. .
Piston & Chain is a Club, but not Brew & Spirits. ‘Tis a Motorcycle Club! Good’O! .
Erica and Jason are the Lively Proprietors, and give non-​judgmental oversight with quite a bit of spot-​on technical expertise. .
Dr. Mum is quite the wrencher [not wench] for a proper Lady. Dr. Mum is ably assisted by ”Laif” [a, as A] the Nordic Thespian [His real Profession] as Shop Guiding Angel on All the do’s and dont’s of DIY motorcycle repairs at P&C…most days. .
Laif is quite an accomplished technician, even sans a formal apprenticeship in Motorcycle Mechanics. He learned the hard way… Trial and error. As did I, to pay for my schooling. .
I affectionately call the proprietors ”Dr. Mum” and ”Uncle”. Dr. Mum makes a proper pot ‘O Tea [PG Tips, NO Monkeys], Fridays at 3 of the Clock… or whenever Mum’s in her usual good cheer! As to Uncle, we don’t see much of ‘em. He is quite occupied with harvesting the Green to keep up the Club. .
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Help ol’ Uncle out… tell ALL your motorcycle Buds to join up! Drop in and chat with Erica or Laif for the many, many Club personal advantages and programs. .
Back to the nitty-​gritty. .
When you join up @ USD 59. each and every month [automatically billed to your preferred plastic token]. There is motorcycle parking available at the annex for USD 100 per month… billed as the Club dues. .
Club membership permits you to drop in 6 days [Tuesday-​Sunday] after 12 of the Clock, Till 8, most days… excepting Sunday, till 6. What else is there to say! .
Drop in for a chat and look see. In the Club Fridge, there are soft drinks for a pittance [honour system] and an occasional brew for the over 21 members, not riding. .
I hope to see you’all at Piston & Chain very soon!

A very informal club. As a member, you can work on your motorcycle and always have help somewhere in the room. The club endeavors to have someone who is a better mechanic than you to guide you as you attempt a repair you had previously been afraid to try. There are no meetings per se (you know, the ones where the Sargent at arms takes roll call). But they often have speakers to introduce a new product, talk about the race they won, or to show slides of their trip to South America or Mongolia or whatever. Every day there will be people hanging out and ready to share a beer as the problems of the world are discussed. Some days there is tea at 3 PM. You can store a bike, change oil, change a tire, or rebuild your engine. All the tools, know how, and beer needed to complete the job are right here

Once upon a time I had less work, more motorcycles and loved the feeling of doing some wrenching with cool results, but living in an SF condo I had no place to do this. Then I heard about P&C! It’s like the garage anyone would want… It’s a male or female hacker space for motorcycles. Friendly and helpful people are what makes it special. You don’t need a bike to hang out, but it helps if you do.
Furthermore, if you have a motorcycle and you want to either learn or conduct a repair or upgrade yourself, P&C is worth getting to know. They’re gonna be there to help you handle EVERY repair or upgrade, so you can feel accomplished.
And, there are many events, group rides, hands-​on training, and venture biking talks among other things. Not just wrenching on scooters.
Now that I am working more I’m wrenching less. But, I’m always welcome at P&C. And that is worth a lot of bitcoin.

This place is awesome, great idea and concept. Motoaddicts come together to share a good time, help each other, work together and build/​fix

Its a self repair shop
Its a new & used gear and apparel retail
Its a membership club and lounge
Its a place where those people who love, live and like adventure that motorcycles gives them
Its a place where you find everything you never knew you always wanted
Your Welcome San Francisco

Piston and Chain is a community that a motorcycle enthusiast can only dream about. Erica is super welcoming and very passionate about the community and their needs. I am not local to SF but when I wanted to run some ideas by the community, they were all too eager to welcome. This is a very passionate community of riders of all experience levels open to ideas and lot of sharing. Matt the other owner, was super helpful on helping me evolve my ideas. This would be my waterhole had I been living in SF.

Awesome concept for city riders looking for a place to work on their bikes. For someone like me that doesn’t have a garage, my only option before joining P&C was to pull my bike apart in the street. More than just a shop, this club offers a relaxed atmosphere where you can meet other cool riders from around SF. They host an open house every Wednesday eve, so be sure to stop by and check it out!

I love this new place! The concept is great: Join the club, come by and do whatever you’d like. Either hang out and chat with fun people or work on whatever you need on your bike.
The people there are always incredibly nice and helpful, and the tools are very high quality. Highly recommended!

I stopped by today and met Erica, the owner. She was charming and extremely devoted to the culture at the shop. The floor was beautifully laid out with Ducatis, BMWs and Triuumphs from the 60’s and 70’s. I’ve got a basic membership and am really excited to see what they have in store for lectures.

Piston and Chain is an utterly unique endeavor. It enables experiences for motorcycle enthusiasts in their community garage. I’m new to riding and have found a welcoming, enthusiastic community of motorcyclists since becoming a member.
A few of my favorite things:
1. Community garage — all the tools and equipment you need to work on your bike. If you are a newbie like I am, it’s a really supportive space to work and learn along the way. If you are an olé’ pro at the art of motorcycle maintenance you’ll find comrades discussing the finer points of maintaining, building and fixing.
2. Clean, airy industrial space with giant leather couches that’s cool to hang out in. I live in SOMA so it’s basically an extension of my place!
3. Workshops by pros (how to change your tire!). Become a DIYer!
4. Engaging events with other motorcycle enthusiasts. Think people who ride crazy RTW trips with minimal gear, pro-​racers, industrial design heroes, etc… there is always someone interesting presenting at Piston & Chain.
5. All types of motorcycles are welcome — dirtbikes, racing, bobbers, vintage, café racers, etc. — it’s a really cool blend of folks.
Added bonus:
Ogle (and buy) really hot vintage motorcycles and some pretty spiffy gear.

If you’re looking for a local SF M.C. that has a mean age of less than 50, this is the place to go. Always a good crowd, nice gear and bikes, fair shop for getting the wrenching done in a helpful environment.
Watch for the events and talks. Have seen some of the best and most interesting talks of my life in this very space.
–Cd

Poseurs need not apply. Everybody else, stop by and marvel at the awesomeness of the farkle for yourself.

This is a candy store for motorcycle enthusiasts. San Francisco has needed a place like this for a long time and these people nailed it. I just bought a membership and I can’t wait till they are able to sell some of the amazing bikes they have on display.

Awesome club to work on bikes and hang out with cool people. They have beautiful motorcycles on display (some will be for sale soon). You can also get some fine goods (Mission Workshop backpacks, etc).
Make friends with Erica (one of the owners) and you might score an awesome cup of tea.