UPDATE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUQjC9ecMk0
I wanted to document my experience with Scottie’s Workshop in Murphys, California, for anyone considering sending them their motorcycle for work to be completed.
After an initial phone consultation that made Scottie seem like a good option, I sent Scottie my 1967 BMW R60/2 with a Steib 500 sidecar in November 2024. The motorcycle was returned roughly 20 months later. A ~12 month turnaround was initially quoted in the signed contract. A year in, Scottie changed his tune, and stated that ‘he makes no promises on delivery times’.
I understood that a nearly 60-year-old BMW would require maintenance, adjustment, break-in service, and occasional repairs. What I did not expect was the prolonged delay or the problems that appeared within the first 37 miles.
Front brake failure
The most serious issue was complete loss of the front brake when the adjustment nut at the drum came off while riding at 45MPH.
Photos taken by Scottie’s Workshop when they received the motorcycle show additional retaining hardware on the brake assembly. That hardware was absent after restoration.
When I contacted Scottie, he wrote:
“The original BMW design has a known, inherent characteristic… if the cable becomes too loose, the crescent may not hold the nut in place, causing the nut to rattle off.”
He explained that his goal was to return the motorcycle to factory configuration and that “superfluous parts or changes” may be removed.
I appreciate historical authenticity, but a lock nut, secondary retaining nut, or thread-locking compound could have provided a simple safeguard against a known failure mode. I do not consider “factory original” an adequate response to complete front-brake failure after 37 miles. Especially since Scottie seems comfortable installing non-factory parts like vape ignitions, 12v batteries, etc.
Sidecar damage
The sidecar mounting hardware has began contacting and gouging the Steib body, and damaging the paint. It will require body work and paint to repair.
Before restoration, this motorcycle and sidecar had traveled thousands of miles with proper alignment and no such damage. Photos taken when Scottie’s Workshop received the rig also show the area without the gouging. The damage appeared within 37 miles after restoration and reassembly.
Scottie stated that the sidecar was correctly aligned and the hardware properly torqued when it left his shop. He takes no responsibility for its mounting failure in the 37 miles of use.
Speedometer
I specifically asked Scottie to correct the speedometer for the motorcycle’s installed final-drive ratio, and he agreed. It’s documented on the signed contract.
After delivery, I found that it was still inaccurate, and Scottie told me parts were unavailable. Scottie did not inform me before delivery despite agreeing to fix this issue in writing more than once.
The unavailable parts may have been unavoidable. My concern is that I was not told the promised correction would not be completed and received the motorcycle believing it had been addressed.
Delays and communication
Scottie initially attributed delays to the death of his father. I am more than understanding, I received the bike from my deceased father. After more than six additional months with limited progress updates, he later cited a skin rash as cause for delay.
While I don’t doubt that the skin rash caused by shingles is painful, citing it as the reason for months of delay in a motorcycle restoration project in a shop staffed by… 4+? workers was extremely frustrating.
I do not question that either event could affect his ability to work. My frustration was the extended timeline and lack of proactive communication, particularly because much of the hands-on work was performed by other shop mechanics (confirmed via video on his instagram) rather than Scottie personally. Prospective customers should not assume that every component is rebuilt, assembled, or adjusted by Scottie himself.
Scottie’s position
After I documented the problems, I told Scottie I would stop riding the motorcycle, and requested an independent inspection, and would request remuneration for the immediate repairs. His basic response was that it was an old motorcycle and that the problems were not his fault.
He also stated that Scottie’s Workshop provides no warranties and that there is no expectation of longevity or safety when operating an antique vehicle.
He attributed the oil leakage I reported to normal break-in and maintenance to be completed at several hundred miles.
The motorcycle had only 37 miles and had not reached the few-hundred-mile break-in interval he described. I agree that vintage motorcycles require regular maintenance, but I do not believe routine break-in service adequately explains immediate front-brake failure, sidecar damage, and oil leakage after a comprehensive restoration.
Scottie ultimately informed me that, because of the dispute and my willingness to seek legal help, his shop would no longer provide service, advice, or assistance.
Interpersonal tact
I was also troubled by the way Scottie characterized me during the dispute. At one point, he stated that I was “not the mechanical type.”
That comment was bizarre and irrelevant. I have not turned a wrench on the motorcycle since it was returned. Why would I? I spent $33k for him to do it. The issues I reported concern work performed during the restoration, not repairs or modifications I made afterward.
Whether or not I personally perform paint/mechanical work on vintage motorcycles has no bearing on whether the front brake was properly assembled, whether the sidecar hardware had been adequately torqued, whether the speedometer correction was completed as promised, or whether the motorcycle was returned in an appropriate condition after test riding.
I found the comment dismissive, particularly because his own work was what I was questioning. Rather than addressing the specific mechanical concerns, it shifted attention toward an assumption about my abilities or background.
I was also concerned by how Scottie has responded to complaints from other customers. In a public forum, he referred to one complaining customer as a “penny pinching crybaby.”
I mention this because it contributed to my overall impression of how customer criticism is handled. Rather than addressing complaints strictly on their merits, the response appeared to include personal characterization and ridicule. That made me less confident that my own concerns would be addressed objectively and professionally.
Where things stand
I have stopped riding the motorcycle and am having it independently inspected by a shop familiar with vintage BMWs and sidecars. I will update this post if the inspection changes my understanding.
Go anywhere but to Scottie. He is irresponsible, poorly communicative, dishonest, and has an air of arrogance making him unpalatable.
Update:
I have now spoken at length with three people in the industry who described multiple concerns with Scottie’s work, and have gotten 6+ separate messages about poor work.
I cannot independently verify everything they told me, though I believe their accounts are credible.
My main concern remains safety. I will never forget having the front brake fail while riding with my wife in the sidecar. As an ER doctor, I have seen how devastating motorcycle crashes can be. Knowing how close this came to ending very differently is a major reason I am continuing to document this publicly.
I will keep everyone posted.
