European Motorcycles, Inc.
 Restoration and Repair in Redmond
As you ride down the Red-Wood Road between Redmond and
Woodinville don’t be surprised if you see another rider braking with
the left foot. Just north of 124th is the home and
warehouse where long-time Puget Sound resident Steven Giblin has set
up shop to service popular brands of vintage European motorcycles
such as pre-1982 Triumph, Norton and BSA.
Prior to 1975 most motorcycles manufactured in England arrived in
the U.S. with the shifter on the right and the rear brake located on
the left side of the frame. Taking a walk through Giblin’s shop is a
throwback to an era long since past. You’ll see a classic Triumph
three-cylinder Hurricane parked between a cherry 70s BSA and one of
a handful of beautifully-restored Nortons. Of the twenty-five plus
bikes we saw in the shop on a Saturday afternoon in October, only
three had left side shifting.
 Born
in Minnesota, Giblin had his first brush with motorized two wheels
when he built a mini bike using a motor from a snowmobile at age 10.
In 1969 his family moved to the Northwest and Giblin took a job at
the original Renton Honda store as a lot boy doing some work in the
service department. After high school, Giblin went to the Cycle
Institute of America in Colorado where he learned the finer points
of motorcycle mechanics.
Upon returning to Seattle he went to work for Dewey’s Cycle on
Capitol Hill on and off from 1974 to 1995 where he graduated to
General Manager. While at Dewey’s, he acquired his first British
bike, a 1966 BSA 441 Victor.
After two decades with Dewey’s, Giblin scraped together all the
resources he had and opened European Motorcycles, Inc. in Seattle’s
north end. Within two years EMI had outgrown the location. Property
was purchased in Redmond and the business moved to its current
location in 1997.
"Most of my customers are between 45 and 85 years old," says
Giblin. He says the baby boomers are retiring and either
resurrecting their father’s old ride from the back of the garage or
dusting off their old bike set aside when work and family took up
their riding time. Are there new customers to the British bike
category? "I have this one guy who’s a CPA in Bellevue in his mid
30’s, and he’s got 17 Triumphs!"
Giblin’s specialty is restoring and maintaining bikes from the
past – offering the service needed to bring Grandpa’s old classic
that’s been rotting behind the shed back to life and return it to
its natural beauty.
Ebay has also been a boon to his business, although Giblin calls
eBay a "frightening place." According to Giblin, the bikes coming
from eBay often take more money to fix than they were
purchased for, but eBay is one of the only place some of these rare
bikes can be found.
Currently, Giblin’s focus is on Coventry and Meridan (pre-1982)
Triumphs and Nortons. While he does some work on them, the older
Ducatis come into his shop rarely and he doesn’t work on BMW.
 On
his
website, Giblin sells many specialty, hard to find tools for
those working on their bikes at home. However, he doesn’t just sell tools. Giblin has tapped into his vast experience and designs and
manufactures some of the tools he sells (as well as uses), such as
his unique Triumph valve cover/inspection cap wrench.
Photo: The Rocker Box and Inspection Plug
Tool - a Giblin original
With all the bikes in his shop in various states of restoration,
the future of vintage British bikes seems secure, but Giblin is
concerned. "There are fewer of us around," he says when asked about
others working in his field. Motorcycles have changed so much since
he was first trained, and many of the new generation of mechanics
don’t know how to work on these old bikes.
With the growing number of eBay bikes, baby boomers and fewer
vintage mechanics around, Giblin finds himself "doing everything"
these days. But with his shop fully equipped with five service bays,
and plenty of hand, power and machining tools, European
Motorcycles, Inc. is more than capable of handling the demand.
In fact, his recent work can be seen at the shop and often around
town, since many of his customers are active riders. It is a rare
first Wednesday of the month that goes by when members of the
Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiasts are not gawking at another of
Giblin’s resurrections outside the club’s meeting in Georgetown.
From repair and metal work, to rebuilding and his secret cleaning
process, Giblin does it all in top-flight fashion. Next time you
see a rider braking on the left side of his classic Triumph, don’t
be surprised if he tells you Steve Giblin is his mechanic.
TM/Fall 99, updated by Patrick
Duff/Winter 07
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