Motor Oil Cafe - European Motorcycle Shop

Minnesota has a coffee shop for every sub group of every sub genre of human being. If you're a celibate Latvian orthodontist with a fetish for stinky feet, you can find a coffee shop that caters to you. Even so, the Motor Oil Cafe is something special-at least if your particular kink happens to involve exotic European motorcycles. The Motor Oil Cafe is part of the Trackstar compound. Trackstar Motorsports, located at 2610 East 32nd Street in Minneapolis (612/729-9391), is one of the largest European motorcycle shops in the Midwest. It carries Bimota, Cagiva, Ducati, Laverda, Moto Guzzi, MuZ, MV Agusta, Triumph and Yamaha. Trackstar started as a small Moto Guzzi shop in Anoka, but it has grown into its present location, which is turning into a shopping mall for motorcycle-related products.

Being the newest addition to that mall, it's no surprise that the Motor Oil Cafe has a motorcycle motif. Antique signs decorate the place, and one wall consists of windows overlooking the Trackstar showroom. You can sip your coffee while gazing at rows of Ducatis, Triumphs, Moto Guzzis and Yamahas. Nothing like a bank of 996 headlights staring you in the face to help metabolize that caffeine. Overhead, Speedvision wafts from a big-screen TV. A garage door opens to a terrace.

Originally conceived as a comfortable place in which riders could hang out while waiting for their bikes to be serviced, the Motor Oil Cafe has evolved into a comfortable place riders can just hang out for no reason in particular. The large parking lot and easy access make it a convenient destination for riders from around the metro area, and the industrial setting means loud pipes won't scare the locals.

To find the Motor Oil Cafe, take Minnesota Highway 55 (Hiawatha Avenue) south from I-94 to the intersection of 32nd Street. Turn east and ride across the railroad tracks, then pull into the parking lot on the north side of the street-that would be the one with all the motorcycles.-Darwin Holmstrom

Motor Oil Cafe
2610 East 32nd Street
Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612) 728-8657
Hours: 6 a.m.-11 p.m. (Monday-Saturday) 7 a.m.-10 p.m. (Sunday)