Clutch Moto is a friendly moto-themed cafe in Bayonne, NJ. I really like the chill, unpretentious vibe there and have visited twice while on solo moto trips to visit friends in the Garden State. It’s a business run by a biker but you don’t have to be a biker to enjoy it.

IIRC, the young owner is originally from California and he started the cafe with his wife after a stint in NYC working a job in fintech. His goal was to bring some of the SoCal moto scene to a metro area where there’s surprisingly few businesses that cater to motorcyclists.

Why Bayonne? He said the city was a good location for a business like his because rent is relatively inexpensive while being an easy ride from NYC. Bayonne is also close to highways that bikers use to get to the good riding north of the city.

During my first visit, I chatted with a group of four bikers who had just returned from a group ride to Bear Mountain so the Clutch strategy is definitely working.

The menu is pretty limited but the coffee is solid. The cafe is host to a number of moto-community events that sound fun and that I hope to check out in the future.

In NYC, the only place I know of that’s similar to Clutch is Jane Motorcycles. Jane is cool too but it’s a fashion store first, cafe second, At Clutch, the coffee and community come first.

Clutch has a better mix for me personally, but as far as I’m concerned, the New York area could use more of both.