Topic: Anyone here got Formal Motorcle Mechanics Training??

[754]

I see Fuzzy does..

 Not so long ago a guy we hung around with, moved to Phoenix for about a year.. went to MMI..  did well there.. worked part time at a shop there.. then came back up here..

 Went on to become a fairly well known bike builder.. it was  cool at Bonneville seeing the guy whose shop he worked at part-time in Phoenix hanging around with him in the pits and working on the bikes..

Myself.. no training. never even took power mechanics in School..

[Soos]

Nope.
Have worked on cars/bicycles(adding motor(s))/motorcycles, anything else that rolls with some sort of power since I was old enough to hold a screwdriver.

The only "training" I had is motivation..... I want to go to "X" but "Y" vehicle is broken, and I could not afford to have it repaired.

Would be interested in hearing from someone who has though, and what areas in particular it helped them when it comes to bike maintenance/repair.


l8r

[Jonesy]

Heffay's an MMI grad. Mentions it quite a bit.

I've only had basic small engine training, as well as Briggs & Stratton and Honda service schooling, but nothing specific to motorcycles.

[JLeather]

I was ASE certified on a few things back when I worked on buses.  Nothin' formal on bikes, though, and the bus wor, was just to get through college and stuff.  Mostly I figure this out by doin it wrong a few times 

[hymodyne]

Nope.
Have worked on cars/bicycles(adding motor(s))/motorcycles, anything else that rolls with some sort of power since I was old enough to hold a screwdriver.

The only "training" I had is motivation..... I want to go to "X" but "Y" vehicle is broken, and I could not afford to have it repaired.

Would be interested in hearing from someone who has though, and what areas in particular it helped them when it comes to bike maintenance/repair.


l8r

Same for me. Been wrenchin' on bicycles, minibikes, lawnmowers, go-karts and cars as long as I can remember, out of curiousity and necessity.

hym

[KRONUS0100]

I took the online course offered by Thompson Education which was bought out by Pheonix University.  My Degree says Motorcycle Repair Technician.  I work part time for a guy who restores to stock the old CB's (125, 250 350, etc.).  Am also trying to get my small shop up and running.

[crazypj]

I teach at MMI Orlando.
 Had some Honda training in 80's (Honda UK)
PJ

[ken736cc]

I couldn't' t get a job as a technician (in the 70's) until I took some kind of training. I went to National Technical Institute in Maryland. it is similar to MMI. I think it is gone now. Along the way I became HondaPro certified and BMW Master Technician certified. Now I sell high performance parts at Orient Express Racing in New York

[bwaller]

Outta high school in 72 and into a ten month "pre apprentice" motocycle mechanics course at Centennial College in Toronto. Did some further Honda & BMW training while I worked in the biz. Worked as a mechanic for several years, those were the haydays so they say.....I can't remember!

I'm now an apple grower/maple syrup producer (AKA farmer) with a bike habit

[heffay]

Heffay's an MMI grad. Mentions it quite a bit.

I've only had basic small engine training, as well as Briggs & Stratton and Honda service schooling, but nothing specific to motorcycles.

now i feel like an ass 

oh well, its kindof a timekeeper for my life, ya know?  1998 i was at MMI, 2001 i moved onto college, way back in '93 i was dating that dumb #$%*... etc.

yep... graduated in 99 and continued to work for Metro Motorsports in Glendale, AZ then transferred to Town and Country Motorsports in Chandler, AZ.  ran from the biz in 2000 after having enough of the politics in the huge stealerships... "just get it running and out the door, i don't care if its fixed" is what i was told more than once.

i gave it another shot at Cycles of Boulder when i first moved here but that was short lived due to heading to college.
it was still a crappy place to work though and was bought out after i left.

i plan to open a shop someday but, for now, i'm content to only be working on my own stuff, my girlfriend's, my dad's, my stepmom's... basically stuff i don't get paid for

two friends that i've met w/in the past two years graduated from MMI 3 years ago... they were my neighbors and we started chatting one day about their harleys in front of the house and low and behold we went to the same school... only they paid 2 1/2 times what i paid for tuition!

oh!  and when the 350f started puking oil in paonia and the beemer shop hauled it back for me... a guy was out eyeballing it when i came to pick it up... he looked terribly familiar.  come to find out, we went to MMI together.

tis a very small world.

[kghost]

Liscensed A&P Mechanic with Inspection Authorization.....does that count?

[fuzzybutt]

Heffay's an MMI grad. Mentions it quite a bit.

I've only had basic small engine training, as well as Briggs & Stratton and Honda service schooling, but nothing specific to motorcycles.

now i feel like an ass 

oh well, its kindof a timekeeper for my life, ya know?  1998 i was at MMI, 2001 i moved onto college, way back in '93 i was dating that dumb #$%*... etc.

yep... graduated in 99 and continued to work for Metro Motorsports in Glendale, AZ then transferred to Town and Country Motorsports in Chandler, AZ.  ran from the biz in 2000 after having enough of the politics in the huge stealerships... "just get it running and out the door, i don't care if its fixed" is what i was told more than once.

i gave it another shot at Cycles of Boulder when i first moved here but that was short lived due to heading to college.
it was still a crappy place to work though and was bought out after i left.

i plan to open a shop someday but, for now, i'm content to only be working on my own stuff, my girlfriend's, my dad's, my stepmom's... basically stuff i don't get paid for

two friends that i've met w/in the past two years graduated from MMI 3 years ago... they were my neighbors and we started chatting one day about their harleys in front of the house and low and behold we went to the same school... only they paid 2 1/2 times what i paid for tuition!

oh!  and when the 350f started puking oil in paonia and the beemer shop hauled it back for me... a guy was out eyeballing it when i came to pick it up... he looked terribly familiar.  come to find out, we went to MMI together.

tis a very small world.

it's why i didnt last in dealerships for very long heffay

[Sam Green Racing]

Liscensed A&P Mechanic with Inspection Authorization.....does that count?

NO...go away Timmy 

Sam. 

[Jonesy]

Heffay's an MMI grad. Mentions it quite a bit.

I've only had basic small engine training, as well as Briggs & Stratton and Honda service schooling, but nothing specific to motorcycles.

now i feel like an ass 

oh well, its kindof a timekeeper for my life, ya know?  1998 i was at MMI, 2001 i moved onto college, way back in '93 i was dating that dumb #$%*... etc.

yep... graduated in 99 and continued to work for Metro Motorsports in Glendale, AZ then transferred to Town and Country Motorsports in Chandler, AZ.  ran from the biz in 2000 after having enough of the politics in the huge stealerships... "just get it running and out the door, i don't care if its fixed" is what i was told more than once.

i gave it another shot at Cycles of Boulder when i first moved here but that was short lived due to heading to college.
it was still a crappy place to work though and was bought out after i left.

i plan to open a shop someday but, for now, i'm content to only be working on my own stuff, my girlfriend's, my dad's, my stepmom's... basically stuff i don't get paid for

two friends that i've met w/in the past two years graduated from MMI 3 years ago... they were my neighbors and we started chatting one day about their harleys in front of the house and low and behold we went to the same school... only they paid 2 1/2 times what i paid for tuition!

oh!  and when the 350f started puking oil in paonia and the beemer shop hauled it back for me... a guy was out eyeballing it when i came to pick it up... he looked terribly familiar.  come to find out, we went to MMI together.

tis a very small world.

Sorry, Heff... didn't mean to sound like I was bustin' your chops or anything... 

Hey- If you look back fondly on those days, nuthin wrong with it!

[peten]

i do.  so does my brother.  together we went to MMI in Phoenix, from march 1991 to april 1992, graduated almost tops in class (missed by hundredths of a point; was the competition that tight, heffay? just asking.  most of the guys we knew and us were within two to three points of the tops.), and came out right in to the business.  opened our own shop in april of '93, and been doing it ever since.  arctic cat sleds and atv's since '96, and just got Suzuki's a month ago.

bro and i both ride sohc4's, he's got a '77 750k, mine's a '78 550k.

[heffay]

graduated almost tops in class (missed by hundredths of a point; was the competition that tight, heffay? just asking.  most of the guys we knew and us were within two to three points of the tops.),

it was our opinion at the time that most of the students were receiving some sort of A...  i remember in clinic 9 (electrical) i missed one point on the final test and missed acing the class while there was one other w/ that opportunity and he didn't flub it up.  he was the front runner in our class all thru every clinic. 

[Patrick]

I am more of a representative of the "Holy #$%*! It runs! How did I do that?" branch of the mechanical persuasion....

[kghost]

Liscensed A&P Mechanic with Inspection Authorization.....does that count?

NO...go away Timmy 

Sam. 

I did sam....

Now I'll go away again....bye

[Sam Green Racing]

No no no.  you've only been back 5 minutes, you can't go yet

Sam.

[Burke]

I have long thought of just up and leaving and going to MMI. But I have heard that if you do work at a dealership afterwards you spend quite a while being oil change & clean up boy before they let you do the money jobs. Is this true?

By the sounds of it the people here that have the training and that have done there own thing are way happier.

What is the average salary of a wrench at a dealership anyway??
 

[heffay]

i don't like working for the man... any of them.

that's why i own my own business. 

i'm much happier that way.

the big stealerships have one thing on their minds and it is to get things out the door.  service, parts and customer service are all lacking by this point and above all else, employee satisfaction... at least the shops i've been in. 

now, if you think i'm unhappy or wish i hadn't gone to MMI... no friggin way.  i'm not sure i'd go these days with their price of tuition but the knowledge is great to have whether you're in the biz or not.  besides, it got me out of kansas!   

[Jonesy]

I agree with Heff. Over 10 years ago, I was college kid working at a mower shop. Of the $45 per hour shop labor rate, I saw $7 of it (before taxes!).

[my78k]

"Formal" motorcycle training???

Does wearing a shirt and tie while I read through this website count???

Dennis

[sbc1320]

Started on lawnmowers, mini-bikes, motorcycles, and rebuilding car engines. Been putting car motors together since I was 15 -16 years old. I like to tinker and figure out how things are put together. Sometimes I think things are hard, then I think of the guy who invented those things. Took a lot smarter guy to invent it than just to fix it. Always had a passion for metal things including motors, old guns, welding, etc..

[fuzzybutt]

I have long thought of just up and leaving and going to MMI. But I have heard that if you do work at a dealership afterwards you spend quite a while being oil change & clean up boy before they let you do the money jobs. Is this true?

By the sounds of it the people here that have the training and that have done there own thing are way happier.

What is the average salary of a wrench at a dealership anyway??
 

yes it is true, but alot of dealerships also let you work hourly rather than job rate during that period. canton cycles where i worked did that for me. depends on the area you want to work in and make as far as salary goes. pretty fair amount of money working on euro bikes.

[heffay]

What is the average salary of a wrench at a dealership anyway??
 

i've been doing other things since 2002 but, when i was wrenching i was getting $17 flat rate hour.  i was also assistant managing the "PDI" department (pre-delivery inspection), basically setup post-build from the crate.  when i was in the PDI dept. i was getting something like 10 or 12 an hour.  averaged out it was around $12-15 per hour before tax.  i didn't think my wages were terribly bad for only being in the biz for a few years. 

by the way... not all shops separate the build from setup but often times in the bigger shops, bikes will sit for a year or more and you don't want to put gas and oil in and run them until they are purchased.  just depends on the shop. 

when i first started for metro motorsports i was doing all the deliveries.... i've been a "driver" for a lot of my life.  drive from glendale down to tempe EVERYDAY to pick up a truck and trailer full of bikes, quads, watercraft, etc. that the builder did for that day.  usually about 4 vehicles in the back of the truck and 4-10 on the trailer.  i usually hauled all the showbikes and stuff to the bike/car shows too... i had fun calculating each day the value of all the product on my truck... most i ever estimated to be in excess of $200k... very unnerving day when you consider that i was doing all of the tying down and untying and moving, etc.

it seems to me that management and sales make the most money.  or else they just buy big trucks and whatnots to impress people.  i've never really gotten to the bottom of that.
parts and service do the important stuff and usually get a fraction of what the other guys do... don't worry, all of these things i've learned and taken to heart... i'll be one of the good guys to work for 

[bwaller]

I worked as a mechanic at a large dealership in Montreal until 1975 and I know, that to a motorcycle store owner the money was in new unit sales. I don't imagine it's any different now. In this part of the world early spring was high time for sales. Every other aspect of the business would aid to that end, assembling, PDI's, installing accessories (the shop hired guys just for this job in the spring, freed up the mechanics to do our work) and the parts department pushed those sales of accessories, etc.

I also know the owner was happy if the shop showed a profit at the end of the year. And we were busy. I think the idea for the rest of the year was that the shop helped make money for the parts department, and lets face it there was big money in parts sales too. I was never comfortable knowing this.

There was a full time core group of people of course, but it seemed there was always a transient labour force in that business, so I think the wages were lower because of that. It's just the way the business worked. I will say too there was an attempt to offer good service in those days. I was paid an hourly wage and....basically starved, it was a long time ago.

Still in 75 I moved to Vancouver, BC and the scene was somewhat different, less population than in the east, sales weren't as brisk and I worked in a small business that laid more focus on the shop because he sold fewer bikes. It was a real "service department" and we made good service a priority. I worked for 45% of the shop rate. If I made a mistake I made good on my own time so you had to be careful, but if you were fast the money was really good.

A month after moving three thousand miles I averaged $400/week compared to $125 in MTL.  Not bad in those days.