Motorcycle mechanics certified or not?

[GrinningGun]

Well I'm pretty good at working on anything, but engines, and tranny's as far as bikes go. I can even mount, and balance my own tires which nobody I know does. Other than that the next thing I have the least knowledge about is hydraulic brakes. My old Honda 250 had drums, and cables so no hydraulics there.
I doubt there's anything on a motorcycle I couldn't grasp.

Anyway was looking at going to AMI. According to my reading it's the only school in the US thats recognized by Harley Davidson. I also know that any Harley under warranty has to be worked on by a certified mechanic or else the warranty goes bye-bye.
Anyway I figure most of you here who work on bikes (I know there are a couple) probably learned the old way. Just by working on enough of them. I figure the school could teach me a lot though, and they go into really tuning engines for performance.
It's 9am to 5pm monday-friday for 5 months in daytona beach Florida. So a nice scene although that's really a lot of school. My father is talking about opening a custom bike shop so thats one reason for going. Yet even if he doesn't they have job placement, and I'm sure good bike mechanics get paid more than $6 an hour. Especially if you work on Harley's.

[63DH8]

Originally posted by GrinningGun

I'm sure good bike mechanics get paid more than $6 an hour. Especially if you work on Harley's.

Motorcycle mechanics get paid the lowest of the professional mechanics. You'll be better paid if you open your own shop instead of working for someone else.

[mriddick]

HD certification isn't a big deal unless you want to do warranty work. I know of few bikers who will go in for the $500+ first time oil change most dealerships and shops charge (LOL) except maybe the wannabe yuppy types who feel the 1 year warranty is worth getting raped over. IMO the real money is working on the older bikes the HD shops and dealerships pefer to pass on, around my neck of the woods the 3 HD dealerships won't touch anything older then a EVO motor and there's plenty of guys needing old iron, shovel and pan heads worked on. My guess is we have about another 5-10 years before they won't work on a EVO either. I agree with 63DH8 you gotta get your own shop to make the bucks but I'd find an old mechanic to intern under for a while to build up the little tricks of the trade and build a following to make your own shop a success.

Be perpared it ain't alot of fun when you're working on bikes when everyone else is out riding them. No one seems to bring them in when it's too cold to ride but everyone wants their's in time for bike week :)

[63DH8]

One of the first things you'll want to get is a hot water pressure washer. Trust me, you'll find working on a clean engine and bike easier than a dirty one. The second thing is an old dishwasher that you can toss small parts into to clean.

[The FNG]

Originally posted by 63DH8
Motorcycle mechanics get paid the lowest of the professional mechanics. You'll be better paid if you open your own shop instead of working for someone else.


That's the God's truth.

After 15+ years I made the transition from cars (European) to HD, about 13 years ago . I was stunned at what mechanics weren't being paid @ dealerships.

I went the independent route..........

It took more than 8 years for me to begin to make the kind of money I had been making.

Where's Bowie when we need him?

[Bowie]

Originally posted by The FNG
Where's Bowie when we need him?

Right here! First off, stay the hell away from AMI. They're a rip-off. When I was the service manager at a large H-D dealership, I wouldn't even talk to someone with AMI credentials. If you really want to go to school, go to MMI. They have campuses in Orlando and Phoenix. From what I've seen of the graduates from any of the schools, you're still going to be dumber than a box o' rocks when you graduate, and will need a lot of OJT before you're really going to be worth much to any dealership. If, on the other hand, you intend to go into an after-market shop and work on the older bikes, don't waste your money on any of the schools. They don't really teach anything older than the Evo. Too, there's a big difference in working on the bikes they have at the school and what you run into in the real world.
Don't plan on making much money at a dealership as a beginner. Depending on the area, you'll be lucky to get $10 an hour, and that'll probably be based on book time for a job. What that means is that if Harley has determined that it should take two hours to do a job, you'd get paid $20 for doing that job, no matter how long it takes you. If you can get it done in an hour, you'll have made $20 per hour, but if it takes you four hours, you'll have made $5 per hour. Most newbies can't touch book time for a few years, so wages can be pretty lean. You've either got to be crazy to be a Harley mechanic, or ya' really love the bike and can't think of doing anything else.

[Bowie]

Originally posted by mriddick
My guess is we have about another 5-10 years before they won't work on a EVO either.

Hell, I didn't want to have to take anything in for repair older than 1990, five years ago, when I was Service Manager at a H-D dealership. Ya' just can't make any money on an older bike that's been rode hard an put up wet for so long. The bike has been jerked around by its owner so much, by then, that nothing much is stock anymore, but the customer wants to be charged as if you were working on a new, stock bike. I would quote jobs so high that the owner would gladly take the bike to one of the after-market shops. My mechanics loved me for it, 'cause they knew that they'd never make any money working on 'em.

[The FNG]

Originally posted by Bowie
You've either got to be crazy to be a Harley mechanic, or ya' really love the bike and can't think of doing anything else.


There it is...........;)