I've loved Harleys ever since I was a little kid. I've never had the money to own one nor do I even know how to drive one. Heck, I don't know much about bikes except the differences between 2 and 4 stroke engines. I'm very mechnically inclined when it comes to cars but id much rather work on cars as a side job. That being said what can I do to be a Harley tech? I have a WyoTech here in the Bay Area and luckily have someone in my immideiate family I can move with in Arizona to attend MMI. What's the difference between both? Does the future for Harley look bright? I don't care much for making 100k a year I just wana be happy and be good at doing something that I would love to do. If the big bucks come then let it rain if not at least I'm happy doing what keeps me happy and busy
Best way to become a Harley-Davidson mechanic?
- Thread starter Gary L
- Start date
jasmine boycott france
New member
See if you can do an apprenticeship in tractor repair first.
Sorry, couldn't resist!
Harley are around for the long term I think, although they just sold off Buell and another company. Even if they aren't, there will be a lot of bikes around and people making money selling parts for keeping them going- but it's a very lucrative marque so you should be OK. You need to study general motorcycle mechanics and then look around for an apprenticeship.
Good luck!
EDIT: Sorry, can't comment on the two different qualifications, (am in the UK), but your best bet is to call a few Harley mechs you would like to work for and ask them what they think before you commit to one or the other.
2nd EDIT: @ Polar: where did I say I hated Harleys? I don't! That's an old crack, you should be used to them by now, eh? I also didn't pretend to be an expert on them, but no-one was rushing to answer the question. And if his question had been about wanting to work with a sports bike marque, would you have dissed anyone if they weren't Japanese? Harleys are all over the world, not just America. I have three friends who work on Harleys at mixed dealerships. I thought he may want that sort of work rather than necessarily being in assembly. Perhaps I misread the question in that sense.
I was very sorry to see Buell go, I would love a Buell one day. And as I said- Harley will be sticking around one way or another, they have a huge market. Happy riding, and keep the shiny side up!
Sorry, couldn't resist!
Harley are around for the long term I think, although they just sold off Buell and another company. Even if they aren't, there will be a lot of bikes around and people making money selling parts for keeping them going- but it's a very lucrative marque so you should be OK. You need to study general motorcycle mechanics and then look around for an apprenticeship.
Good luck!
EDIT: Sorry, can't comment on the two different qualifications, (am in the UK), but your best bet is to call a few Harley mechs you would like to work for and ask them what they think before you commit to one or the other.
2nd EDIT: @ Polar: where did I say I hated Harleys? I don't! That's an old crack, you should be used to them by now, eh? I also didn't pretend to be an expert on them, but no-one was rushing to answer the question. And if his question had been about wanting to work with a sports bike marque, would you have dissed anyone if they weren't Japanese? Harleys are all over the world, not just America. I have three friends who work on Harleys at mixed dealerships. I thought he may want that sort of work rather than necessarily being in assembly. Perhaps I misread the question in that sense.
I was very sorry to see Buell go, I would love a Buell one day. And as I said- Harley will be sticking around one way or another, they have a huge market. Happy riding, and keep the shiny side up!
being a Mechanic requires similar skills regardless of the machine you want to service. Lets assume you are wanting to work on bikes. All internal combustion engines operate on the same principal. The best training you can have is hands on. But don't jump in with both feet first. Try to tinker with small engine repair (i.e. lawn mowers) and see if you like it.
The schools you mentioned can give you some hands on plus credits for whatever degree they offer. That might help you become a tech at some point
The schools you mentioned can give you some hands on plus credits for whatever degree they offer. That might help you become a tech at some point
ninebadthings
New member
Yeah I loved harleys since I was a kid too.....then I road one and found out they were crap. The best way to become a harley mechanic is to buy one.
Below is my answer to a similar question.......MMI is THE ONLY school authorized and sponsored by all the major manufacturers!!!! WyoTech has motorcycle courses, but is not factory authorized. If you are looking to get into a shop as a technician, go to MMI, no dealership will hire you without formal training by the factories and don't recognize WyoTech as official training since they aren't factory autorized.
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
It is worth it.....if your heart is in it!!!
$25k is nothing for an education that can lead to a career. And the cost of tools......start out basic and build up as you go. I was at my last job for 2 years, a high-end custom dealership and I made $74k my second year on salary. I left there due to the economy's hard hit on the high-end bike sales, went from selling 200 units a year, to about 75. I have only been at my new job for 8 months, they initially wanted me to be a flate-rate tech, but I refused that, flat-rate is rushing to get the job done and out, rushing causes mistakes and costs you and the shop money.....I don't like mistakes, so I ended up signing an employment contract for $65k/yr for 2 years then a 10% raise bi-yearly after that.
I graduated HD's program at MMI in '91, spent 5 years at 2 different dealerships, left HD and went into building custom bikes, engines, and dyno tuning, R&D bike & engine builder for Titan and Stroker Cycles. Factory trained by Big Dog, American Ironhorse, Titan, Indian, S&S Factory for engines & transmissions, and have been to DynoJet's facility for certification on Dyno Operations and Tuning and, I just graduated MMI again in May...took HD Late Model for career updating....don't see too many Twin Cams at the custom bike shops. And the dealership I work for now, is sending me back next winter to get updated on the 2010 models.
The road to get where I am and farther is not easy and not cheap, but if bikes are your passion, it's worth it. I have seen people with skills better than mine fail at the business and I have seen people I wouldln't let fix my kid's tri-cycle make it big.......it's really all up to you.
Oh..and also...tuition re-imbursement from ANYONE is almost non-existant....in 20 years, i have never met anyone who found an employer to r-imburse them for their tuition. If you go to work for a dealer and they send you out for update training, they will pay for that.
EDIT: This is a reply to someone who answered a guy's question about getting a job at a shop by starting out changing oil and "apprenticing"......we are now in the 21st century!!!!......the age of FACTORY SPECIFIC COMPUTER SYSTEMS.....apprenticing just simply doesn't happen anymore....there is way too much technology and annual production changes for that without training............
"There is not a reputable shop in this country that will hire you with no experience to just change oil and learn from them. There are some bikes out there that if you don't know the procedure to bleed the oil system, you can fry the engine within a few minutes....YES THERE IS ACTUALLY AN ENGINE MADE MADE BY AN AMERICAN MANUFACTURER THAT REQUIRES YOU TO BLEED THE OIL SYSTEM, SIMILAR TO BLEEDING BRAKES!!! And, there is no way in hell you can learn on your own, the technical procedures for all the different makes and models of motorcycles...it REQUIRES EDUACATION AND TRAINING. I have been working on bikes since the late 80's, started with my Shovelhead and my friends all had Shovels, Pans and IronHead Sportsters, then I bought an '86 Softail with an Evo that had some extensive engine work done to it that needed some repair, although the bottom ends were almost the same, the top ends were a little different. It was at that point, I realized I could make a decent living do this, so I enrolled at MMI and graduated from HD's program in 1991, spent 5 years at 2 different dealerships, and then went into the custom field, I have built a couple BEST OF SHOW bikes, but super high-end bikes ($50k and above) are a royal pain the *ss to work on, ever been afraid to work on a bike with a $6,000 paint job or a $12,000 billet engine, due to fear of scratching it???...**** DOES happen, and eventually will!!! If anyone has ever dealt with a Big Dog or American Ironhorse bike, they know the electrics are not wired like old-school HD's...if you haven't been trained by them, you do not know what you are doing......Big Dog manuals are almost impossible to get by the public, if you aren't one of their dealers or svc centers...good luck...American Ironhorse doesn't (didn't) even make a service manual.
The new Harleys are all but impossible to work on if you don't have the HD Computer System called Digital Technician....ONLY HD Dealers have this system and the ONLY place you can get trained on how to use this system is MMI!!!
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
It is worth it.....if your heart is in it!!!
$25k is nothing for an education that can lead to a career. And the cost of tools......start out basic and build up as you go. I was at my last job for 2 years, a high-end custom dealership and I made $74k my second year on salary. I left there due to the economy's hard hit on the high-end bike sales, went from selling 200 units a year, to about 75. I have only been at my new job for 8 months, they initially wanted me to be a flate-rate tech, but I refused that, flat-rate is rushing to get the job done and out, rushing causes mistakes and costs you and the shop money.....I don't like mistakes, so I ended up signing an employment contract for $65k/yr for 2 years then a 10% raise bi-yearly after that.
I graduated HD's program at MMI in '91, spent 5 years at 2 different dealerships, left HD and went into building custom bikes, engines, and dyno tuning, R&D bike & engine builder for Titan and Stroker Cycles. Factory trained by Big Dog, American Ironhorse, Titan, Indian, S&S Factory for engines & transmissions, and have been to DynoJet's facility for certification on Dyno Operations and Tuning and, I just graduated MMI again in May...took HD Late Model for career updating....don't see too many Twin Cams at the custom bike shops. And the dealership I work for now, is sending me back next winter to get updated on the 2010 models.
The road to get where I am and farther is not easy and not cheap, but if bikes are your passion, it's worth it. I have seen people with skills better than mine fail at the business and I have seen people I wouldln't let fix my kid's tri-cycle make it big.......it's really all up to you.
Oh..and also...tuition re-imbursement from ANYONE is almost non-existant....in 20 years, i have never met anyone who found an employer to r-imburse them for their tuition. If you go to work for a dealer and they send you out for update training, they will pay for that.
EDIT: This is a reply to someone who answered a guy's question about getting a job at a shop by starting out changing oil and "apprenticing"......we are now in the 21st century!!!!......the age of FACTORY SPECIFIC COMPUTER SYSTEMS.....apprenticing just simply doesn't happen anymore....there is way too much technology and annual production changes for that without training............
"There is not a reputable shop in this country that will hire you with no experience to just change oil and learn from them. There are some bikes out there that if you don't know the procedure to bleed the oil system, you can fry the engine within a few minutes....YES THERE IS ACTUALLY AN ENGINE MADE MADE BY AN AMERICAN MANUFACTURER THAT REQUIRES YOU TO BLEED THE OIL SYSTEM, SIMILAR TO BLEEDING BRAKES!!! And, there is no way in hell you can learn on your own, the technical procedures for all the different makes and models of motorcycles...it REQUIRES EDUACATION AND TRAINING. I have been working on bikes since the late 80's, started with my Shovelhead and my friends all had Shovels, Pans and IronHead Sportsters, then I bought an '86 Softail with an Evo that had some extensive engine work done to it that needed some repair, although the bottom ends were almost the same, the top ends were a little different. It was at that point, I realized I could make a decent living do this, so I enrolled at MMI and graduated from HD's program in 1991, spent 5 years at 2 different dealerships, and then went into the custom field, I have built a couple BEST OF SHOW bikes, but super high-end bikes ($50k and above) are a royal pain the *ss to work on, ever been afraid to work on a bike with a $6,000 paint job or a $12,000 billet engine, due to fear of scratching it???...**** DOES happen, and eventually will!!! If anyone has ever dealt with a Big Dog or American Ironhorse bike, they know the electrics are not wired like old-school HD's...if you haven't been trained by them, you do not know what you are doing......Big Dog manuals are almost impossible to get by the public, if you aren't one of their dealers or svc centers...good luck...American Ironhorse doesn't (didn't) even make a service manual.
The new Harleys are all but impossible to work on if you don't have the HD Computer System called Digital Technician....ONLY HD Dealers have this system and the ONLY place you can get trained on how to use this system is MMI!!!
If you are in school or college STAY IN and get the books out and get some academic qualifications.
NOW is not a good time for HD; It is yet to be known if the company will actually be in a manufacturing position in the first quarter of 2010.......
IT is UNLIKELY that any NEW bikes are to be built in the near future. There are 3,000 possibly more positions within the company which are unstable. This does not mean that there will be 3000 mechanics looking for jobs, but the skills base is broad.
What is prevalent in the current market that there are a number of franchised dealers accross the world that are suffering, More in the USA than in any other country; They are shutting their doors permanently and going it to receivership... This is where it is going to effect you; The only work you are likely to get in the near future is unpaid intern work with little oportunity of getting onto the full time payroll either.
The closure of these dealerships will lead to a surfeit of qualified and capable mechanics Fitters and Technicians all looking for work and all applying for the jobs with a greater chance than you.
Do the motor vehicle courses you are looking at Even consider doing them back to back if you can find funding to do so. Get mates freinds family and strangers to sponsor you for tools and equipment; don't buy them on credit plans.
Beg Borrow or sell your granny to get hold of an engine even a whole bike. Get the paper manuals Read digest and starting from the front axle TEACH yourself how to do each and every task:
DONT STRIP THE BIKE into 1,000,000's of bits and rebuild it; Do simple jobs remove and replace adjust and fix, you will learn a whole lot more this way. and you'll still be able to push it in and out of the garage or from one shop to the next when your internships end ONE DAY and i do mean ONE DAY it will fire on its own, and the picture of your smile and the feeling inside will be worth it..
Good luck.
PS start small, But start with a road bike and one that is complete no major bits missing or broke.
If it has to be a HD then so be it at least the engine is simple to work on.
PPS When doing your internships get a signed agreement from the owner / proprietor that you can "pick over" the scrap parts bin, this way you can collect usable bits which you can remanufacture or use to save yourself huge bills. NEVER RESELL any parts as you will not have the liability to support this; but you could offer them back to the "BOSS" he may give you something for it
NOW is not a good time for HD; It is yet to be known if the company will actually be in a manufacturing position in the first quarter of 2010.......
IT is UNLIKELY that any NEW bikes are to be built in the near future. There are 3,000 possibly more positions within the company which are unstable. This does not mean that there will be 3000 mechanics looking for jobs, but the skills base is broad.
What is prevalent in the current market that there are a number of franchised dealers accross the world that are suffering, More in the USA than in any other country; They are shutting their doors permanently and going it to receivership... This is where it is going to effect you; The only work you are likely to get in the near future is unpaid intern work with little oportunity of getting onto the full time payroll either.
The closure of these dealerships will lead to a surfeit of qualified and capable mechanics Fitters and Technicians all looking for work and all applying for the jobs with a greater chance than you.
Do the motor vehicle courses you are looking at Even consider doing them back to back if you can find funding to do so. Get mates freinds family and strangers to sponsor you for tools and equipment; don't buy them on credit plans.
Beg Borrow or sell your granny to get hold of an engine even a whole bike. Get the paper manuals Read digest and starting from the front axle TEACH yourself how to do each and every task:
DONT STRIP THE BIKE into 1,000,000's of bits and rebuild it; Do simple jobs remove and replace adjust and fix, you will learn a whole lot more this way. and you'll still be able to push it in and out of the garage or from one shop to the next when your internships end ONE DAY and i do mean ONE DAY it will fire on its own, and the picture of your smile and the feeling inside will be worth it..
Good luck.
PS start small, But start with a road bike and one that is complete no major bits missing or broke.
If it has to be a HD then so be it at least the engine is simple to work on.
PPS When doing your internships get a signed agreement from the owner / proprietor that you can "pick over" the scrap parts bin, this way you can collect usable bits which you can remanufacture or use to save yourself huge bills. NEVER RESELL any parts as you will not have the liability to support this; but you could offer them back to the "BOSS" he may give you something for it
Polar bear
New member
Go to MMI,..bottom line. Harley has been around for over 105 years and has weathered every economic storm and this one is no different. Somebody's got to keep 'em running in top shape; might as well be you. MMI is factory supported and sends the guys (and ladies) back in sometimes twice a year for new model updates. I find it interesting that someone that hates harley so much is yet another self appointed authority on all things harley but doesn't even live in the U.S. and couldn't possibly know anything more than whats on the internet and the papers. (such reliable information sources..... not) Stick with an American point of view: its been the best way to go for well over 233 years.
I agree with Polar Bear, even though things look bleak for our heroes behind the bar and shield, this is not the worst they've seen. I admit, I'd like to see them do some things different but copying some imports and winding up with a bike where the customer would be lucky to get his down payment on a resale isn't one of them.
All my friends who have shops of their own ( mind you, they've all worked for dealerships for a while) only use MMI graduates.
There will always be a market for custom bikes. I once heard, and have come to believe that no education is a wasted endeavor.
Good luck in all you do.
All my friends who have shops of their own ( mind you, they've all worked for dealerships for a while) only use MMI graduates.
There will always be a market for custom bikes. I once heard, and have come to believe that no education is a wasted endeavor.
Good luck in all you do.