I'm considering going to Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. Any feedback would help!!!!!!!!!

I would think it would be a great career, you could even open your own shop,have plenty of customers as long as you don't screw people like the dealers do on labor charges.

Tom

I agree with Tom!!! If you cover the snowmobile, jetski angle, you'll have a lot of business out there........:banana:banana:banana

Go for it, if you are sure thats what you want, you don't want to be paying for loans if you don't use the information you learned.

NO! i went to UTI (the automotive one) and it was a big waste of money. i would recommend that you just get a job at a shop and learn as much as you can. youre getting paid and learning real world stuff. maybe take a community college class.

I would love to do the MMI school..

If I were ever so lucky win the Lottery I would go then open a shop and enjoy being able to do my own thing.....

MMI is in my future as well. Looking to sell my house this year an move to Phoenix. I need a career change. My current job is killing me. I want to fix Harley's and work at something I love. MMI is the way to go. Been to the school in AZ twice and have decided that's what I'm going to do. Wife is ready to move already. Trying to put my house up for sell in the next month. Hope to see you there!

If that's what you want to do, I say go for it. Just make sure it's what you want to do. You don't want to kill your love for bikes and working on them by making that your career. I used to enjoy building and working on computers. Now that I have a degree and have been doing it for 6 years, I don't really care for it that much. It kinda takes the passion out of it.

MMI in my opinion is a big rip-off. We hired a guy who had went to MMI for almost 2 years. had all the credentials on paper that he should. He knew NOTHING about working on bikes. He could change a tire and stuff like that but give him a build where it required anything more than just bolting on chrome and he was worthless! Worst part was he owed something like $20,000 in loans and nobody would hire him. MMI grads are everywhere now and expect to start out making around $10-12 an hour after you graduate.

You are married I can see, children also? Can you guys live on that kind of wages plus pay back the loans? Even starting your own shop is no guarantee you will do okay. Most folks will only take their bikes to the HD dealer as they think that does something for their warranty.

MMI in my opinion is a big rip-off. We hired a guy who had went to MMI for almost 2 years. had all the credentials on paper that he should. He knew NOTHING about working on bikes. He could change a tire and stuff like that but give him a build where it required anything more than just bolting on chrome and he was worthless! Worst part was he owed something like $20,000 in loans and nobody would hire him. MMI grads are everywhere now and expect to start out making around $10-12 an hour after you graduate.

You are married I can see, children also? Can you guys live on that kind of wages plus pay back the loans? Even starting your own shop is no guarantee you will do okay. Most folks will only take their bikes to the HD dealer as they think that does something for their warranty.


Hmmn :rolleyes:, that sucks. Most shops advertise a requirement of MMI too. It's a dog eat dog world out there.

I am sure they do make it a requirement now but are they willing to pay back your student loans or give a fair wage to compensate for how much you paid for the schooling. The only reason they can get away with making it a requirement is because there are so many MMI grads out there looking for jobs.

It just irks me so bad to see a HD shop charging $75-80 an hour labor but pay their mechanics less than $20 an hour. I pay my mechanics either 50% or 75% of a job depending on their skill level.

So Dan, is there a good school for motorcycle mechanic training?
Besides OJT? (on-job-training for those who didn't know)

Is Wyo-Tech any good?

I know that the Army uses KTMs, so they should have their motorpool guys trained. Would think they do in-house training as it is cheaper for them.

Its realy up to you but a friend of mine sold his house and moved to Orlando to go there. He graduated at the top of his class.....its been 3 years since then and he has had 2 low paying jobs at independant MC shops in FL. He paid cash for his school from a trust fund and pretty much feels like he just flushed it down the toilet. Just be careful and take the time to weigh the results of all possible outcomes. Part of his problem is ( I think) that he stayed in FL and well....the place is loaded with bike shops and all the people on the East Coast that want to work in them. Whatever you decide......good luck.

Its not about a good school. It is about what the schooling will provide you after you graduate. Motorcycle Mechanics are a dime a dozen lately and the pay flat out sucks. I'm not sure how old you are but a motorcycle mechanic is not a good paying career change if you are older and hope to make a decent salary.

Its not about a good school. It is about what the schooling will provide you after you graduate. Motorcycle Mechanics are a dime a dozen lately and the pay flat out sucks. I'm not sure how old you are but a motorcycle mechanic is not a good paying career change if you are older and hope to make a decent salary.

Totally right. Not to rain on your parade but the marketplace is not too hot right now. I have a buddy that went to MMI, has the factory PHD training and over ten years of experience. He got laid off two months ago and is still looking for a shop that will pay him more than 10$ an hour. The motorcyle craze is looking to be over for now:( I just don't want you to get disappointd later. But maybe you can be the exception, good luck with your career. maybe consider a 4 year university and get a more marketable career, then open your own shop down the line.

Best of luck to you.
DC

Anytime one can advance their knowledge and enjoy it at the same time....I say "Go For It!"

The indy I use out here(Arizona) went to MMI and is doing good now. He has his own business and only has him as an employee. It was tough for the first couple years. Right now he has to schedule appointments ahead of time.
The key is findiong the right market and hetting your name out there.

I think it could be a great start if you paired up with some like minded people, had money to stick with it, and started your own shop. You would need to stock parts, accessories, and have the tools to tune a bike properly in a timely manner.

I'm not sure I understand the question. Most people who start a business doing what they love soon learn that they get away from what they started out to do. What I mean is you spend more of your time running your business an less time doing what you got into the business for. I say, if you thirst for knowledge, go for it. But if your intention is to own a shop, go to business school. Then you can hire all those MMI guys for $10.00 per hour.

Well heres my opinion... I guess their are mixed views. I go to MMI right now. If you love bikes and working on bikes Id say do it. Its the only form of college I have done that I LIKE going to. If shitty pay right out of school is going to hold you back you should not go. Their is so much information at this school its not even funny. I already knew how much first time techs make and its not holding me back because eventually I am going to be a custom bike builder. So shoot for your dreams... Dont let any of the haters on here bully you around. Do what is right for you.

I say, go for it. It's like any other trade. Just because you go to the school, one shouldn't expect to make top pay right out of school. I did a four year electrical program and upon graduating as a Journeyman I didn't make top pay immediately.
If it is something you want to do..... go for it!!

Was a similar thread on another forum recently. These guys seemed to be more in line with what Dan is saying, then again there are more actual motorcycle mechanics (educated via school or hardknocks) on that site too, so that could be why they're saying similar to what Dan is saying.

http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13760&highlight=mmi

Gazza

I was signed up ready to go to MMI in orlando and I decided that it wasn't for me. That was four years ago. Now in less than six weeks I will graduated with a BS in Industrial Automotive Technology and a Manufacturing Technology minor. The thing is that yes I could turn wrenches for the rest of my life but that isn't it. It is that you have this overwhelming pressure to fix the "vehicle" right the first time as fast as you can so that you can get a good turn around. I like working on "vehicles" but it just didn't seem right. So I went with this degree where they told me I could get a R&D job, yeah right maybe ten years down the road, but I have learned so much more than just fixing cars. I have learned about management, machining, welding, scheduling, and time management. To me this was worth more than the know how to fix one particular brand of bikes. The question you asked can truely be answered by one person and that is you. We can say go this way or that way but we can't decide for you. Good luck in what ever path you choose.

Greg S.

I recently decided to go to MMI. I work right now as a supervisor and tile setter and I make $30 an hour. I know I won't get near that turning wrenches, but my body can't take the abuse of construction for much longer. I'm lucky, my lady is just finishing up nursing school, so we have enough income to cover the school and set us up decent when I'm done. I guess it's a matter of doing something you love. If you love working on bikes, you'll make it work for you, even at $10 an hour. That's my opinion.

Oh, I'm also getting my contractor's license before I leave for MMI. There's nothing wrong with being skilled in two trades!

I went to MMI and loved it. But, i dont currently work in a shop, and probably never will unless its my own. I loved Phoenix, the people at school were awesome, met some of my best friends there. However, it is really expensive and shops dont pay squat. I learned a lot at MMI, but in the first week of real work at a shop, i learned more then i ever did at MMI. So, i loved the experience. It was just plain fun. didnt even have a car down there, rode the hell outta my sporty. hell i even met my fiance at mmi. So, sure, you could start out workin at a shop and learn as you go, but you wont have the experience of goin to school and doin somethin totally different hardly any other people get to do. The instructors are alright, got to dyno my bike for free. partied my ass off. got a foot in the door at both a dealership and an aftermarket shop less then a mile from my house. just turned out it wasnt for me. i hate the average harley rider to be honest. there yuppy scum, all there in it for is the fad, the look, the chrome. i couldnt stand the clients. now i work on all my friends' and family's bikes, including my own of course. and its a skill i couldnt have gotten from doing anything else. NO REGRETS FOR MMI!!!!!!!!!!!

Well heres my opinion... I guess their are mixed views. I go to MMI right now. If you love bikes and working on bikes Id say do it. Its the only form of college I have done that I LIKE going to. If shitty pay right out of school is going to hold you back you should not go. Their is so much information at this school its not even funny. I already knew how much first time techs make and its not holding me back because eventually I am going to be a custom bike builder. So shoot for your dreams... Dont let any of the haters on here bully you around. Do what is right for you.

I agree

I have a high paying job in healthcare IT and the stress is killing me. I stand to make enough money to pay all my bills and MMI when I sell my house. When I interviewed at MMI they told me not to look for work in Arizona as the job market is full there and in Florida. I'm not going to look for work in those states. I've lived all over the U.S. and there are a lot of nice places to live that are less expensive than California. I don't mind if I make less money if I have a job that makes me happy!

I don't mind if I make less money if I have a job that makes me happy!

That's about how I feel.

My vote is if they have to advertise so much like they do they are proabably a rip off. If money wasn't a problem I would just go to the school so I can work on my own bike lol. The school is probably good, just too expensive for the little amount of schooling.

GO! It won't teach you everything, but it will be a good basis to build on...

I work in the auto repair business, and we get these guys from time to time that went to a big time school, some are good, some were useless.

I would think if I were wanting to get a good education in Harley repair, I would try to go to the Harley school itself, but I believe you have to work for a dealer had they have to send you.

Another route is to find a shop willing to take you on as an apprentice, were you learn to work, get paid to work all under the watchful eye of a master tech.

Check out what the pay in the industry is. Then work out how long it will take to pay for the cost of the course.

KongBastard

The only thing i can say is the Real world experience beats bookwork every time.