Who on thunpertalk is a motorcyle mechaninc?

[agd123]

So im a senior in highschool and son enough im going to have to choose what i want to do with my life. im a fairly average student. A's and B's the occasional C cuase english blows..anyway. ive been thinking about going into criminal justice. but i think about it and if i choose that id be sacraficing something i love to do. and thats ride my dirtbike. and then i thought about becoming a motorcycle mechanic. i thought of this while i was working on my bike one evening. any minute i get im looking at it cleaning it working on it. so im stuck between two careers and both to me seem that they would be really fun jobs that i would enjoy doing. but if anyone is a MM i have a few questions about your career that i can ask through pms if you dont feel comfortable posting them or you dont even have to answer them. just a few little questions. thanks a lot guys. (and the occasional girl ?? )

[mwagner01]

Think long-term, what you'll do, where you'll work, etc etc. The mech's up at my shop get 25-35/hr, and the shop charges 80-90 hr. Yes, they have a lot to pay for, but they're also making good money off what the mechanic does.

I dont know what you want to do in criminal justice or what it pays and involves, so I cant compare the two real well.

Most of the mechanics up at the shop are under 30. One jet ski mechanic is almost 38 or something, but his back is so bad from working in skis that he's quitting and moving up north to retire and plow snow....

A lot of guys there have left when they get a "real" job that can support a family, house, etc etc. 30/hr = 60000/yr if you're working full time all year. Around here, that'll barely cut it for a house, family, cars, etc. Criminal justice may be more of a career.

Now, use your mechanic skills to start your own company or work for some R&D company, and they may pay more. I think a job with PC would be sweet, getting to play with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bikes and parts. Sounds like fun!

Remember, you have time to figure it out. With some training you can become a mechanic and work at that while you're still in school, and see where that takes you. Might be a good intermediate step to something bigger, or it could turn into a fun job and then you'll move onto something else.

I'm just going into college and have no idea what I'm going to do. I'm going to own my own business, no question about it, but I'm not sure what type of business it's going to be. Right now I have a decent lawn care company and I really enjoy it, but I'm not sure I want to do that forever. You have to do something you enjoy, or else you'll hate 5/7ths of your life..

[PumkinFest]

What was said above is true, bike mechanics dont get paid much and usually they stay until something better comes along. If you really are dedicated to being a bike mechanic, set aspirations for managing or owning a shop, thats where the money is. Otherwise perhaps BMW, Ducati etc shops may pay alittle better.

[yzfjbw323]

Damn if $30 is a poor wage. I must be in the welfare line.

I make way less than that..And manage to have a nice house, 3 cars and a new bike for me and each of my 3 kids..Life must be expensive in Michigan..

[Spooner]

I know very few motorcycle mechanics that make a 'good' living-normally paycheck to paycheck type stuff. Part of that is probably poor money management, but around my area its tough to make much more than $30k a year wrenching unless you are at a higher end shop.

[Aaron_Silidker]

Unless you are some freak, working on other peoples stuff in a shop will be far far less enjoyable than working on your own stuff at home. In a shop you are working on what is sometimes total junk, it is dirty, you are rushed, etc.

Avoid if you can.

[dmoney1074]

+1... Go for a stronger career and wrench on your own time. It's much more fun when it's yours and you can take your time!

[KWJams]

+1... Go for a stronger career and wrench on your own time. It's much more fun when it's yours and you can take your time!

I agree?

Most mechanics I know love working on motorcycles but rarely have time to work on their own stuff.

If you want to be a mechanic and earn a decent living I would get into heavy equipment, diesel, aircraft or a high end dealership where the customer doesn't consider part of the pleasure of ownership is wrenching on their own stuff.

How many people wrench on their own new cars or trucks? Not many because they have become so complicated and specialized to work on that the average shade tree mechanic can't do much more than an oil change while motorcycles owners see wrenching their own stuff as a hobby.

[Aaron_Silidker]

Work on planes. They are required to get high end work done, good work is looked highly upon (and required!) and I hear it pays well.

[Zadok]

Something I dont think was mentioned here unless I just missed it.

If you are working on other peoples bikes all day, it MAY cause you

to no longer enjoy your current hobby. I wouldnt think coming home

and continuing the same work you have done all day would be very

enjoyable. I guess other mechanics here would have to speak up

about that.

As far as long term career. I would go after whatever it is that I

really was interested in. Then figure out how to make as much

money as possible doing that work. As far as mechanics go, probably

not a real high pay range. I think some here that have mentioned

30-35hr must be in a higher cost of living area. Around here where

I am, 10-15hr is more like it. I wouldnt want to live on that. I have

before, but I dont want to.

Just try to separate your hobby from your work, at least in my

opinion. I think you will possibly ruin your hobby if it becomes

a money earning venture.

[THBigE]

So im a senior in highschool and son enough im going to have to choose what i want to do with my life. im a fairly average student. A's and B's the occasional C cuase english blows..anyway. ive been thinking about going into criminal justice. but i think about it and if i choose that id be sacraficing something i love to do. and thats ride my dirtbike. and then i thought about becoming a motorcycle mechanic. i thought of this while i was working on my bike one evening. any minute i get im looking at it cleaning it working on it. so im stuck between two careers and both to me seem that they would be really fun jobs that i would enjoy doing. but if anyone is a MM i have a few questions about your career that i can ask through pms if you dont feel comfortable posting them or you dont even have to answer them. just a few little questions. thanks a lot guys. (and the occasional girl ?? )

Just remember that all these hourly wages are per flat rate hour. So if you don't produce or complete a job you get nothing til you finish. If you take six hours to finish a job that pays three hours you only get paid for three. It pays to be fast and have NO comebacks(jobs you screwed up the first time). I've see comebacks eat a mechanic alive trying to go so fast to make money and not doing it right or half ass and having to do it twice.

[Wayward Son]

ive made a fine living at it.

but ive taken the appropriate steps to seperate my self from the average technician.

i no longer work on flat rate/commision but it wasnt that long ago that i was.

if you are mediocre,you will make a mediocre living.

there are plenty of careers where you can be a average performer and make the same living as someone who is above average.

working on motorcycles isnt it.

if you have any mechanical skill at all i suggest going to the local shop and trying to get hired up as a set up guy or whatever.

i hire real experience over "MMI graduate" any day.

just to put it in perspective,i was making $30k+ per year when i was 18.i had been working in a shop for 4 years at that point.

[Wayward Son]

Just remember that all these hourly wages are per flat rate hour. So if you don't produce or complete a job you get nothing til you finish. If you take six hours to finish a job that pays three hours you only get paid for three. It pays to be fast and have NO comebacks(jobs you screwed up the first time). I've see comebacks eat a mechanic alive trying to go so fast to make money and not doing it right or half ass and having to do it twice.

but if it pays 3 hours and you do it in 1.5 you still get paid 3.

fast and correct makes you money for sure.

my lead guy flags double the time hes actually at the shop.

meaning if hes only working 40hours per work hes flagging at least 80 hours.

now on the other end of that ive had guys that struggle to break even.

[lessthanevan]

I love how people knock MMI grads. I would hire a MMI grad in a sec over a guy who just wants to do set-ups. I went to MMI. I Make 36k a year. Im only 23. I love every day of it! Do what you want, money isnt everything in this world dude. Sure i could make a killing being a doctor or a lawyer but its not my passion. Do what YOU want.

[SBRacing]

I am a hourly Ford truck Tech.. good diesel mechanics are hard to come by .. most truck shops pay well..

[superslyko]

Dude,

Lot's of good info here. I'll agree with 90% of it. One things for sure, I used to enjoy working on bikes/cars all the time. Got a job doing it for a living.......... took all the fun out of it.

Nobody cares more about your stuff......... than you.

[THBigE]

but if it pays 3 hours and you do it in 1.5 you still get paid 3.

fast and correct makes you money for sure.

my lead guy flags double the time hes actually at the shop.

meaning if hes only working 40hours per work hes flagging at least 80 hours.

now on the other end of that ive had guys that struggle to break even.

Ed,

I totally agree with you and I should have mentioned that. For alot of them its a struggle in the beginning. You have to find that shop that can feed you those hours too. Not all shops are run the same, and I would imagine in these poor financial times its harder and harder to find a shop thats capable of keeping those hours in the rack for the mechanic.

[Wayward Son]

tough times with out a doubt.

[125shifter]

I love how people knock MMI grads. I would hire a MMI grad in a sec over a guy who just wants to do set-ups. I went to MMI. I Make 36k a year. Im only 23. I love every day of it! Do what you want, money isnt everything in this world dude. Sure i could make a killing being a doctor or a lawyer but its not my passion. Do what YOU want.

Good point - do what you ENJOY.

If any of my boys gravitated toward wrenching, I'd first of all help them build personality then business skills then tech (probably already there). A good, personable wrench is the guy set up for owning his own shop and building great lists of clients. And, just like healthcare, there's always a need for wrenches.

[scalejockey]

I did the bike shop wrencher for a few years right after high school.(I was raised in a car shop) I burnt out quick on the whole,"race the clock work on junk", flat rate thing.I now do some work out of the garage for friends {with} beer!

Bike work is good for the young,but think bigger for the long run.

And get all the free education you can while your still in high school!!!! Like math and electronics!!! I still use that electronics class today.