Motorcycle Repair: training, mmi school, mc repair

Question
My son graduates highschool this year and is looking into motorcycle and small engine repair as a career.  He has always been interested in cars and motorcycles and has done a lot of work on them himself over the past few years.  We have been looking at the MMI school (may be associated with the one  you attended) in Phoenix and Orlando.  It is very expensive and we are wondering if it is worth the expense.  What were your experiences and what can he expect as an average pay from this job market?  I realize this will vary state to state and probably not so good in our state, North Dakota.  I would appreciate any and all advice you can provide on this subject.

Carla
carlaraeb@email.com

Answer
Hi Carla,

My opinion is for your son to learn a career that will yield a decent annual income, provide steady work, with benefits and retirement plan. Learn a solid career in another trade and then learn about MC's and repair them at home as a hobby income.

MC repair is a great pleasure and exciting, especially with American Chopper and Jesse James' TV shows.

In Ohio, the average pay for a tech in a dealership is about $12-$15 per flat-rate hour or about 20%-30% of the flat-rate. I know of one shop that pays it's techs 50% of their flat-rate. Flat-rates in my area are about $40-$50 per hour. During winter months, techs may endure lay-offs with unemployment benefits. It's hard to support a family, mortgage, and daily living expenses.

Example: A tech gets paid 3 hours time for a tune up. The flat-rate is $40 per hour. The idea is do become efficient enough to perform the work in less time than paid. Oftentimes, the tech runs over the time due to a variety of causes. A reason shops will not work on MC's over ten years old.

Shop owners receive the remaining percentage of flat-rate. Shop owner's usually do well with a couple of techs in their service depatrment producing income for them.

Contact AMI and inquire about what techs earn across the USA. They can give it to you state by state. MMI may be able to offer the same intel.

Respectfully,
Mark Shively
Dayton, Ohio