Trying to decide which online motorcycle mechanic school to choose

[Omar]

Does any body know if Penn Foster or Stantford is better? I have seen these in the atv magazines.

[underpowered]

neither. An online school won't do much in teh real world. you cannot truely learn how to work on a bike withoug hands on experience. they can tell you what to do all day, but when it comes to actually doing it is a different story.

[400EXTRA]

i agree

[Omar]

Well I want to learn the basics so I can start building a foundation, what would be the best way to start learning?

[suzukigirl]

wouldn't the schools help you do that...learning hands on is always the best way

[SRH]

not even mmi is worth it, the shop will still only hire you to setups and around thats 7 or 8 bucks an hour, try to get into parts or setups, they will hire you if your persistent enough then you go from there no one walks into a shop and starts out diagnosing problems and tearing down engines

[underpowered]

Originally posted by SRH
not even mmi is worth it, the shop will still only hire you to setups and around thats 7 or 8 bucks an hour, try to get into parts or setups, they will hire you if your persistent enough then you go from there no one walks into a shop and starts out diagnosing problems and tearing down engines

well some do, i started as a mechanic at the cycle shop i work at now, started right off doing full rebuilds on engines.

but for the basics, just look for a cycle shop that is hiring and start at the bottom. start with set ups, then watch the mechanics and eventually you will probably start doing other task. just watch and learn. at the shop i work at, the mechanic is very help full and if a customer wants to learn something, he will let them jsut come down and watch him work and he will show them how to do simple stuff on their bikes like adjsuting valves, timing, carburetor work and so on. Hands on is the only way to learn. a book will guide you, but you still have to have the motor in front of you to work on it to gain experience.

[Ron89]

Originally posted by SRH
not even mmi is worth it, the shop will still only hire you to setups and around thats 7 or 8 bucks an hour, try to get into parts or setups, they will hire you if your persistent enough then you go from there no one walks into a shop and starts out diagnosing problems and tearing down engines
I can't stand it when people hire parts guys that have no experience with diagnosis or motors. You ask for a tranny rebuild kit or something and they give you a blank stare. I can't count the number of times I had to go back and order another part because someone messed up.

Like everyone else said, go and get your hands dirty...learning how to do something is one thing, learning the technique is another. Everyone has to start at the bottom (except you rich kids) so I would just suggest getting a job anywhere in a garage. Even if you have to sweep floors or something, I'm sure you can watch a technician work or help him out time to time.

[1fst400]

I started out by going to the dump and taking lawn mower engines apart to see how they worked when I was in 5th grade.

Now im in 12th grade and am prety good around motors. I basicly taught myself. Im still learning alot tho, I think I may want a career in mechanical work. Just not shure which field yet.

[wishmasstir]

i took the penn foster class (used to be education direct when i took it) back in high school. the courses explain a lot and give you many situations for each exercise, they encourage you to actually do them hands on as you go through the book. it was a good course and they send you tools you need to do the exercises your learning. this would give you better knowledge than most of the guys at the dealerships around here at least lol. i took this course to boost my own knowledge in motorsports, not towards a career in it

[underpowered]

Originally posted by Ron89
I can't stand it when people hire parts guys that have no experience with diagnosis or motors. You ask for a tranny rebuild kit or something and they give you a blank stare. I can't count the number of times I had to go back and order another part because someone messed up.



well i work in a shop, have for a while and have been around bikes all my life and honestly if you asked for a tranny rebuild kit i would not know what you mean. for a car yes i could get you a rebuild kit, but for quads, no there is not "kit" to rebuild the tranny. you have to buy it piece by piece.


but i do know what you mean. two guys that work at the shop with me have no idea about how to work on bikes or quads. they cannot diagnose anything really, and are always asking the mechanic in back simple questions. he hates it, but at least the one guy is trying to learn.

[Omar]

Well The reason that I want to take the course is one for hobby and as a side job because I already have a full time job, but because I also love quads and dirt bikes.

The problem around here is that there aren't many guys that like working with specs or that understand the true concept of what they are doing.

I am tired of people that work based on fables and stories and not with hard on facts. There aren't any good motorcycle shops here besides Harley Davidson and of course the drag guys but they are always busy.

[firefighterjosh]

Get your self a Clymer manual and ask questions on this site.

Just as good as any online school IMO