career being atv mechanic

[bone705]

i was wondering if anyone does the for a living and what they think of it? i really enjoy working on quads. im thinking about going to a tech school for it. Is it a field to go into? whats the average income?

[Jay300ex]

Yes it is a career. But it's not so much an ATV mechanic. You'd goto school to be a motorcycle technician, which includes dirtbikes scooters and ATVs. Starting pay out of school is like a minimum of $27,000 a year. The more you know, the more you work, the more you get. My boss (I work in a shop, I havn't been to school yet though) has been in the shop for 8 years now, he is the head mechanic and the shop manager. He brings in about $100k a year, but is a workaholic.

It depends on you.

Try looking up AMI ( American Motorcycle Institute ) and ATI - MMI (American Technical Institutes - Motorcycle Mechanics Institute

[JUSTINcredible]

this is what i am going to school for next fall, but i have yet to make up my mind between two schools.

[bone705]

what schools are u looking at?

[JUSTINcredible]

Hennipen Tech and MN Central Lakes tech.

both are in Minnesota

[Ryan]

Im going to a school called Boceeses next year to learn Car or Motorcycle mechanics. (Not sure if they have Motorcycle mechanics.......) Then from there I might go to another school for Motorcycle mechanics...... Where ever it takes me.

[skemp]

Originally posted by JUSTINcredible
Hennipen Tech and MN Central Lakes tech.

both are in Minnesota

I'm going to Hennepin, it's a good school for that. Have you been there to take a look around yet? I live about a mile from it now. Maybe I could give you some info if you want. :) Nice shop there.

[Jay300ex]

Originally posted by Ryan
Im going to a school called Boceeses next year to learn Car or Motorcycle mechanics. (Not sure if they have Motorcycle mechanics.......) Then from there I might go to another school for Motorcycle mechanics...... Where ever it takes me.


You live in NY, do you mean BOCES? Or another school? BOCES is a program that you can goto your Junior and Senior years to learn a vocation. I have been in it for 2 years now, but I am the only one working on the motorcycles, only because they just re started the program again. So I work on brand new Suzuki 250 street bikes haha.

[F-16Guy]

Don't forget about MMI here in sunny Phoenix.:cool:

[Ryan]

Originally posted by Jay300ex
You live in NY, do you mean BOCES? Or another school? BOCES is a program that you can goto your Junior and Senior years to learn a vocation. I have been in it for 2 years now, but I am the only one working on the motorcycles, only because they just re started the program again. So I work on brand new Suzuki 250 street bikes haha.


Yeah, thats what im talking about. I will be able to attend Boces for 3 years because of the program im in. And i'll be 16 in 10th grade. I will also be doing my regular classes at the same school.

Is the Mechanics a 1 or 2 year course? And do you have to bring in something to work on it? Like if you wanted to work on a motorcycle?

[sleestack68]

I don't mean to be a stick in the mud but in the past (I'm 35) I have gotten into professions I enjoyed only to get totally disgusted after a few years. My personal examples: car audio, cell site engineer, computers.

What alot of people fail to realize is that the average customer will be bringing in ratty quad with frozen bolts and stripped screws on the weekends for you to fix.

My best advice, if you want to keep atvs as your hobby, get serious education and then you could own all the toys you want and be free on the weekends to enjoy them.

I know I will get flamed for this but it is the truth.

[JUSTINcredible]

Originally posted by skemp
I'm going to Hennepin, it's a good school for that. Have you been there to take a look around yet? I live about a mile from it now. Maybe I could give you some info if you want. :) Nice shop there.

no i havent been there to look around yet, they have a day coming up but i forgot when it is.

my cousin is going there now for autobody reapair and he said the smae thing about the shops, very nice.
I prolly will end up going to eden prarie because that is atleast within driving distance for me each day while the Alexandria area I would have to live up there and i cant afford that.

What are you going for??

[skemp]

Marine and Motorsports Technician. It is a diploma program. Classes start again January 12th. I have to register this Friday for my general education classes, and then in the Fall, the MM classes start again. You can go there anytime to take a look around, but you might want to go on a Friday. There aren't classes then so you can really get a good look at the shop and talk to one of the instructors. There is an orientation coming up pretty soon but that is for enrolled students. I see you live in Glencoe. That is still quite the drive, but you can just take 212 all the way to the school.

[ThyJuGGaLo]

i am also interested in this, should i go to college for small engine mechanics or what?

[JUSTINcredible]

if its what you want to do then go for it.

all through high shool all i keep hearing is to get a job that you like to do and your way more likley to succed

[sleestack68]

Ask a gynocologist about that.

[Jay300ex]

Originally posted by Ryan
Yeah, thats what im talking about. I will be able to attend Boces for 3 years because of the program im in. And i'll be 16 in 10th grade. I will also be doing my regular classes at the same school.

Is the Mechanics a 1 or 2 year course? And do you have to bring in something to work on it? Like if you wanted to work on a motorcycle?

So you are attending the BOCES Highschool? That's usually how you get as many years of vocational training you want.. My one friend went there for 6 years. So far to my knowledge you have to take Small Gas Engines ( Lawnmowers, weed trimmers, chainsaws, and snowblowers ect.. ) for your first year, at the end of that year, you take an OPE Certification Exam so you are trained to work on Outdoor Power Equipment.

Your second year, would be when you start the Motorcycle Class. If you BOCES does that program anyway. As far as I know it is a 1 year course, but if you are going \to be there for 3 years you never know they might make an exeption, mostly for A work study at an actual shop your last year, or last 2 years. Works better for it to be your last year ( What I am doing ).

As far as work, the school provides base model Suzuki GZ250(usually). Which is a 2 cylinder streetbike. You can by all means take up your own work, but you have to complete school work first. Right now, I am working on one customer's CR250, an XR200, a Wild Cat 650, and I am always working on little things to to help people out (Usually with procedures and stuff). It's a pretty fun class actually, but you have to enjoy the work to enjoy the class. PM me if you have any other questions.

[wwclea01]

My opinion is that the only way too make a good living in this field is if you could open your own business. You would be lucky to get a good paying job in motorcycle mechanics. Or if you were hired for a big company then you could make good money. Thats my 2 cents.

[Ryan]

Originally posted by Jay300ex
So you are attending the BOCES Highschool? That's usually how you get as many years of vocational training you want.. My one friend went there for 6 years. So far to my knowledge you have to take Small Gas Engines ( Lawnmowers, weed trimmers, chainsaws, and snowblowers ect.. ) for your first year, at the end of that year, you take an OPE Certification Exam so you are trained to work on Outdoor Power Equipment.

Your second year, would be when you start the Motorcycle Class. If you BOCES does that program anyway. As far as I know it is a 1 year course, but if you are going \to be there for 3 years you never know they might make an exeption, mostly for A work study at an actual shop your last year, or last 2 years. Works better for it to be your last year ( What I am doing ).

As far as work, the school provides base model Suzuki GZ250(usually). Which is a 2 cylinder streetbike. You can by all means take up your own work, but you have to complete school work first. Right now, I am working on one customer's CR250, an XR200, a Wild Cat 650, and I am always working on little things to to help people out (Usually with procedures and stuff). It's a pretty fun class actually, but you have to enjoy the work to enjoy the class. PM me if you have any other questions.

You have answered alot of my questions. Thanks :) .

I really enjoy working on this stuff. I am already a head of the game because I was put into a "Small engine repair" Class in High School. Nothing major like Boces, but basic stuff...... Lots of reading. Thats all I can do since im not going to school at the moment.

If I do have that 1 extra year left over in votech (Boces), I will take Welding. But im gonna try to take the mechanic field for as long as I can.

So after you finished Boces, did you go to another school to learn more stuff about repairing engines? Or does Boces cover mostly everything, and you didn't have to go to another school?

[JUSTINcredible]

my high school is working with some tech schools and in my small engines class i can earn up to 3 college credits per semester... by the end of the year that is nearly $600 dollars i saved

[Jay300ex]

Originally posted by Ryan

So after you finished Boces, did you go to another school to learn more stuff about repairing engines? Or does Boces cover mostly everything, and you didn't have to go to another school?

I haven't graduated yet. I plan on attending AMI in Daytona Beach after this year though.


Right now, I am a senior so I only have to goto my home school for like 80 minutes (sucks) But after that I leave and like 2 hours later I goto BOCES. Since my class is starting the Motorcycles NEXT year, we have the bikes, but no course really. So what I am mostly doing, for tests is the tests I did last year.. so they are easy 100s. And I am the one working on customer work fulltime. Which ain't bad. But like I said, your second year in the class you can Co-OP to a motorcycle shop. I already work in one on the weekends, so come Jan I will go from school, then to work, and that is counted as school.

So I get paid to goto school really. The shop pays for half, and BOCES pays for the rest. So I will get $10/hr by that time. I am really good friends with my boss so most of the stuff goes well. As long as you enjoy what you do, you can really get far