I’ve considered going to MMI for quite a while, but now that my wife and I are moving to AZ its become a much more realistic idea.
I had looked at going to The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe a couple years ago and had gone as far as making my deposit when I started talking to some people that had been through the school and found out that the opportunities for recording engineers are not that great. So I don’t want to make the same mistake of having unrealistic goals in a career when I’ll pretty much be putting my entire G.I. Bill into it.
So my questions are:
What is a realistic career coming out of MMI? Would I have better luck in working with Metric bikes or Harley-Davidson? Do they teach anything about fabrication that I could use at a custom bike shop? And can I go through, say, Yamaha AND Harley-Davidson?
Thanks for your help, guys.
yeah…so, I’m pretty sure that I’m capable of finding all of the general information via the site which I’ve already read through extensively. So, as the initial question stated… "MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS INSTITUTE ALUMNI"… Don’t give me some BS answer so you can rack up your worthless Yahoo Answers points, Flame. The school, as with any post-secondary education institution, is essentially a business. As much as I’d like to go in and talk to a "counselor" and have smoke blown up my rear end about all the opportunities I would have if I attend their school, I’d rather hear it from the horses mouth. SO…
If you are a MMI ALUMNI, I would really appreciate you input. If not please leave your hyper-generalized answers on someone else’s questions. Thanks.
When I went thru MMI in the first 6 weeks of school out of the 200 people that started on the first day there was only 98 people left and by the time I graduated 15 months later there was 26 left (draw your own conclusion).
The only way your going to make it is that you have to have the motorcycle bug.
I only went through the HD program so I can only speak of it. You can go through all 5 manufactures programs but it will take almost 2 years and I doubt that you will use all your knowledge that you get from school (and if you don’t use knowledge then you will loose it). Don’t expect to make a ton of money in this business for at least 4 to 5 years. The first 1 year is the hardest because you will need a bunch of tools and a decent size tool box. If you can afford to take 10 grand with you to buy tools while your there you will be ahead of the game.
First job, try to talk a dealership into starting you out hourly for the first 90 days because you will go broke fast if you start out flat rate.
if you want more then e-mail me.
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I don’t know much about the schools, although I do know some guys that went to these schools, some in Florida and some in Arizonia. These guys worked on both HD and metric bikes, they didn’t get into fabrication that much. After they got a got jobs at HD dealers. The pay isn’t that much, I don’t think. The top money they get is like $12 an hour. I don’t if that helps you or not.
References :
the best way to find out about MMI is to visit the website http://www.uti.edu/Motorcycle/tabid/59/Default.aspx and the campus. Talk to the counselors, instructors and students.
As for getting a job afterwards, I believe currently more than 90% of graduates are placed with manufacturers.
References :
http://www.uti.edu
I hired a guy that attended a course/school LIKE MMI. It was an automotive course/school in Texas I think. He came out with a GENERAL knowledge of automobiles but not anything specific, which was fine for me because I continued his training at the General Motors Training Centers. I think in time he’d been alright but he was killed in a car wreck. I’d imagine that you could complete that course (MMI) and start with a bike dealer right of of school. I doubt you’d get the big bucks to satrt but definitly you sond like you have potential. Shop a few dealers and fabricators either BEFORE you enroll or during the course. You may even get a promise of a job before enrolling at a local bike shop?
References :
Well You could start out turning wrenches at any local bike shop or dealership. the pay won’t be very attractive at that stage. The big bucks come when you start your own shop. Partner with a classmate or someone you trust who has business education. Most Harley guys pride themselves on turning their own wrenches.
The fact is that there is a motorcycle boom right now because of gas prices and those big clunkers aren’t as good on gas as a Rebel or CBR250. There is going to be a huge demand for service as all these newbies tear there first bike up and don’t know how to fix it. Don’t worry about MMI placing you, the business is out there, find it yourself.
I’m no MmI Alumni but I went to a similar school and found my own opportunities.
References :
When I went thru MMI in the first 6 weeks of school out of the 200 people that started on the first day there was only 98 people left and by the time I graduated 15 months later there was 26 left (draw your own conclusion).
The only way your going to make it is that you have to have the motorcycle bug.
I only went through the HD program so I can only speak of it. You can go through all 5 manufactures programs but it will take almost 2 years and I doubt that you will use all your knowledge that you get from school (and if you don’t use knowledge then you will loose it). Don’t expect to make a ton of money in this business for at least 4 to 5 years. The first 1 year is the hardest because you will need a bunch of tools and a decent size tool box. If you can afford to take 10 grand with you to buy tools while your there you will be ahead of the game.
First job, try to talk a dealership into starting you out hourly for the first 90 days because you will go broke fast if you start out flat rate.
if you want more then e-mail me.
References :
HD Master Tech
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