I am interested in becoming a certified Harley Davidson repair technician with hopes of opening my own shop in my area. Are there any online courses that I can enroll in to get my certificate through an online educational class.
2007-02-22 12:29:51 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Motorcycles
Ask yourself this; Would you let someone that has only completed an on line training course and had no hands on training or experiance work on your bike?
Nope.
As for opening your own shop, if your interest lies in being a genuine Harley wrech, you have to be a Harley dealer. Look around, the days of the low buck dealership in general, much less a Harley franchise, are loooong gone.
Not having first hand experiance with "The Motor Company" I can't accurately address what they require. But 1.5 million ain't even close. Honda requires 1 million in liquid assets be set aside in an escrow account before they will even begin negotiations with a prospective new dealer. Add in building costs, special tools, signs, required parts on hand, etc, etc and you can easily get up to another million and you still don't have your bikes floor planned or your doors open! Wrenches don't own dealerships anymore. Plus we haven't even addressed the fact that just because you want a delaership in your area a franchise might not be available there. As a frnachised dealership owner you'll find that the manufacturer is holding all the cards and dealing them...
You could go the MMI, AMI, local community college route and become familiar with any brand of your choice. But in my experiances hiring and dealing with mechanics these guys come out of school not as first class tech's, but more like good assembly guys that are ready to begin hands on training in the field. Most don't last two years. Only the truely passionate about what they do hang in there to become the guy we all want to have our bikes worked on by.
Don't give up your dream, just understand that in todays marketplace there isn't much room for the mechanic/shop owner. The climate in the industry today requires that the business owner be a true businessman, and that usually doesn't leave time for spinning wreches.
2007-02-23 14:41:02 · answer #1 · answered by Nomad 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was looking through a "V-Twin" magazine a few minutes ago and I had noticed an on-line mechanics school.
www.sci-online.com
or 1-800-363-0058
It says send for free info, supposedly a 6 months class.
2/24 edit
Nomad has told you the truth about opening a ful factory dealership. You could still open a privateer repair shop, some do very well. However, if you do, expect to have every beat up/junk motorcycle ATV and perhaps lawnmower dropped off at your door for repair because non of the dealerships will work on them. On the other hand, those beat up machines will provide you with excellent hands on training. After awhile you may be able to specialize in something (IE painting, speed work, suspension, accessories installation etc.).
2007-02-23 13:37:10 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are very few Harley certified school's, MMI is one but its going to take you at least 57weeks to get certified.
Have you made inquiries as to how much it will cos to set up a Harley shop? I think it was around $1.5 million minimum.
If you just want to work on older H D you don't need certification, unless insurance company requires it ( I believe New York state requires certification to work on just about anything, gotta love unions)
2007-02-23 06:28:10 · answer #3 · answered by 1crazypj 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
None that I am aware of. If you want to open a shop, you probably do not need a certification. One would benifit you if applying to a dealership. A basic knowledge of mechanics and a chilton are all you need.
2007-02-22 22:39:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If there is...I wouldn't want you touching any of my bikes.
Commit! And do it right. Or don't do it at all.
2007-02-26 02:01:34 · answer #5 · answered by J. B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋