Starting today, or maybe tomorrow, motorcycle technical training at all levels from basic to advanced will begin at a location very near you. Schools such as UHU (Used Honda University) and TTTI (Tired Triumph Technical Institute) are participating along with many others. Classrooms are as big as your garage or parking space while some temporary classrooms may be set up in your basement or spare room. Hours are completely flexible, students advance at their own pace, class size is usually one. Of course, it should be obvious, you run the school.
It wasn’t very long ago, to start a new career or learn a technical field like motorcycle mechanics, you began by looking for a school, something with a big building and lots of equipment with instructors to guide you every step of the way, but those days when that was the only option are long gone. Anything you want to learn today can be done outside of the traditional school or classroom setting, so, why not create your own school at home?
The best way to learn a hands on skill like motorcycle mechanics is to dive in. If you would rather not tear down your current ride, used bikes are readily available, often for very little money and compared to the cost of tuition at a regular school, they’re cheap. Don’t be afraid to take it apart completely, down to every last nut and bolt. Spread the parts out before you and know that, reassembled properly, they will come to life and transport you down the road, an exhilarating thought. Inert metal, rubber and plastic, moving under their own power, it’s really quite a concept.
If you’re a little hesitant taking things apart, use your digital camera to snap photos along the way, recording just how the wires route around the engine and which plugs and colors attach in what order. Those photos can be a lifesaver when you can’t find a drawing in a service manual that applies to the parts you’re trying to reassemble. Those digital photos can also create a record for your reference if you need to take on the same job in the distant future.
Books on general maintenance and manuals for the specific bike you’re working on can guide you through the process. You would be amazed at how much you can learn in a short time and the pride of knowing you can rebuild your motorcycle is extremely satisfying.
Classes are fun, you’ll like the teacher and acceptance into the school is guaranteed so apply today.
Related: Rediscovering the Value and Deep Satisfaction of Highly Skilled Hands on Work
Related: Motorcycle Repair and Restoration
Duffey Wolvin says
I dunno~ I taught for a while, and I just might kick myself out (to ride).
Seriously, great idea, I was just looking at a ‘zuki s-40 (gee, wonder why?).
George says
Thats all fine and well, but going to a school that is supported by the manufactures with ALOT of training aids is a big help. And you can’t just take pictures along the way, because who is to say if the last person to work on it put it together properly? Its not a bad idea, but learning from a full time teacher with years of field experience is a big plus.
anon says
It’s about time the school of hard knocks went through a ‘re-branding’. 🙂
Sure the cost of entry is low, but you pay for every wrong answer in ruined parts, stripped threads, and amateurish results. (I’ve done all three! – learned a lot though.)
kneeslider says
George, yes, the full time formal school is great if you have the money and time, but you don’t necessarily need to go that route if you have the motivation. What you get on your own can be substantial and there is the feeling of accomplishment when someone wonders how you came to know all of this and you answer, “I taught myself.”
It’s not for everyone, but then, neither is anything else.
WillyP says
When I was like 12 or 13 or something, I came home with a Honda CL100 that did not run. I had paid 50bucks for it that I got working for a neighbor. Mom was very upset but dad said ‘if you can get it running yourself you can keep it’. Damn right I got it running! Later I taught a 4h class in small engines, one of my students recently caught up with me on Facebook and now he’s a mechanic and said he had a lot of fun in my class. It’s fun teaching but I would not want to be a teacher in a public school.
WillyP says
One of the best resources for info, find a forum closely related to your bike. Whatever needs doing, the people who post on that forum have been there done that!
Paulinator says
One of the engineers I work with was surprised yesterday when I crawled out from under my (friend’s) jeep in the parking lot – with starter in hand. He didn’t graduate from Hard Knocks. I did. A quick trip to Pep Boys, seventy-nine dollars and a half hour later I was running again. I can’t think of a better means to learn the fundamentals and applications than to study the work of others by getting right into it up to the elbows. That honestly attained knowledge is completely transferable even if the credits aren’t. I invent and design mechanical solutions to physical problems; a function that I am adeptly qualified for, as measured by performance and pay-scale.
Mule says
The resistance to just diving in is unique to the computer generations. In the previous, world where humans were mechaniclly competent, nobody had to say, “Just dive in!” If they turned their head for ten seconds, you already would’ve dove and hardware and tools would be flyin’ everywhere!
I suggest reading the book, “Shopcraft as Soulcraft”. It explains that working with your hands provides a better understanding of the physical world, which by the way is where we live, as opposed to the current cultural phase of focusing on the virtual world. It won’t fix your bike. Tools and hands will.
todd says
It’s sad how many people are terrified by a disassembled mechanism. I love to take things apart, learn how they work (or should work) and put them back together. People treat you like a god or something when you can fix things. Mechanical aptitude is something I always play up on my resume even if it didn’t come from an accredited institution.
-todd
RYCA says
I would second the recommendation of “Shop Class as Soulcraft”. Good book, it’s sitting right here on my desk. Really explains the detrimental effects of dividing the “knowledge” jobs from the “manual labor” jobs.
I went through 5 years of engineering school without learning the slightest thing about welding or fabrication, and then found myself with a job I couldn’t even explain to other people. Now I come home every night smelling like motorcycles and I love it.
john says
i just took the motor out of a lil’ xr100 i picked up and am preparing to take it apart for rebuilding. i am 41 and have never done it before but have been inspired by builders and doers posted on your blog. there is no substitute for determination OR experience. thanks for helping.
Tin Man 2 says
The “take it apart and fix it”mind set is still out there, it is just under represented on the internet. Many guys who are great mechanics, wont touch a computer. It may be hard to believe but Puters are Junk, compaired to a nice little engine. An Engine is more dependable and never locks up without a good reason, never needs to be rebooted for no particular reason and always responds the same way. If a new car worked as bad as a Puter people would be screaming bloody murder. Of course you dont have roving bands of Punks putting viruses in your fuel tank either.
Melodious Rex says
I started with bicycles, then motorcycles, then cars. Of course, when I got married it became washing machines and vacuum cleaners. Now happily, it’s back to motorcycles. I’m not against schools, I’ve thought about enrolling in one myself, but there are many repairs people can make if they just learned by doing.
Paulinator says
I’ve worked with many individuals who have engineering degrees and P.Eng status. The good ones have no aversion to rolling up their sleeves with me and getting to the root of the problem. (Collaborating in this manor is a real blast. Trading ideas leads to innovative solutions and hi-fives all around.) The “others” frequently remind me that they are engineers and I am not. Sadly, I’ve also noticed that the “others” usually can’t change a fan-belt. I’ll generalize that the “others” have spotty understandings of power-conversion, friction, force-vectors and structural design elements because the translation has not been made from the text book to the real world and back. You just can’t fake some things.
I think I’m going to read “Shop Class as Soulcraft”. I hope “others” do, as well.
Side note – one of the sharpest designers that I had the pleasure to work with has a grade 6 education.
FREEMAN says
Well said, kneeslider.
I have to agree, working with your hands is very rewarding. Especially if you do so for a living. Although there are frustrations and challenges along the way, many of which drive you to question what the hell the engineer or designer was smoking, there’s always opportunities for you to put it back together how you envisioned it.
gene sherman says
I work part time at a university and have see first hand at the lack of “hands-on” skills these Mechanical Engineering students have. They WANT this info but have no place to get it, the school is all about theory and no practice. I’ve also seen the death of every vocational class in high school in a 50 mile radius. So I decided to do something about it.
I have 25 years in manufacturing / design / machining and am working toward a VOC ED degree. I also have a small machine / fab shop (a nice one). If you happen to live in Riverside, San Bernardino or LA counties in California, take a look at this:
http://www.Meetup.com/VOCADEMY
RYCA says
The Vocademy concept sounds great. Maybe a class specific to building/customizing motorcycles? Or using motorcycles to illustrate practical examples?
I live in L.A. and it’s sad about what’s happened to vocational classes in high schools. Guess people see no value in learning to make things anymore.
Paulinator says
@Freeman, I can tell you that often the engineers or designers were smoking time / cost constraints and large-scale production inertia.
The loss of voc-ed classes is a social u-turn on many levels. As a cub leader I set up a work shop to build the little racers. We brought in goggles, sanders, band-saws, glue guns – everything we needed. The kids were all beaming with pride over what they had created. I don’t think they would’ve shown the same reaction if I brought in a deep-fat frier.
SpiceBot says
I can’t believe nobody has asked the burning question yet.
Are you gonna make that logo into a T-shirt?
J.S. Gay says
As my late father used to say, “There are those who are ‘mechanically inclined’; and those who are afraid to get their hands dirty.”
CAA says
This approach is great if you want to fix a few simple things at home, but there’s more to it than just tearing something apart and putting it back together. There’s a difference between a mechanic and a parts replacer. I can’t tell you how many bikes I’ve had to fix that people screwed up at home. That said, it’s not impossible to learn everything you need to know on your own, it’ll just take a lot longer and you’re bound to miss a few things.
Arnel says
Everyone must start somewhere. Why not your own motorcycle or a used one. There are some many avenues to find information; Internet, Service Manuals, and if you have a Technician as your friend even better. I think its a great idea to do it yourself. V-Twin University (VTU)
Gary says
Well said. Last year, I got my first bike, a 98 VT 600. Needed a cheaper way to get to work. Being a 14 year old bike, needed some upkeep. I am mechanically inclined so I engineered my own turn signal relocators and saddlebag supports out of some conduit I had laying around. This isn’t by any means my first foray into this territory though. I just learned by being being to frugal to pay someone to do something I could do or build my self