i have been working in the detail department at a H-D dealership for the past two months and am now contemplating on becoming a H-D mechanic.. i am considering going to UTI for the 3 semesters and 20k, anyone done this?

and how do you like being a tech?... and how is the money first starting out, thank you in advance.

 

Not an HD mechanic, but a UTI grad here (UTI and Toyota TPAT program; now working as a journeyman Lexus tech). I think you meant to say you would be going to MMI. Same company and way of doing things.They have their chit together as a school and have a wealth of knowledge to draw from. I will say this though, your going to have to have a desire to perform and you MUST have an open mind to finish. Forget everything that you think you know about wrenching and listen to what they have to say. My campus had two start times one at 6:30 am to 1:30 pm, and 2:00 to8 PM. Took the AM classes, but PM classes seemed ok. Seemed like the AM students had more time to work after class than the PM students did before class.

From my understanding the Harley program may require you to apply to get into it during your regular classes. ASK before you decide to sign up. I know the Toyota program I took was classified as an elective and thus no need to have to apply. But if you work and study hard, pay attention in class (NO SLEEPING) and perform well out in lab, then qualifying for the HD program should not be diffucult.

If you have any more specific questions about the company, PM. I know your going for motorcycle and Im in the cars side, but the schools are clones of each other. They just happen to teach different things.

Good Luck.

 

maybe a reason that its hard to find harley mech's check the schools for the hd qualification. 2 schools that i know of and the one with actual hands on experience costs 20k. so there might be a reason that folks are unhappy with current hd mech's

 

thanks for the reply ebeatle.. i really dont know much about harleys right now except the newer ones came fuel injected, but everything seems pretty easy after that. I am seriously considering going and i will need to get a loan out. if anyone else has done this chime in!

 

I'm not a HD mechanic yet, but I hope to become one soon. I just started at MMI in July at the Phoenix campus(there is also a campus in Orlando). You do not have to qualify for the Harley electives, they are open to anyone (the only program you have to qualify for is BMW). There are 3 class sessions you can sign up for: 7am-12pm, 1pm-6pm, and 6:30pm-11:30pm. The first 36 weeks are a prerequiste training program, where you will work on bikes from all different makes with students who may be taking other manufacturer electives. After that, there are two Harley electives, the Late-Model elective which is 24 weeks, and an Early Model elective that is 6 weeks. I believe you have to take the Late Model(if your doing Harley) but the Early Model is optional. So the total program length would be from 60-66 weeks. You can also complete all of the Harley PHD training, which I obviously haven't started yet, but I believe its all done on your own time by watching training videos and then taking tests on those videos. Our Theory teacher said there was something like 60 videos for the Harley program.
Yes it is expensive, and yes I took out loans to pay for all of it(including some living expenses), but so far i would say it looks like it will be worth it. Harley talks about MMI on there own website, and if you google Harley Davidson MMI you will get a lot of results of dealerships that have MMI graduates working for them, or dealerships looking for MMI graduates.
If you have any other questions about the school, let me know and I'll see what I can answer! Like I said, I just started in July so I'm not too far in, in fact this is my first week in lab after the 6 weeks of Theory. This is where the fun really starts!

John

 

Not putting the school down, but I had a friend that went to MMI in phoenix about 15 years ago and he said that the personal attention to each student isn't nearly what it used to be.
He said the focus is more on moving them in and out rather than making sure they get the education that they need, like it was in the earlier days.
I'd check the techs at the site that Jvelvet mentioned and ask if they feel this is so, and what areas they may feel that you may need prep in to stay on schedule and not lag in the class. Just a thought.

 

I went to the Orlando campus and graduated in Aug. of 2005. It was not hard to get a job at a dealership in parts in the state of GA, but the pay was only $10 per hr. Let me remind you of the 20k I just spent for school and I have a family. Worked there for a year trying to get into the service dept. with the promise that maybe later and when you do the pay stays the same until you go flat rate which would be a year later. Finally changed dealerships and started at a whopping $11 per hour, although I can say I learned more in two months there in the shop than I did the entire 15 months I was in school. Not trying to talk you out of this but it takes a lot of time and patients.
I do agree with azhole about MMI bringing in students and hurrying them out the door. If you go constantly ask questions and use every minute working on their bikes. MMI has a great inventory of bikes especially Harley-Davidson's and Buells. The first half of school I made straight A's but rushed thru too much to try and keep"the grade". Only when I slowed down and took the time to understand stuff did I feel I was accomplishing more by really learning to work on bikes.So what if my grade went down to a B.
Working as a tech in a dealership is tough and there is more to it than changing out parts. I know a lot of people on this forum don't like the service they get when they go to a dealership, but I don't think they understand the pressure techs have to go thru with. I like to do a good quality job myself, but when you are expected to go at a certain rate of speed.....because your job depends on it, there is a lot missed. Such as something simple like checking critical fasteners and tire pressures and safety checks.
Like I said not trying to run you off...if you have any questions feel free to send me an e-mail or pm.

 

keep the good info coming, i am seriously considering doing this... but what kind of money should i expect to be making at first? the shop im detailing at said they could start me out at flat rate when i get back...?

 

I'll tell you this much-I have a relative who isa Harley tech in Minnesota. He doesn't make much. For the 20k for school, I'd tell ya to switch gears and go into the medical field. You can go to an X-Ray school, and make close to 60K right out of school. Expect around 24K as a mechanic from what my cousin says....

 

24k doesnt sound bad right out of school... but from what the techs have been telling me i can be making sub 40's within a few years, and theres some who have claimed to make 90k.

im not sure im going to ask them how much there honestly making i dont care if its in- pollite.