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Question: Take motorcycle repair classes?

(Posted by: Omid on 2010-02-08 15:58:23)

Hi, i live in los angeles and own a 01 kawasaki ninja with about 13000 miles on it. I've taken it to 1 mechanic so far and he charged me a bundle for the repairs. I'm looking to go to los angeles trade tech college to learn about motorcycle repair so i can mantain the bike myself and make sure that good quality work and going inside of it. What schools/ programs/ or classes do you guys recommend?? thanks a lot

Posted by: mike i on 2010-02-08, 17:04:11

NOT worth it, because motorcycles do not require much technical knowledge. Going to school for Automobiles would be WORTH IT. Motorcycles are very simply and straight forward, even the bikes today aren't very complex. I've seen all of the new Ninja 600's and 900's, Suzuki's, Yamahas and CBR's. Sure you can go drop 9k on one, run the 1/ 4 mile in around 12 or 11 seconds. Or I could take my 1982 Suzuki 650, and do nearly the EXACT same thing, imagine that....a 30 year old bike running a 12 flat, WITH primitive carburetor technology.....however the suspension was WAY ahead of it's time on those bikes. ------ Basically what I'm getting at is this. Bikes have really NOT changed much in 30 years. They are ALOT lighter, made cheaper, more plastics and lighter metals,etc. Most of the bikes today are still carbureted! Im telling you straight up right now. I could wheel in a 1980's bike next to a 2004 bike. You would notice ALOT of appearance differences. But VERY little mechanical differences. Bikes have EXTREMELY little parts on them, when compared to automobiles. Bikes are WAY easier to work on. I've worked on muscle cars and motorcycles from different era's. I will tell you right now, I'd gladly hunch under a motorcycle than crawl under a car ANY DAY. ------- You need to join a Kawasaki forum(message board), and READ all the posts people are making, read the Stickie notes, or hell, even make your own posts and ASK questions! Next time something on your bike breaks or whatever, READ or ASK on the forum.....the ONLY way to learn about your bike is to ASK....and then put it into action and DO IT yourself. Trust me, if you are too scared to work on a bike without attempting it yourself, mechanics is probably not your field, and school would probably not help you too much. I hate to say it, but the BEST way to learn about your Bike or Car, is when something breaks on it. That way you just get out the TAKE IT APART, and learn about it! ---- My brother went thru 2 years of Automechanics school and passed with good grades. I have around 5 years of experience with HANDS ON mechanics....JUST because of shit breaking on my cars or bikes.....no school training at all. Guess Who goes to Who for help? Let's put it this way, I'm tired of asking my brother "uhh didn't you goto school for this? Why am I doing all of the work? " Education is only as effective as you LET it be. If you aren't willing to crawl under a car and ATLEAST ATTEMPT to get your hands dirty or make a mistake.....I HIGHLY DOUBT school will suddenly give you the courage..... Some of those cheaper schools run around $10-20,000 for a year and a half. Pick up a Shop Book online for your bike, and READ it bro!

Posted by: Gort on 2010-02-08, 16:31:36

You could probably buy two or three bikes for what the classes cost. just buy the books

Posted by: James on 2010-02-08, 16:46:19

What you're saying is the equivalent of "It costs too much to buy a new car, so I'm going to start my own car company ". Doesn't make economic sense.

Posted by: Jay on 2010-02-08, 17:59:20

Buy an old 80's Japanese bike for a few hundred and fix it up when you have time. The best way to learn is to just do it. Not on your ZX though. The old Jap bikes are fairly simple. I'm talking like a single cylinder 250 or something like that, not a mid 90's sportbike. And your 01 ZX is a complicated lump with shim under bucket valves and race focused parts. This is why it costs so much at a shop. It is very specialized and time consuming, so it does not take long at $80-$120/ hr. Think of all the insurance, taxes and BS overhead they have to pay as well...Only about $8 to $25/ hr of that goes to the mechanic BTW...So it's hard to find good wrenches for a decent price.

Posted by: Everything Sportbikes on 2010-02-08, 22:48:46

Thats a good idea. I applaud that you want to learn before you go tearing into your bike. MMI has good training. the best in my opinion. thats where I went back in the day. you would have to check on their locations out there though. You might even find that you like it enough to go into the field. If you have the time and money to get some training, good for you, do it. I was the same way when I was younger and decided to go to school for cycle repair with the intention of keeping my own bike up and it quickly turned into a career.