dustinsn3485

If you're lookin for low pro 20's I have a set that I'm selling.

I just about broke even. Getting a bit back though. Whats the deal with the Making work pay credit...Do I claim that available $400?

20 off 40 ea on 70 both on I'm probably the last option with all the guys that do it in Columbus since I'm by Dayton though.

Nut to Butt good sir.

Well...I live north of Dayton and was working at HNW. So distance was one reason. Second, don't expect to make much more than about $9-10 on the hour for the first couple years. You get paid commission as well, but you can't be proficient every week and meet or beat flat rate so commission doesn't amount to a whole lot. IIRC I was bringing home about $625 every two weeks. My only deduction was single health coverage. I work in warehousing now as a material controller. It pays over $2 more on the hour and I have no schooling, they pay for school if I decide to take it. All the benefits are much better too. I do have a shop set up at my house though, working on bikes. So I make a little money on the side here and there. Working at a MC dealership isn't going to make you rich, you'll learn a lot and you'll make money, you'll probably break even at the end of the month. You won't have a lot of extra though. It's tough to get into the field and work for someone else. It's too difficult to make a secure living. The school is good and you'll make of it what you put in it. If you've got extra cash and really want to learn about bikes then go for it. If you want to make a career of it, plan to struggle for awhile. When you get good it could be lucrative. The guys that I worked with that had been at the shop many years both worked out of their garage as well and they'd been in the business for at least 20 years each. If you just wanna learn about bikes, go buy a cheap bike and a service manual, find some friends that know a little and tear one down. Learn by practice.

I was out there in 2006. I worked at a shop for 6 months in Columbus in 2007 and I haven't worked a shop since. In PHX especially, don't even think about it. So many students have the same idea, shops can pay min wage and get away with it. My personal opinion, you couldn't pay me enough to work in CA. I don't know the market well, but I'm sure companies are struggling nationally. I doubt you'll do much better on the west coast than you would here.

How long is that good for? I probably won't buy tickets for another couple weeks since the Chicago show isn't til Feb 20

Here ya go, that was easier to find than I thought... I went to the MMI in Phoenix, AZ. I'm not sure what the current rate to go to school there is, however I paid roughly 20K just in tuition. The first 6 months are spent on general mechanics with the first 6 weeks of that being classroom, pen, paper, whiteboard, lecture. A lot can be learned if you ask questions and thoroughly apply yourself. The school will give you what you ask of it. If you walk in and just want to get the certs and leave, you will get that and leave with not much more knowledge than when you began. If you ask a lot of questions and apply yourself you are going to get your certs and be a much more knowledgeable and informed mechanic. After the first 6 weeks there is a lot of hands on/generic training. Everything from suspension rebuilding to valve jobs to splitting the cases and putting it back together, then bolting into a chassis and running it. You have the opportunity to spend 3 weeks in a "tuning" class doing dyno runs and running a flow-jet. After the first 6 months you choose what manufacturers you'd like to "specialize" in. I chose Honda and BMW. Honda because they are the most reliable and IMO the best manufacturer of the imports. Also, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Honda really are essentially built the same. If you can fix one you can fix them all. BMW because it allows you to be a more valuable mechanic. BMW takes their dealerships pretty seriously, they require a certain number of mechanics in each shop, all must have a certain degree of education (they will send you for more training on their tab), etc. Just be sure you like electronics if you work on BMW, those bikes are computers on wheels. And of course you can choose to do 24 weeks of Harley if you'd be so inclined. Alright, my general thoughts on the school. I learned a lot, I didn't learn as much as I wanted. The curriculum is pretty basic since they've only got 3 weeks in each specific subject. I would have liked to learn a lot more about suspension tuning for example. They taught what rebound/compression was, but we never had the opportunity to see what the effects are of turning the adjusters. There was a class on boring/honing cylinders, it was very interesting, but you're not going to bore a cylinder at a dealership...They could have shown us and then we spend a day on it, but not 3 weeks. Don't forget to factor in the cost of living either. I had a studio apt 2 miles from the school and I paid $525/mo for rent. Plus the cost of groceries, dr, utilities, etc... Utilities in the winter aren't too bad, in the summer when it's 115-125 degrees it gets a bit more expensive. I had trouble finding a job when I first got there. Craigslist is a huge help in that city for everything from furniture to things to do to finding a job. Another note is theft, my truck was stolen from my gated apt complex around 7:15am in the middle of July. Theft is a second job for many people down there, the school stresses locking your stuff up and alarming it and whatever else you have to do, because theft is so rampant. I bought a Scorpio alarm for my bike, I chained my bike to an I-beam and parked next to the other bikes in the complex and still 3 times did my alarm go off and I see a mexican running from my bike. I apologize for my judgment of mexicans, but the illegal population in Phoenix is unreal and is a major cause of a lot of the theft. Just a rough estimate for my 13 months there was in the ballpark of $32-35K. I left with a certificate for Honda and BMW. I had a job here in Ohio 6 weeks after my arrival home and they had absolutely no issue with MMI students. Actually I talked to 4-6 shops when I was looking and none mentioned anything about not hiring MMI students. All were very open to hiring me. At the shop I finally chose to work for, they said they've had a lot of good and a lot of bad students. The bad students didn't last a week. I stayed 6 months and left on my own accord because there's not enough money to be made. I was getting paid 9.50 plus commission. My typical bring home pay for 2 weeks of work (80 hours) was about $650.00. I did have health insurance (single) through the dealership, but that was the only deduction other than taxes. So finally in conclusion, would I do it again knowing what I do now...No. I am grateful for the amount of knowledge I have learned, I just can't make a living off of what a shop is willing to pay. If you've got a good chunk of extra money laying around, it's one of the best investments in motorcycle knowledge I could have made, but not for a career. I do certainly hope it helps supplement my income from my day job though, now that I have a business being ran from my garage. I hope this answers some of your questions.

I'll find my write up later. I went there. Took Honda and BMW tech classes. eviltwin doesn't know squat yet, he's still in the first 6 weeks of hell.

Will it work for the Chicago IMS tickets?

20thGix...The picture is no longer up though for some reason. I do remember he posted a pic though originally.

The vet I go to in New Carlisle charges $110 for up to $50lbs. It's about 10 minutes west of Springfield.

Sidewinder chain When I do my next chain and sprockets I'll be using Sidewinder chain and sprockets. A little more expensive, but worth the money I think. I should note the sprockets have a lifetime warranty.

I'm back to this again. I am intent on having one. I am still having difficulty. So I am wanting to focus on having one dog. So does anyone want one dog? Anyone know someone who is looking for a dog? I am making the choice to let go of the male. He's boxer/beagle mix. He came from a shelter and has some baggage. I don't know how to deal with him. He just seems to be insecure. He's fixed and current on all but kennel cough. He needs a lot of attention, a really calm owner, and another dog around (imo).

I'll get some this afternoon.

^^^ That's the one I did the carb work on.

I've worked on one or two. Did some carb work on one and some general maintenance. Over-all they are built a bit cheap. They had ok power, I wouldn't get one new. A used one at a steal would be ok though. Seemed like a decent reliable bike for the 20 minutes I was out on it. Certainly not up to part compared to the larger manufacturers.

I've got an old valve grinder I'd sell for somewhere around $100 if there's any interest. It's an old Sioux.

My birthday is in March so it really doesn't help me much...

I don't need a helmet, but since this this thread has went to the same place as every other OR thread... I really do like the backsplash, that's pretty cool.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/19/us/politics/massachusetts-election-map.html I say he wins!

Tomorrow we will know.. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/01/18/polls-suggest-voter-enthusiasm-problem-coakley/

I hope you're wrong.

It's not difficult. They supply what is needed to install the kit. If you wanted help or someone to do it and felt like bringing it do Dayton I would do it for you. I have done some tuning, but don't have a dyno so it won't be a perfect tune.