motorcyle mechanic institute

[bhhacker]

I was just wondering if this place was reputable. does anyone have any experiences with the school, good or bad?

[buellosaurusrex]

I dunno...I went to HKU (Skool of Hard Knox):D
But seriously, folks.....MMI is top drawer (but expensive)
This one is cheaper:http://www.dansmc.com/MC_repaircourse.htm

[ABSOLUTECYCLEdotcom]

MMI has a great rep!!

[suzukiray]

I have 2 different friends at MMI right now. One is in Orlando & one is in Phoenix. They are BOTH the top scoring students in their classes & tell me it is a GREAT training facility. Ray.

[HellFireX12]

I was gonna go to MMI but decided on a different path, but the facilities look nice and Ive only heard good things about them. The guy i was speaking with told me alot of the ama race teams are starting to only hire MMI graduates, Jordan Suzuki has 10 MMI grads on his team, and I also know 2 shops in town that only hire from MMI, so I think its safe to assume its a very good school.

[pintslayer]

I graduated from MMI in '92. Wish I'd saved the money and not gone. I learned more in the first year in the field than I did at MMI. Lots of theory, but I've tried quoting theory at a bike and that never fixed it. Get a job doing monkey work at a bike shop, sweeping floors and washing bikes and the like. Keep your eyes and ears open and let the service manager know you're willing to learn.

[suzukiray]

I graduated from MMI in '92. Wish I'd saved the money and not gone. I learned more in the first year in the field than I did at MMI. Lots of theory, but I've tried quoting theory at a bike and that never fixed it. Get a job doing monkey work at a bike shop, sweeping floors and washing bikes and the like. Keep your eyes and ears open and let the service manager know you're willing to learn.BOTH of my friends mentioned above were already experienced mechanics but wanted the theory for themselves & their resumes. The decision is yours but education ALWAYS looks great on your resume! ESPECIALLY when you were TOP tech in your graduating class! Ray.

[pintslayer]

BOTH of my friends mentioned above were already experienced mechanics but wanted the theory for themselves & their resumes. The decision is yours but education ALWAYS looks great on your resume! ESPECIALLY when you were TOP tech in your graduating class! Ray.

Not neccessarily. I was told by one service manager that he was hiring me IN SPITE OF my MMI certification. He said he was sick of leading MMI graduates back to step one. They send you out in the world thinking you know everything, and all you end up doing is pissing off the techs who really do know what they're doing. I learned right quick to keep my theory to myself and watch the people who know.

[suzukiray]

It all depends on your attitude & if you act like you think you know it all, huh? Ray.

[adrian]

It all depends on your attitude & if you act like you think you know it all, huh? Ray.

What you said is true in so many professions; well put.

I will attend MMI in about three years, once I am a couple years away from retirement... the military is offering me the certification for free so I might as well go.

[suzukiray]

What you said is true in so many professions; well put.

I will attend MMI in about three years, once I am a couple years away from retirement... the military is offering me the certification for free so I might as well go.BOTH of my friends are ex-military & the one in Fl. already graduated & was Top Tech as is the one in Phoenix now. He will graduate Top Tech also. Both are guys that KNOW what they are doing & have appreciated what they got out of the school. I wish you luck & I thank you for serving our country! Ray.

[pintslayer]

It's a hard business to make a go in, that's for sure. One mistake, and someone ends up hurt or worse. If you can go for free, by all means do it.

Ray, if your buddies know what they're doing, ask them what they think of the school. If they've spent any time at all in a bike shop, they'll see how unrealistic the atmosphere is at MMI.

The OP asked my opinion, and I gave it. I went a long time ago, before bikes were as in vogue as they are now. Last time I visited the campus for factory training, it looked like things had improved. They have a large auto tech training facility now, and a large marine program. Give it a try, but I think you'd be better served working in a shop to gain your experience.

[Dan631]

I know this thread is a little old but..............................

I graduated from MMI in 2003 and IMO you will get out of that school what you put into it. Yes it is very expensive and I am STILL trying to pay off my student loans but the knowledge I gained at that school is priceless. There is alot of theory as pintslayer stated but IMO that is a huge part of being a "technician" as opposed to a "mechanic". The theory part teaches you how it all works. Which is VERY important when it comes to diagnosing a problem.

The only thing MMI doesn't teach is experience. They train you to be an "entry level" technician. So don't be offended when you are the low man on the totem pole at your first job making $10 an hour and getting nothing but tire and oil changes.

I went through that "fresh out of school and think I know everything" stage when I checked into my first permanent duty station as a young Marine. I was put into my place really quick. Not wanting history to repeat itself, I took a completely different attitude with me to my first service department.
I worked hard and learned a ton and by the end of that first year I was making alot better money. Still the low man but my work load had changed quite a bit.

It is possible to become a good tech without going to a school like MMI but that road is a LONG one.

[pintslayer]

"Technician" as opposed to "mechanic"?

You heard that at MMI, didn't you?

So did I. Did you ask them why it's called Motorcycle MECHANICS Institute?

Here's the problem I've encountered with every MMI graduate I've worked with:

Bike comes in with dead battery.

Junior Tech gets the manual out and starts doing a bunch of complex tests on the regulator/rectifier, scribbling furiously on a piece of grease-stained paper.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Testing this regulator/rectifier." rolling eyes at dumb old guy.

"Is the bike charging?" I ask.

"Nope. Only 12 volts at the battery." Junior Tech replies.

"What's the output at the stator? Is it within spec?" asks the dumb old guy.

"Yep." says Junior Tech.

"Is the battery fully charged?" asks the dumb old guy.

"Good to go," says Junior Tech. "Could you leave me alone, please. I have to test this regulator/rectifier."

Can you see the problem here? If you can, you're a mechanic. If you can't, you're a technician.

[Dan631]

"Technician" as opposed to "mechanic"?

You heard that at MMI, didn't you?

So did I. Did you ask them why it's called Motorcycle MECHANICS Institute?

Here's the problem I've encountered with every MMI graduate I've worked with:

Bike comes in with dead battery.

Junior Tech gets the manual out and starts doing a bunch of complex tests on the regulator/rectifier, scribbling furiously on a piece of grease-stained paper.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Testing this regulator/rectifier." rolling eyes at dumb old guy.

"Is the bike charging?" I ask.

"Nope. Only 12 volts at the battery." Junior Tech replies.

"What's the output at the stator? Is it within spec?" asks the dumb old guy.

"Yep." says Junior Tech.

"Is the battery fully charged?" asks the dumb old guy.

"Good to go," says Junior Tech. "Could you leave me alone, please. I have to test this regulator/rectifier."

Can you see the problem here? If you can, you're a mechanic. If you can't, you're a technician.

:D:D:D:D
I was just saying a technician is going to systematicaly diagnose a problem. A mechanic is going to grab a regulator from another bike to determine if the one he pulled is bad. Your "junior tech" just needs more experience.
IMO.

[pintslayer]

Congratulations!

You're a mechanic. Testing a bad unit is pointless, because it's bad. Replace it.