Motorcycle Technician Certification

Earning motorcycle technician certification is the first step on a career working with motorcycles and making a living doing it. Motorcycles are fun, inexpensive to operate and popular throughout the country and that translates into jobs for qualified mechanics.

Motorcycle Training

• Motorcycle certification programs can take up to 36 weeks to complete. motorcycle image by Goran Bogicevic from Fotolia.com

  Typical motorcycle certification training programs, which usually take about 36 weeks to complete, cover all aspects of motorcycle maintenance including small-engine repair,and ignition, fuel and electrical systems, as well as exhaust and braking systems, frame construction and troubleshooting. There are often courses on industry standards.

Motorcycle Certification

• Certification can cover motorcycles in general or specific brands of motorcycles. Motorcycle Engine image by Andrew Breeden from Fotolia.com

  There is no national standard for motorcycle technician certification; however, there are programs in community and technical colleges and specialized programs devoted to motorcycle repair that offer certification. Once trained, you can become certified on various motorcycle brands. Earning specific certification may require working for a particular motorcycle brand dealership or taking specialized courses.

Specific Motorcycle Certification

• Training programs cover a wide range of motorcycles and motorcycle repair and maintenance. motorcycle image by Ritu Jethani from Fotolia.com

  There are programs that focus on specific brands. For example, WyoTech, with six U.S. campuses, focuses on European motorcycles from BMW, Triumph and Ducati. The Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, located in Arizona and Florida, focuses on Japanese brands Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Honda, as well as BMW and Harley-Davidson. Hagerstown Community College in Maryland offers an inexpensive two-part program that covers all aspects of motorcycle repair.