[ChopperDude]

quote:
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Originally posted by tomv
we had a kid in here a while back that graduated from AMI and was very pleased with the course.

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As a matter of fact...his name was ChopperDude, I contacted him, and he sent me this link: http://rons-web.com/motor/mmi.asp


Note quite, HarleyHetz... I didn't go to AMI, but instead I'm currently attending MMI. I will graduate next month. Several people have said things I'd like to respond to:

$14 an hour is almost $30000 a year. Way lower than what I made as a programmer, but if I'm happier doing something I enjoy, isn't that cool? Plus, if you are a *successsful* wrench, I think $20 an hour is feasible (after several years), and that's closer to $40k. Plus, I'm married, and with our combined incomes, I don't think money will be an issue.

Yes, graduating from these schools, you are only an "entry level" tech. You will have to change tires and such at first. But I see all abilities in the guys attending school with me. Guys who will NOT be in the business two years from now, because they didn't try hard enough to learn. But there are also plenty of guys who WILL do well in the industry, I guarantee it. MMI or AMI will NOT make you a successful wrench, that is largely up to you. But speaking for MMI, if you attend and WANT to learn, they will teach you all you need to know.

Two guys are in school with me who went to AMI for 3 weeks and demanded their money back (what they had paid so far), and then came to MMI. I've not heard of anyone who left MMI for AMI (doesn't mean that I'm slamming AMI or anything). Personally, I'm glad I chose MMI, and I'd recommend it to anyone who was in my same position. Read about my mid-life career change at:

http://rons-web.com/motor/mmi.asp


__________________

 

[HarleyHetz]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by tomv
we had a kid in here a while back that graduated from AMI and was very pleased with the course.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As a matter of fact...his name was ChopperDude, I contacted him, and he sent me this link: http://rons-web.com/motor/mmi.asp


Note quite, HarleyHetz... I didn't go to AMI, but instead I'm currently attending MMI.

Oops, my bad....I didn't realize there were 2 of them!!

 

[Glennhu]

Hey Chopper Dude,

Cool website... I read it all! Thanks for the info, and an early congrats at completing the course. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Glenn

 

[ChopperDude]

Hey Chopper Dude,

Cool website... I read it all! Thanks for the info, and an early congrats at completing the course. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Glenn

Thanks Glenn!

Yes, I'm excited about graduating next month, but also admittedly somewhat anxious about job prospects. I think the wife and I are targeting the Charlotte area, we spent a few days there over the Christmas break to check things out. It's beautiful up there.

Happy New Years, all!

 

[tomv]

i wasnt aware there were 2 either. just remembered some comments you had made a few months ago about going to school.

sounds like a great attitude chopperdude. its refreshing to see someone who doesnt expect the world at their feet just starting out. i graduated from an automotive college 25 years ago and saw the same classmates you do. it is a career and has to be approached seriously. mine carried me far and i enjoy a certain amount of success because of my schooling and work training.
dont lose that spark. i hope you continue to enjoy it as much for years to come.

 

[Tappet]

I graduated from AMI in July. I wouldn't go back there if it were half the price. The Harley instructors, Gene and Kirt, are extremely knowledgeable and will teach you alot, but they have their hands tied. The school won't buy tools or parts. In a 20 week curriculum you'll only be in Harley for 10. No V-Rod or Buell training at all. The first 5 weeks covers 2 and 4 stroke basics. 2nd 5 weeks is electrics. Then when you finally get into Harley you'll use almost none of what you learned in the first 10 weeks. And finally, if you didn't know anything about "wrenching" when you went in, you won't know anything about it coming out. The Placement office leaves a lot to be desired. In the end, it's up to you to find a job. One guy that graduated in my class took a job in NJ at a H-D dealership for $7 per hour!!! Many of the others either couldn't find jobs in the industry or had to start at a wage fit only for unskilled laborers. Do yourself a favor and stay away from MMI or AMI and buy yourself a manual and a good set of tools and use them. Save your money!! I've talked to people that came out of MMI that said the same thing. Both schools' curriculums are similar as far as the number of actual hours. It takes longer to go through MMI because the days aren't as long.

 

[ChopperDude]

I graduated from AMI in July. I wouldn't go back there if it were half the price. The Harley instructors, Gene and Kirt, are extremely knowledgeable and will teach you alot, but they have their hands tied. The school won't buy tools or parts. In a 20 week curriculum you'll only be in Harley for 10. No V-Rod or Buell training at all. The first 5 weeks covers 2 and 4 stroke basics. 2nd 5 weeks is electrics. Then when you finally get into Harley you'll use almost none of what you learned in the first 10 weeks. And finally, if you didn't know anything about "wrenching" when you went in, you won't know anything about it coming out. The Placement office leaves a lot to be desired. In the end, it's up to you to find a job. One guy that graduated in my class took a job in NJ at a H-D dealership for $7 per hour!!! Many of the others either couldn't find jobs in the industry or had to start at a wage fit only for unskilled laborers. Do yourself a favor and stay away from MMI or AMI and buy yourself a manual and a good set of tools and use them. Save your money!! I've talked to people that came out of MMI that said the same thing. Both schools' curriculums are similar as far as the number of actual hours. It takes longer to go through MMI because the days aren't as long.

Tappet, I can understand your frustration.... but your experience at AMI doesn't compare to mine at MMI. First, I get hands on experience with both VROD and Buell. 3 weeks on both. Also, I'll have had 30 weeks of Harley by the time I get out. Sure, our days are only 5 hours, but that's still 750 hours of school. If you have 10 weeks of HD training at 8 hours per day, that's only 640 hours. Also, if I had chosen to take Early Model (Shovels, Pans, Knuckles, etc.) that would have been an extra 150 hours, for a total of 900 hours. (I'm running short on cash and therefore having to not take Early Model, to my disappointment.).

I'm in VROD right now, and we have 20 bikes in there... probably 8 of them are '03 models. There are also 20+ new bikes sitting in the Buell class right next door. The difference is that Harley DIRECTLY supports MMI, giving us bikes and such. They do NOT do that at AMI.

The story I heard is that a few years ago, HD, MMI, AMI all sat down and talked about HDs sponsoring them. HD said they would, as long as certain steps were followed. AMI said "No thanks" and walked out. MMI said "Sure, whatever you want", and thus get MAJOR support from HD. Things like bikes for **FREE**, PHD support, and many other benefits. Heck, HD technicians even come to MMI for Dealer Training classes.

I don't wanna make this a AMI vs. MMI argument, but the two schools aren't comparable.

I know of guys coming from MMI who are starting at $13 and $14 an hour. Sure, not big money to start, but if you can do the work, youi'll be making $20 within a few years.

I did the research and chose MMI over AMI, because I wanted the best education and support possible. Your sour grapes over the education you received and subsequent poor opportunities after graduation are simply the result of the decision YOU chose to attend AMI.

But I do wish you the best of luck in the industry.

ron

 

[Tappet]

The story I heard is that a few years ago, HD, MMI, AMI all sat down and talked about HDs sponsoring them. HD said they would, as long as certain steps were followed. AMI said "No thanks" and walked out. MMI said "Sure, whatever you want", and thus get MAJOR support from HD. Things like bikes for **FREE**, PHD support, and many other benefits. Heck, HD technicians even come to MMI for Dealer Training classes.

I don't wanna make this a AMI vs. MMI argument, but the two schools aren't comparable.

ron

You won't get any argument from me Ron. But I should mention that there are instructors at AMI that attended MMI and there are students there that did too. And probably vice-versa. So I've heard a lot of "stories". Don't get me wrong - I'm not defending AMI. As far as the H-D support, I don't know the truth behind it but heard that H-D didn't want either school to offer any aftermarket or high-performance training. I don't know about MMI but AMI does address S&S, Mikuni, etc. On the other hand, I suppose you get what you pay for, in a sense, and AMI is a good bit cheaper. As I stated, the Harley instructors are very good. Kurt Heinrichs set up the H-D PHd program and is the Harley engine instructor at AMI. He authored 2 books, "Special Tools for Harley-Davidson Motorcycles" and "What Fits What on Harley Davidsons". He knows the Harley part numbers for every part of every bike back to Flatheads!!! He knows a lot of tricks and techniques that the service manuals don't mention. In any event, except for the quality of the instructors I wouldn't go back to AMI again as I said, for half the price. By the way, for what it's worth (probably not much....lol) Orange County Choppers hires their techs from AMI.

 

[ChopperDude]

Tappet,

Yeah, we get a good laugh at those OCC guys sometimes. I love the shows, but we always comment on how there were huge AMI banners all over the place. Even though, on the last few shows I haven't seen them as much as I did for a while there.

Glad you didn't take offense to my earlier post, I was thinking I'd came across a little strongly, and the last thing I want is to start a flame war in here.

We're both after the same thing: to work on bikes, and to make a decent living doing it.

So are you gonna stay in the Daytona area? Is that where you're from? My wife and I are headed somewhere a little further north, like the Charlotte area, or maybe the Atlanta area. The dealerships know they can get techs easy, and don't pay much (as you said).... I'm hoping to get a little more by going up there.

Where are you working right now?

- ron

 

[Tappet]

Ron, I'm from Charlotte, NC. Sold a business there. I'm working for J&P Cycles. Email me sometime if you'd like. Later!!

 

[Lonestar Mobile Mechanic]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by tomv
we had a kid in here a while back that graduated from AMI and was very pleased with the course.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As a matter of fact...his name was ChopperDude, I contacted him, and he sent me this link: http://rons-web.com/motor/mmi.asp


Note quite, HarleyHetz... I didn't go to AMI, but instead I'm currently attending MMI. I will graduate next month. Several people have said things I'd like to respond to:

$14 an hour is almost $30000 a year. Way lower than what I made as a programmer, but if I'm happier doing something I enjoy, isn't that cool? Plus, if you are a successsful wrench, I think $20 an hour is feasible (after several years), and that's closer to $40k. Plus, I'm married, and with our combined incomes, I don't think money will be an issue.

Yes, graduating from these schools, you are only an "entry level" tech. You will have to change tires and such at first. But I see all abilities in the guys attending school with me. Guys who will NOT be in the business two years from now, because they didn't try hard enough to learn. But there are also plenty of guys who WILL do well in the industry, I guarantee it. MMI or AMI will NOT make you a successful wrench, that is largely up to you. But speaking for MMI, if you attend and WANT to learn, they will teach you all you need to know.

Two guys are in school with me who went to AMI for 3 weeks and demanded their money back (what they had paid so far), and then came to MMI. I've not heard of anyone who left MMI for AMI (doesn't mean that I'm slamming AMI or anything). Personally, I'm glad I chose MMI, and I'd recommend it to anyone who was in my same position. Read about my mid-life career change at:

http://rons-web.com/motor/mmi.asp


__

I wish I had of read this forum in 2004 be for I went to AMI . It was a real struggle for a single man with two kids and a dream. If I had of known know what I knew then I would have went to work on a drilling rig. But I would tell someone in my position then, go learn to weld real pretty, learn g-code, go become a master machinist, and learn to read. Real well. Go to any Harley dealership and buy any manual you need.
I had opportunities, I let a really good one go to work in a Harley dealership, never to wrench on a bike. As soon as the owner found out I went to ami, he scolded the service writer and sent me to the wash/detail bay. Only after I had quit a good job at an elite engine building shop in Houston. After a year in the wash bay I left for a job at a Japanese market shop. Then I opened my own shop only to have the building sold out from under me with now place to go or money to reopen with.
Two years later I went to work for Yamaha nearby my hometown and loved it, but the service manager was a Jr high dropout who couldn't read and I was making $50 a week less than my monthly bills were. After 3 years I took an even bigger cut in pay and went to work as a machinist apprentice and threw myself into it. After learning code and how to manufacture parts. I feel like I am what I wanted to be. If it won't run I CaN fix it, if I can't buy the part I can make it. Yet I lost my interest in bikes after I totaled a truck on the way home from work one afternoon. The oilfield dried up and we all go laid off so I went to work for a leading big box store as a mobile mechanic. Where I made better money working on mowers and lawn equipment than I ever made in the bike Industry. The big thing is after the second year it turned seasonal after I asked for a raise. This year after I was laid off in August due to covid 19 slowed our work I bought a service truck and I packed it full of my tools. And I am advertising like crazy and I just pray I can keep my truck notes paid until it breaks open. I know it will, but when.
But since I didn't read this in 2004, I have went through ups and downs, MMI sucks, I worked hard for my two certificates, against everyone s beliefs I come away from AMI with Kurt's confidence, Richards nearer say die attitude, and Georges approval that I would be a competent technician. Techs should be paid well no matter where they are and should be hired on ability not where they went to school.