My husband is over passionate about Harley and custom build bikes. He has had his own shop for 5 years working on them. He has had his own H-D for years. He knows how to strip them down, chop them out, weld on the frames, rebuild the motors, carburetor, accessorize them, change the oil/fluids, tires, wheel balance, Oh well heck just about everything.

We are hitting hard times down here in south Texas and it has been slow for quite a few reasons. Some of it is his family on the mom side issues and well south Texas is what some people call the bottomless hell hole.

We need to move and I want to move back too Dallas Where some of my family is at and were my family pretty much treat him as one of their kin.

I have been sending his resume to other bike shops that work on custom bikes. I would like to send a few to Harley. I see quite a few needing Technicians but Him and I talked about those Harley places wanting MMI students. He at one wish he could gone to MMI but a $30,000 school is quite high and too what he has in his knowledge he could go through the Harley part of if in a breeze. It would be quite boring for him. To make things worse even if he could go to school we could not live there. We are already having a hard time as it is keeping up with the taxes on our home.

It is pretty much the reason why we are thinking about going to Dallas because I have family up there that would put up with us for a little while until we get our taxes paid up on our place here in South Texas.

I read some Harley dealers sites does not even say a word about having MMI behind you to be hired on as a tech.

So I am wondering if it is really necessary for him to go to MMI to even work for Harley?

My husband is 43yrs old and feels like life is behind him. He has quite a few regular customers that is quite happy with his work. I am wondering if him running his own shop for 5 years would even count for him to get hired on at Harley? Or is MMI that big of a deal?

The only thing I am mad about the school is the fact their is only two schools and both is not an option to go too. We just could not afford to live there. We are barely affording our home this year.

I can not believe how big Texas is that there is not a qualifying school for him to pick up on a few things if he needed too. Which I think the only thing he needs refreshing on is on the newer H-D's

However some how I would like to see my husband stick with the love of his life. Working and riding Harley/custom bikes.

 

Well let me say from first hand exsperience that it is not all it is cracked up to be in a Harley shop. I have worked in Arizona and Florida and they where both the same. They make you empty promises of money and once your in you stay broke to the point of you have to work there to make a living. My wife worked for a Harley shop and was the #1 sales girl in motorclothes. Ya think that mattered? Not to dealerships. You are exspendable at all times. Don't think so go to your local dealer and watch the turn over of employees, the dealers know people anymore have no choice in who has to work on thier bikes due to the new Harley's being coomputer operated. The bolt on stuff is easy but no longer easy to do diag. on your own bike. I have watched the dealers promise Master techs money and then the tech come up with 20 hrs for a week and sometimes goes to work and flags maybe 4 yrs in 10 if he is lucky that day. Best advise to you is hit events, let people know your talents. Your work will sell it's self. Bike nights and runs are the best place to make conections. I do three bike nights a week and as many runs as I can. MMI mickey mouse institute is over priced if you ask me but going there got my wife a great job when she joined the National Gaurd. Keep your head up. Don't make your hobby your living you will begin to hate your hobby trust me.

 

Maybe he can work for an up and coming Indy shop?

 

Well, he wouldn't be working for Harley. Dealers are individually owned and set their own qualifications for employment. And a dealer would be crazy not to value experience like your husband has as much or more than trade school.
No chance of your husband opening his own shop in the DFW area? Seems like every place needs more independents to me. And I think there are government programs and loans available because of the current depression. I'd spend some time up there with kin and scope out the business situation there.

 

He plans on starting the business back up around DFW but right now we need to work up some capital. We just need to get away from his family ( mom, sister, stupid niece, rotten brother in-law) that tends to sink him every time her turns around.

 

I would go up there for a few days and stay with your folks while he personally hits the indy shops and the HD dealerships. Face to face meetings work better than resumes. Experience, and references, mean a lot.

 

^^^good advice

 

I second that Don't make your hobby your living you will begin to hate your hobby trust me

Lol i used to just love old cars n trucks still do , but fixing the stuffs just work to me now i got a 68 mustang in my shop , first car i ever finished for myself looked like a million bucks in 91 needs done again now even have like 2 grand in new parts for it...been sittin there for 3 or 4 years now..i aint touched it

But now i got this Harley

No the cars not going anywhere lol...but i am into my bike big time

 

Well if I worked for a HD dealership I would certainly be broke all the time. It would be about the same as an addict working at a crack house.

But, I agree that he would do a lot better scoping out the indy shops around Dallas. The pay may not be much better than the dealership, but he would have a better chance of being treated like a human.

 

The only thing worse than a shitty job is looking for one.
Competition is fierce right now.
Not all Harley dealers suck. I worked at one that sucked and I'd rather stay unemployed than go back - but not all of 'em suck.
I'm 44 and recently decided to go back to school for engineering. Ef MMI.
Best of luck to ya'all.