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Motorcycle Mechanics

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, dirt bikes, or similar motorized vehicles.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Repair or replace other parts, such as headlights, horns, handlebar controls, gasoline or oil tanks, starters, or mufflers.
    • Repair or adjust motorcycle subassemblies, such as forks, transmissions, brakes, or drive chains, according to specifications.
    • Reassemble frames and reinstall engines after repairs.
    • Hammer out dents and bends in frames and weld tears and breaks.
    • Mount, balance, change, or check condition or pressure of tires.
    • Listen to engines, examine vehicle frames, or confer with customers to determine nature and extent of malfunction or damage.
    • Repair or replace other parts, such as headlights, horns, handlebar controls, gasoline or oil tanks, starters, or mufflers.
    • Mount, balance, change, or check condition or pressure of tires.
    • Reassemble frames and reinstall engines after repairs.
    • Replace defective parts, using hand tools, arbor presses, flexible power presses, or power tools.
    • Install motorcycle accessories.
    • Dismantle engines and repair or replace defective parts, such as magnetos, carburetors, or generators.
    • Install motorcycle accessories.
    • Replace defective parts, using hand tools, arbor presses, flexible power presses, or power tools.
    • Dismantle engines and repair or replace defective parts, such as magnetos, carburetors, or generators.
    • Connect test panels to engines and measure generator output, ignition timing, or other engine performance indicators.
    • Repair or adjust motorcycle subassemblies, such as forks, transmissions, brakes, or drive chains, according to specifications.
    • Hammer out dents and bends in frames and weld tears and breaks.
    • Remove cylinder heads and grind valves to scrape off carbon and replace defective valves, pistons, cylinders, or rings, using hand and power tools.
    • Disassemble subassembly units and examine condition, movement, or alignment of parts, visually or using gauges.
    • Remove cylinder heads and grind valves to scrape off carbon and replace defective valves, pistons, cylinders, or rings, using hand and power tools.
    • Dismantle engines and repair or replace defective parts, such as magnetos, carburetors, or generators.
    • Listen to engines, examine vehicle frames, or confer with customers to determine nature and extent of malfunction or damage.
    • Reassemble and test subassembly units.
    • Reassemble and test subassembly units.

    Skills

    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.

    Abilities

    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    Knowledge

    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    Education

    Education
    Postsecondary certificate
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Less than 1 month on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    47260/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    22.72/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    580
    Yearly Projected Openings
    50

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Perseverance
    • Cautiousness

    Tools

    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Angle measuring instrument
    • Automotive boring machine
    • Automotive exhaust emission analyzers
    • Automotive honing machine
    • Carburetor balancer
    • Chucks
    • Cleaning brushes
    • Compression pressure gauge
    • Crimping pliers
    • Dollies
    • Dynamometers
    • Engine or vehicle stands
    • Engine tune up tester
    • Grease lubricator
    • Hand reamer
    • Hex keys
    • Hold down clamps
    • Impact screwdriver
    • Magnetic tools
    • Manual press brake
    • Metal cutters
    • Metal inert gas welding machine
    • Multimeters
    • Oil changer
    • Oil gauges
    • Oil pumps
    • Pullers
    • Ratchets
    • Retaining ring pliers
    • Rivet tools
    • Screwdriver bits
    • Socket attachments and accessories
    • Socket sets
    • Sockets
    • Sound measuring apparatus or decibel meter
    • Spanner wrenches
    • Spark plug gap gauge
    • Spark plug wrench
    • Specialty wrenches
    • Timing light
    • Tire changing machines
    • Tire depth gauge
    • Tire spreader
    • Torque wrenches
    • Torx keys
    • Tungsten inert gas welding machine
    • Valve refacer
    • Valve spring compressor
    • Vehicle jack
    • Vehicle lift
    • Vehicle parts washing machine
    • Voltage or current meters
    • Wheel balancing equipment
    • Wire twister

    Technology

    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Inventory management software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Point of sale POS software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Word processing software