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Motorcycle Mechanics

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

  • Details

  • Work Activities

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

    Skills

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

    Abilities

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

    Knowledge

    • 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.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • 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.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • 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.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • 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.
    • 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
    • Integrity
    • Persistence
    • Initiative
    • Self Control

    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