MMI - After

The other pages talk about what life at MMI was like, as well as the experience of finding a job and the prospective salaries that are out there. The purpose of this page is to talk a little about what life was like for me during my 3.5 years at the dealership.

The first month or so, I did little but PDIs (Pre Delivery Inspection). Every bike that comes off the truck has to be set up properly before it can be sold. Cable adjustments are checked, as well as the clutch and primary chain. Fluid levels are verified, spark plugs checked, handlebars adjusted properly, etc. Our dealership is fairly thorough, and it takes close to two hours to do the job right. However, it doesn't take long and it gets VERY monotonous, plus I didn't feel like I was learning much. The plus side is that you get to RIDE every bike you PDI, and it wasn't long before I'd gotten to ride every model of bike that Harley sells.

After that, I started getting to do 1000 mile and 5000 mile services, as well as changing tires. I changed PLENTY of tires in the time I was there. Also I started being assigned light "accessory" jobs. It seems that most people who buy a bike want to at least install new pipes, as well as the Screaming Eagle Air Cleaner. But 1k and 5k services are a big part of life in a dealership.

Eventually, I started getting bigger accessory jobs, such as chrome front ends, handlebars with internal wiring, and chrome everywhere. I also started getting to do more difficult "mechanic" jobs, such as pulling primarys and repairing leaks. I finally graduated to installing big bore kits, which requires disassembling the motor down to the case, replacing the cylinders and pistons, and also the cams. Occasionally the heads are replaced for higher horsepower applications. This was probably my favorite type of job to get.

Wreck repairs are also a fairly common occurence. It seems as though plenty of people buy bikes who don't really know how to ride. I think if I was "raw", I'd start out with a smaller (and cheaper) bike like a Honda instead of a $15,000 (PLUS!) Harley. (Actually, this WAS the case for me, as my first bikes were a 250 Yamaha and then a 550 Yamaha Seca.) Anyway, my first winter there I got to build an Ultra Classic from scratch on my lift. One of our customers had an accident, and the frame was damaged along with some cosmetic damage to the "tins" (fender, gas tank, fairing, etc.). I got to totally strip his old bike down to the frame, and re-installed the parts on the new frame. Obviously, I re-used only the parts that weren't damaged, and used new parts everywhere else. This is where a good Wreck Estimator comes in handy! The customer also wanted to upgrade his transmission to the new HD 6-speed transmission, so I got to rebuild that as well. I successfully completed the job, and the bike did not once come back due to any issues.

I've gotten to handle all sorts of electrical problems, and really did most jobs that came through the door.