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Motorcycle Mechanics

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

  • Details

  • Work Activities

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

    Skills

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

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

    Knowledge

    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.

    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