|
|
Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | Does anyone know what it takes to be a certified Victory motorcycle mechanic? Also, does anyone know how we can tell a certified Victory motorcyle mechanic from just a motorcycle mechanic? Is there a certificate that is proudly displayed? |
|
| |
|
Puddle Jumper
Posts: 23
Clarksville, TN / Ft Campbell, KY | i heard Victorys dont break down, therefore don't need mechanics. |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | VisionTex - 2010-07-02 3:09 PM
Does anyone know what it takes to be a certified Victory motorcycle mechanic? Also, does anyone know how we can tell a certified Victory motorcyle mechanic from just a motorcycle mechanic? Is there a certificate that is proudly displayed?
there are factory schools to attend, and they get a certificate. I've seen one with a certificate, but then again it could have been from http://certificatesRus.com... |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | This post is NOT about the motorcyle...it is about the people who service THE motorcycle! Get ready more to come. Just wanting to know how we would know who is certified and who is not. |
|
| |
|
Cruiser
Posts: 169
The Vic Shop - Central Iowa | Back when I got "certified" the dealer send me up for a week long course. That was in 2003. Then yearly one-day re-ups after that. I'm 99% sure only Victory dealers in good standing can send a tech - i.e. no one off the street can attend. Yes I got a certificate, still have it in fact. Haven't be with a dealer for awhile, so unfortunatly I haven't been to the yearly refresh for awhile, althought I wish they'd let me, I'd be happy to pay...
The way to tell if one is a certified Vic tech is they are more handsome, have lots of hot women around, and ride a bad-ass bike. Or they can explain the ins and outs of all the models from 99-current - either one, I'm the latter..... |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | VisionTex - 2010-07-02 3:19 PM
This post is NOT about the motorcyle...it is about the people who service THE motorcycle! Get ready more to come. Just wanting to know how we would know who is certified and who is not.
having understood what you asked, what Vic just answsered. My tech has been to school and proudly displayed the certificates. I have a general desire to become certified have one in ASE, that I was curious like you to ask. This alone is good to know that there are trained mechanics that knows my bike. |
|
| |
|
Puddle Jumper
Posts: 10
| I've have been a certified Victory tech since February 1998. Yes to the certificate and every year you must pass a skill level test at the update training. couple years back everyone either had to pass a in depth test or go back to the training school for a week of lessons. So far you must be sponsor by a Victory Dealer to attend and stay certified. |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | BBV - 2010-07-02 3:27 PM
I've have been a certified Victory tech since February 1998. Yes to the certificate and every year you must pass a skill level test at the update training. couple years back everyone either had to pass a in depth test or go back to the training school for a week of lessons. So far you must be sponsor by a Victory Dealer to attend and stay certified.
Thanks for the answer.
I have noticed that increase in the complexity of all motorcycles over the past 28 years has changed the quality of the mechanics turning the wrenches.
It takes more than just mechanical ability to be a successful mechanic these days. You either have to study hard or learn quick to keep up and adapt to the changes in the industry.
Sometimes I long for the old days when I was young and all I looked for was Compression, Fuel/Air and Spark. But now I am so spoiled with EFI on the Vision...I just press the starter switch and it is up and running.
Ride Safe! |
|
| |
|
Puddle Jumper
Posts: 7
Lakehills, Texas | Is it required of all Vic. dealers to get one of their mechanics certified? I don't think I have talked to any in our local area , maybe the guy at Victory of Austin, he seemed to know his stuff. |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | Victory of Austin....Is this also called Napalm...or is there another dealership in Austin?
I am sure that Napalm has at least one certified guy there. The owner seems crazy but I do not mind crazy.
The mechanic their provided me the hard evidence that my Vision was not mapped for the exhaust I was running (Stage 1 Level 2)...the dealer in San Antonio kept telling me my map was OK and thought I was the stupidest buyer ever. I will admit it was dumb of me to buy the bike from these people that my gut told me they were no good. Napalm proved that my Vision had the stock map running on it and my butt dyno confirmed it .... it ran like crap. After Napalm mapped it correctly it started running like the bike I always knew it could be.
I would like to think that is just one more reason that Ironhorse of SA is now out of business.
Ride Safe |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 1340
Gainesville Fl Home of the Gators | A dealer has to have a certified mechanic to get the full payment on parts, and labor for warranty work from Vic. If certifications lapse the dealer gets only cost on parts, and a greatly reduced payment on labor. That said; certification is just a piece of paper, and does not mean you know anything about actually fixing bikes. Good mechanics are trained through there entire life, and a week of BS class makes little difference. Fact is I have prolly learned more from other people in class then I have ever learned from a teacher |
|
| |
|
Puddle Jumper
Posts: 7
Lakehills, Texas | Thanks Kevinx, thats the answer I was looking for. I guess if you are a committed dealer the least you could do would be to get one of your better techs Vic certified and hope he had a little skill to go with his papers. I am the same as you, i seem to learn better by watching and doing than by setting in a class and listening or taking notes.
Radioteacher - Victory of Austin sold out to Napalm and the guy that was there before is gone. I purchased my bike at Napalm and I tend to agree with you about them. Nice place, and they do offer me a discount ( 10%) if I beg for it on parts. Kent in SA has never offered a discount on parts, and the apparel guy told me he could not discount anything because there was little mark up and no margin (LOL).
I would like to think that we had a mechanic that was REALLY interested in learning the Vic's and maybe even kept up on the threads like the rest of us so that they might recognize what others have experienced. At that point they would be familiar with your complaint and could be familiar with how to approach it or how to deal with Victory in order to get it resolved. |
|
| |
|
Iron Butt
Posts: 725
Reno County, KS | Every good shop has at least one senior wrench who is the go-to guy for help. A good tradesman generally shadowed other good tradesmen on the job. A good mentor doesn't hand their shadow a text book! They also look out for their apprentice yet allow them to fail at least once or twice. It seems that places like MMI have the newer guys believing that they are going to show up to work tomorrow and become the service manager next year. Every so often they get a person that comes through with the competence and willingness to work hard to make a name for themselves. You can spot the good ones right away. They're the ones that are eager to help, naturally inquisitive, appreciate everything you show them and have common sense. These wrenching schools are like "mechanic mills". The kids show up to school, get a slap on the ass and a peice of paper with their name on it. That's been my experience. I have personally only been through a couple mechanical classes (industrial hydraulics) but have been through several other schools that my company has sent me through (as a requirement). Maybe it's different from what I've seen as an Electronics Tech but I seriously doubt it. I personally believe that service managers should have experience under their belt as a full time wrench. It would help keep shops from writing checks that their ass couldn't cash. As far as ASE certification goes: It is a check in the perverbial box. I personally know someone who went through it at night in preperation to get out of the military. In the end he said he'd learned more from the Haynes manuals than he ever did from ASE. He ended up getting a part time job at a dealership while he did office work full time to get his foot in the door. You know what you don't see much anymore? Good transmission guys! They're a dying breed, but I digress...
Edited by bigwill5150 2010-07-03 12:47 PM
|
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I'm not disputing one thing you have said will, but without that paper you can't get your foot in the door. It sucks to have the paper and not the experience, especially if you are working on my job. The ones with the paper asks the ones with the experience then takes the credit only because they got the paper and I don't.
Edited by varyder 2010-07-03 1:55 PM
|
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | kevinx - 2010-07-03 5:13 AM
A dealer has to have a certified mechanic to get the full payment on parts, and labor for warranty work from Vic. If certifications lapse the dealer gets only cost on parts, and a greatly reduced payment on labor. That said; certification is just a piece of paper, and does not mean you know anything about actually fixing bikes. Good mechanics are trained through there entire life, and a week of BS class makes little difference. Fact is I have prolly learned more from other people in class then I have ever learned from a teacher
Thanks Kevin, that's the info I needed. And also, you probably know this, is there a set number of hours that the dealer can charge an individual or warranty for repairs? And if that is the case, shouldn't the bike owner ask the hours need to do the repairs before starting the work? Thanks for your replies!  |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | kevinx - 2010-07-03 7:13 AM
A dealer has to have a certified mechanic to get the full payment on parts, and labor for warranty work from Vic. If certifications lapse the dealer gets only cost on parts, and a greatly reduced payment on labor. That said; certification is just a piece of paper, and does not mean you know anything about actually fixing bikes. Good mechanics are trained through there entire life, and a week of BS class makes little difference. Fact is I have prolly learned more from other people in class then I have ever learned from a teacher
...certainly the good thing is you've got the experience... and the paper! |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 1340
Gainesville Fl Home of the Gators | varyder - 2010-07-03 2:54 PM
I'm not disputing one thing you have said will, but without that paper you can't get your foot in the door. It sucks to have the paper and not the experience, especially if you are working on my job. The ones with the paper asks the ones with the experience then takes the credit only because they got the paper and I don't.
MANY dealer mechanics in all fields[auto, heavy, powersport] Come through the door with no paper. We come in because we started building our resume in elementry school, and the car/motorcycle in the parking lot was built by us from scratch. I know tthis sounds hokey, but real mehanics are not trained into exsistanse. We are pretty much born with it |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 1340
Gainesville Fl Home of the Gators | VisionTex - 2010-07-03 10:42 PM
kevinx - 2010-07-03 5:13 AM
A dealer has to have a certified mechanic to get the full payment on parts, and labor for warranty work from Vic. If certifications lapse the dealer gets only cost on parts, and a greatly reduced payment on labor. That said; certification is just a piece of paper, and does not mean you know anything about actually fixing bikes. Good mechanics are trained through there entire life, and a week of BS class makes little difference. Fact is I have prolly learned more from other people in class then I have ever learned from a teacher
Thanks Kevin, that's the info I needed. And also, you probably know this, is there a set number of hours that the dealer can charge an individual or warranty for repairs? And if that is the case, shouldn't the bike owner ask the hours need to do the repairs before starting the work? Thanks for your replies!
Unlike with your car; there is only a warranty flat rate book for Victory. This means that while we take a screwing from the factory. The customer pay is figured by some type of multiplication of the warranty time. Before you say that is wrong you need to know this. Customer pay in the Auto world is governed by a couple of sources[Chilton, Motor, All Data] For the most part the times listed are simply factory warranty times two.
As for a quote. Most states require an approved cost estimate is done before ANY work can be done |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | kevinx - 2010-07-04 12:28 AM
varyder - 2010-07-03 2:54 PM
I'm not disputing one thing you have said will, but without that paper you can't get your foot in the door. It sucks to have the paper and not the experience, especially if you are working on my job. The ones with the paper asks the ones with the experience then takes the credit only because they got the paper and I don't.
MANY dealer mechanics in all fields[auto, heavy, powersport] Come through the door with no paper. We come in because we started building our resume in elementry school, and the car/motorcycle in the parking lot was built by us from scratch. I know tthis sounds hokey, but real mehanics are not trained into exsistanse. We are pretty much born with it
Totally agree...not hokey at all... |
|
| |
|
Iron Butt
Posts: 669
Peachtree City, GA | kevinx - 2010-07-03 7:13 AM
A dealer has to have a certified mechanic to get the full payment on parts, and labor for warranty work from Vic. If certifications lapse the dealer gets only cost on parts, and a greatly reduced payment on labor. That said; certification is just a piece of paper, and does not mean you know anything about actually fixing bikes. Good mechanics are trained through there entire life, and a week of BS class makes little difference. Fact is I have prolly learned more from other people in class then I have ever learned from a teacher
That is exactly why I come visit you... knowledge is a great thing and you have more then most!
|
|
| |
|
Cruiser
Posts: 215
Boydsville, AR United States | I agree with Kevinx. Wrenches, weather you you work on Hydralics, Auto, Motorcycle, Industrial, etc, are born with a sence of holding tools. I've tried to train gusy who came from Tech School, and REALY wanted to be a wrench. Some had great dionostic skills, but couldn't tell a open end from a vice grip. They realy wanted it, but just didn't have the dexteriorty to handel it. They are the guys who can better serve you with a lot of info, that some times to you seem unrelated. A good wrench is a good dective. |
|
| |
|
Cruiser
Posts: 215
Boydsville, AR United States | opps! double post
Edited by wseemann 2010-07-04 12:58 PM
|
|
| |
Certified Victory Motorcycle Mechanic