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- Motorc,cle Re,air Course No Specialists ao ~ Ql a. '" r.:I ~ ~ r.:I .,J C,,) ~ C,,) ... u LEARN TO EARN story & Pbotos by BarI8raAdams Dahms From the four corners of the U.S. they corne to the West Valley OCcupational Center in Woodland HIlls, Calif. for the unique Motorcycle Repair Course taugbt by Dale Martin: Jerry Lewis, Boothbay Harbor, Maine; Eley Anderson, ,\tlanta, A bunlell student eets In hi s practical expel" I.e- before trJlne tile same tiline In a shop so...wbere. Georgia; StepbenHines, Yeavon,Pennsylvania; Bob seaton, Newport, Oregon; Merrill Zelbme, Madison, Wisconsin; Mike Wagner, Denver, Colorado. '!be object of all this extensive travel Is the one-of-a-Idnd teacbtng program wbtch produces trained and quallfted motorcycle mechanics. On February 3rd the course will begin Its !!fth session. Registration was jammed this semester. "'!be name of the game," sal d Instructor Dale Martin, "Is to give people a marketable skill in a m1n1mum amount at time. This Is an Intensive course; 600 hours, 6 hours a day. We don't break UP the continuity as Iu many tra1nIng situations, by presenting material in two or three bour segments. "We study the theory of engines, both two-cycle and four-cycle, relative design features and merits. '!ben we go into practical work sucb as reconditioning and tune up. "For the most part we adhere to industry standards In reconditioning, but In some cases our limits exceed manufacturing standardS, the limits being comparable to racing standards. SYMBOL lor • - • We oou't spectpUze In any make," Dale empbas1Zes, altbough bis personal backgrOUDd Is stroogly "Umey." Be bas raced and tuDed Triumpbs for rac1Dg for a number of years. "Our repair work Is general. We work on wllatis brought in." Actlal practice Is done on the motorcycles of students, friends and on motorcycles loaned by the Motorcycle Safety Council for use in the Motorcycle Rider TraIn.Ing Program wbtcb Is also taught at WVOC. "Here, you can use everytbtng you are taught," Steve Hines says, "No time Is wasted. College includes too many useless tbtngs." It's all part of the continuing debate over vocational versus academic education. "It seems to go in cycles of practical and academic empbasis," Dale explains. "Vocational education Is now coming to the forefront. This Is the biggest upswing It's bad. Academic education tends to turn out people who can recite information but sometimes aren't able to deal with real problems. We are finding inore interest Iu people wbo are capable in their craft; but the apprentice program of the past Is being replaced by tecbnlcal education In wbtch you learn the theory at your work and actual applications." Dale Is s t ron g for "hands-on learnIng." So are the stOOents. "'!be best thing about the course," Eley Anderson says, "Is the chance to learn to use the equipment, to experl- A WINNING TEAMI Bob Bailey and his standard out-of-the-crate Sachs wins the 125cc Senior class and Mike Runyard wins the 125cc Junior Class at Carlsbad Moto-Cross 1/12/69. sachs' new 1969 Enduros, K-100 and K-125GS, are successors to the famous Boondocker K-80GS, which won the greatest number of national events in the 1967-68 season. Whether your bag is trai Ii ng, raci ng, or general fun, check out the new '69 sachs at your dealer. (SJ SACHS· Dealer InlJliries Invited Importer and Western Distributor is: HERCULES OIST. LTD. 1112 Colorado SI. Santa Monica, Callf.90404 PH: (213) 451..721 Dale Martin eoes over tills special ChaneJ Ira... loaned bJ Bud Ekins MotorcJcles. ment. You can't get work In a sbop and start to operate their equipment until you know how." " What I like best," Steve says, "Is when you put sometbtng together bere, you have a chance to {ind out 11 you're doing It right while you're working. You don't have to walt until you're done to find out If you have made a mistake." '!be program bas recently moved Into new and larger quarters. A portion of the area Is set aside for classroom study, the rest Is shop facl1lty. "We are pretty well off, as to equipment," according to Dale, "and we're getting more and more. We have two boring bars, bard seat grinder, valve facer, engine lathe, drill press, welding equipment, crank shaft balancing equipment and wheel trueing fixtures. We go Into machine sbop tecbnlques as they pertalu to engine rebuildIng and reconditioning of macbines." '!be program Is supported by the Los Angeles City Schools Adult Education. Matching funds are suppUed from the Federal Government through the Vocational Education Act (1968). It Is a program for those who want to be protesslonal motorcycle mechanics. "We want people who want to get Into Industry. This Is really not a class for bobbyists, for the person who wants to learn to fix bis own bike. We expect all students to meet the standards at the serious students. "Many people get Into motorcycle repair accidentally. '!bey start knowing a dealer as a result of competition riding and get a job througb him. Tbis worked when the Industry was small but now It is eXPanding at sucb a rapid rate tbat a quicker method to gain experience Is necessary and it Is provided at WVOC . In a sbop you learn the quickest and most pro!1table way to get the job out, not necessarily the correct way. '!berelsn't time to learn the reasons for what's done." S '!be school helPS Its students get employment after completion of the course, througb cooperation with the California State Employment Service, dealers and dearer organizations, district managers and Importers In various areas and through Dale's own extensive contacts In the Industry. "We bave no employment problems for those who want to go Into it full-time. '!bere Is not always a job across the street but employment bas been the least at our worries. We encourage the stuents to go out on their own and look for ~.lhe jobs they want. '!be business has grown so mucb In the last five or six years tbat It is Impossible to train people fast enough to meet the demand." Record Buster Dale has been connected with the motorcycle industry all of his life. Son of one of the first dealers In the san Fernando Valley, be rode in his first event In 1948, the "Lltile Bear Run". Since tbat time he bas ridden almost every form at racing, participating In '!be Big Bear Run, Catalina, Greenhorn, Tecate. He was on the team of the North- South State Championship In 1962. Even thougb competition was not his major Interest he was Number 31n ligbtwelgbt class for the 1963 season (riding a Triumph "Cub"). In 1959 he prepared the Tiger Cub engine tbat his father, Bill Martin, rode to victory In the 200cc Streamlined Gas Class at Bonneville. '!bat 139 mpb record still stands. Dale worked for a wbtle as jet engine inspector at Pacilic Airmotlve In Burbank. '!ben be went to England where be worked for world-famous Comerford'S, Ltd. In London. During tbat time he sampled scrambling In England.Afer bis return to the U.S. he worked with Jobnson Motors until taking the teacbtng job at wvOC. Registration for the upcoming semester Is open to students now registered at the school starting January 20th, and to all others starting January 27th.. '!be classes begin on February 3rd. For further information call Dale at WVOC. (213) 346-3540. .. ... : ....