Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126292
(Abovellnstructor Hugh Maloy explained the Motorcycle Repair Curriculum to LA. Times writer Charles Champlin during the filming of a vocational skills TV program. ' (Below) Women show int erest in the motorcycle repair field. This young lady made it to the final semester at Trade-Tech. Instructor Pat Owens. former tuner for Gene Romero. uses closed circuit television. among other visual aids. during classroom lectures at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. . . Mechanics course at L.A. ·Tr ad eTech: Ten-years ' old and still the best By Alan Paulsen . At your dealer's, are there kids with little training but l oads of enthusiasm working on your bike? How much do they know about Ohm's Law, dwell, metric conversion, fuel atomization, load ca pacity, frame geometry , cam duration , piston cam ber, reduc tion ratios, logarithmic me tering , dial calib ra- 22 tion, machining me thods, welding tec hni q ues , steering ph ysics, emission cont rol, dynamometer operation, or even product liability? Point being, the industry practically demands that modern motorcycle I mechanics be technicians and not simply pa r ts changers. Self-taught , trial-and -error hack mec ha nics have faded from the scene and have been replaced by, tr ained enthusiasts using sophisticated eq uipment to test and re pair wa tercooled, rotary-powered and multi-cylinder imported machines that require .the services of a competent, fully -trained mechanic. Your life often rides on the degree of skill your mechanic has acquired . Trained technicians likely to go farther, faster Prio r to the 1960's, the volume of mo to rcycle sales in thi s country was so low that .there was little demand for motorcycle mechanics. Ra pid growth of the industry created a huge vacuum in the area of trained service personnel which still persists. The latest technologies employed by newer generations of motorcycles meant that even mechanics experienced in the older traditional makes were not completely capable of meeting current demands. In 1964 concerned industry leaders, led by E.W. "Pete" Colman told Los Angeles Trade-Technical College about the needs of the growing motorcycle industry and requested a program to train motorcycle mechanics. By 1967 the course was underway. Harley-Davidson, Suzuki, Yamaha. and Honda donated assistance and m aterials. The cu rriculum is kept updated through the cooperation of an advisory comm ittee of industry representatives. Mec hani cs. dea lers , service school instructo rs. service , managers, m ag a zine ed itors, ana co mpany executives meet once a year with the college d ea n a nd motorcycle repair instructors to give practical advice on current industry trends and ot he r matters important. to a sound educational program. This continuing industry su pport helps the college to maintain one of the strongest motorcycle repair anywhere. Located in downtown Los Angeles at 400 West Washington Boulevard , Trade-Tech is an accredited, tax supported public community college which anyone over 18 may attend, with or without a high school di ploma, and at no expense outside of books and tools required for the trade. Block programming allows a student to continue working part time and earn four extra units of credit while doing so. You must attend two years for an Associate in Science degree. but il 's no t requ ir ed . A ,rce rt ifica te of complet ion may be awarded if you elect not to take certain academic subjects required for the degree. One may earn a certificate of proficiency after completing at least 75% of the program and a lett e r of satisfactory performance is submitted by an employer after six months of on-thejob experience. Uve shop atmosphere Studen ts spend 20 hours a week in fully -equipped laboratories working on a variety of machines, and four .hours in classroom lecture. Advanced students work on customer machinery in a " T ive shop atmosphere with students rotating weekly as service manager. Seventeen main areas are covered ' and include: orientation to the motorcycle industry , theory of tools and measurement , internal combustion engine theory. engine disassembly and assem bly . fuel systems, carburetor brea kd own an d assem bly, electrical systems principles, elec trical systems breakd ow n a nd assem bly . lu brication systems -theory, power transmissi on brea kd own a nd assernbly ., power tr ansm ission th eory, fra m e a nd sus pension theory a nd d emo nstr a ti o n , wheel a nd b rake la bora tory. engine d iagnosis and re pair, t r a nsm ission d iagnosis a nd repair, general service a nd tu neup , and sho p management and control. Certa in p rojects beyond the course outline a re necessary to ob ta in a passing grade. Some of the instructor's