Motorcycle Mechanics
Also called: All Terrain Vehicle Technician (ATV Technician), Motorcycle Mechanic, Motorcycle Technician, Service TechnicianDiagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, dirt bikes, or similar motorized vehicles.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 13 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.1% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Small engine mechanics”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.1 hires for every 10 job openings in retail trade, which employs about 87% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $42,670 | $34,470 to $54,120 | 270 |
| Alaska | $45,500 | $38,130 to $49,210 | 220 |
| Arizona | $44,190 | $37,730 to $63,750 | 240 |
| Arkansas | $47,350 | $39,700 to $52,000 | 180 |
| California | $57,040 | $44,830 to $69,660 | 1,730 |
| Colorado | $56,850 | $44,880 to $62,680 | 420 |
| Connecticut | $51,970 | $43,130 to $61,650 | 100 |
| Florida | $48,700 | $44,720 to $59,920 | 730 |
| Georgia | $43,050 | $37,380 to $55,020 | 250 |
| Hawaii | $46,390 | $45,320 to $46,700 | 30 |
| Idaho | $43,470 | $31,030 to $48,410 | 130 |
| Illinois | $41,630 | $39,120 to $50,560 | 290 |
| Indiana | $45,470 | $36,810 to $56,320 | 430 |
| Iowa | $44,840 | $37,810 to $58,820 | 300 |
| Kansas | not published | not published | 260 |
| Kentucky | $48,220 | $36,460 to $59,630 | 200 |
| Maine | $48,380 | $40,500 to $59,910 | 100 |
| Maryland | $57,640 | $49,940 to $68,150 | 170 |
| Massachusetts | $48,940 | $47,700 to $57,990 | not published |
| Michigan | $40,100 | $33,210 to $47,110 | 310 |
| Minnesota | $58,280 | $49,970 to $61,090 | 350 |
| Mississippi | $45,710 | $31,920 to $49,400 | 160 |
| Montana | $47,130 | $40,500 to $52,040 | 140 |
| Nebraska | $50,170 | $48,830 to $62,080 | 40 |
| Nevada | $60,450 | $50,650 to $71,860 | 110 |
| New Hampshire | $62,890 | $50,670 to $65,220 | 130 |
| New Jersey | $59,430 | $50,210 to $64,740 | 260 |
| New Mexico | $46,610 | $33,830 to $50,190 | 70 |
| New York | $54,770 | $47,840 to $65,540 | 270 |
| North Carolina | $48,670 | $37,580 to $59,260 | 440 |
| North Dakota | $50,170 | $47,020 to $63,950 | 110 |
| Ohio | $44,280 | $35,530 to $49,640 | 520 |
| Oklahoma | $44,740 | $37,900 to $54,300 | 240 |
| Oregon | $58,040 | $46,630 to $67,790 | 160 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,050 | $46,960 to $62,540 | 490 |
| South Carolina | $52,160 | $39,940 to $60,320 | 220 |
| South Dakota | $46,490 | $39,940 to $50,320 | 200 |
| Tennessee | $47,300 | $39,640 to $53,310 | 320 |
| Texas | $53,330 | $38,510 to $64,190 | 1,170 |
| Utah | $43,820 | $37,090 to $64,600 | 170 |
| Vermont | $48,970 | $45,420 to $54,510 | 60 |
| Virginia | $49,400 | $46,270 to $59,290 | 300 |
| Washington | $51,970 | $45,600 to $65,890 | 300 |
| West Virginia | $37,450 | $28,770 to $61,010 | 200 |
| Wisconsin | $48,190 | $45,790 to $57,230 | 550 |
| Wyoming | $39,520 | $37,800 to $61,810 | 70 |
Nationally: $48,580. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on none of its 13 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Mount, balance, change, or check condition or pressure of tires. | Not published |
| Not much | Replace defective parts, using hand tools, arbor presses, flexible power presses, or power tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Dismantle engines and repair or replace defective parts, such as magnetos, carburetors, or generators. | Not published |
| Not much | Listen to engines, examine vehicle frames, or confer with customers to determine nature and extent of malfunction or damage. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair or replace other parts, such as headlights, horns, handlebar controls, gasoline or oil tanks, starters, or mufflers. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair or adjust motorcycle subassemblies, such as forks, transmissions, brakes, or drive chains, according to specifications. | Not published |
See all 13 tasks
| Not much | Disassemble subassembly units and examine condition, movement, or alignment of parts, visually or using gauges. | Not published |
| Not much | Install motorcycle accessories. | Not published |
| Not much | Reassemble frames and reinstall engines after repairs. | Not published |
| Not much | Connect test panels to engines and measure generator output, ignition timing, or other engine performance indicators. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove cylinder heads and grind valves to scrape off carbon and replace defective valves, pistons, cylinders, or rings, using hand and power tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Reassemble and test subassembly units. | Not published |
| Not much | Hammer out dents and bends in frames and weld tears and breaks. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 13 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 13 tasks fall under 11 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repair tools or equipment | |||
| Repair vehicle components | |||
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Test performance of equipment or systems | |||
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment | |||
| Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications |
Show all 11 activities
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Inspect vehicles | |||
| Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for motorcycle mechanics specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 768 moves out
- 1 Machinists Moderate +1.0% 17%
- 2 Engineers, All Other Very high +3.7% 13%
- 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 6%
- 4 Construction Managers High +9.1% 4%
- 5 Computer User Support Specialists Very high -3.5% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 522 moves in
- 1 Machinists Moderate +1.0% 16%
- 2 Computer User Support Specialists Very high -3.5% 5%
- 3 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Moderate +5.0% 5%
- 4 Engineers, All Other Very high +3.7% 5%
- 5 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 26% high school
- 4% associate's
- 9% bachelor's
- 1% professional doctorate
- 60% not published
O*NET marks 60% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 17 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 13% less than high school
- 52% high school
- 23% some college
- 6% associate's
- 3% bachelor's
- 2% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Small engine mechanics” · 487 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Small engine mechanics”
1 program: Motorcycle Maintenance and Repair Technology/Technician.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
83.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 3.6% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 25.2% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 21.4% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (MOTORCYCLE REPAIRER). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Motorcycle Mechanics” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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