BRP Certification

[ussoldier]

My biggest concern is that there are not enough BRP Technicians out there or have a BRP Platinum Certification for service. Is there a class available for customers to attend the technician of BRP so that customers can actually be BRP certified?

[Bfromla]

My biggest concern is that there are not enough BRP Technicians out there or have a BRP Platinum Certification for service. Is there a class available for customers to attend the technician of BRP so that customers can actually be BRP certified?

My previous conversations with the techs has led me to understand that only a employee under contract can attend the class & it's an expensive class covered by corporate expenses, & the employee may even be required to pay forward the expince of travel & lodging, & only be reimbursed after completing & passing the course. There is no platinum level training. The platinum level applies more to the dealers survey reports of sales & service, is judged by BRP but conducted by JD power. So if you dont mind working for a dealer for enough time to get the class then quit & go freelance Is the only other way I felt a individual would get the proper training on
( please ask your techs to verify)

[Chupaca]

most brand tech training is for the mechanics sent by the dealerships. There are schools in AZ (MMI) that can train you but don't know if they are brand specific or just general....

[ARtraveler]

And...there are becoming fewer and fewer branded techs. The complaint I get here is it costs to much, and the techs don't stay with the dealer that bought the class.

My favorite dealer did not even have a certified tech last summer. The Anchorage dealer dropped the line, and we are down to one selling/servicing dealer for our whole state. My dealer was a Platinum dealer in 2012--but I know they are not now.

I an now hinky about future purchases and whether or not to stick with the brand. I have invested about $200K over the years, and feel a bit like it has been stuck to me.

[Gray Ghost]

most brand tech training is for the mechanics sent by the dealerships. There are schools in AZ (MMI) that can train you but don't know if they are brand specific or just general....

MMI has two schools. One in Phoenix and one in Kissimmee. When I first showed up at Kissimmee there were a couple of Spyders in the equipment lot but for whatever reason they must not have been able to work anything out with Can Am. MMI does have agreements with and provides factory training for HD, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki. I am not even sure where Can-Am holds their classes.

[ussoldier]

I was asking Fresno, CA if they were BRP Certified. In response, they said, "They were certified look online." They didn't show me any certifications whatsoever. How do I know who is BRP Certified? I checked the website on BRP Can Am Spyder, but I have a hard time uploading it.

[Bfromla]

I was asking Fresno, CA if they were BRP Certified. In response, they said, "They were certified look online." They didn't show me any certifications whatsoever. How do I know who is BRP Certified? I checked the website on BRP Can Am Spyder, but I have a hard time uploading it.

Well that sounds like pure HOG wash If certified they yes would have it on line, but should be able to show you the certificate in house. Much like a DR office or any other car shop with ASE certified people they post that document within view

[jaherbst]

most brand tech training is for the mechanics sent by the dealerships. There are schools in AZ (MMI) that can train you but don't know if they are brand specific or just general....

Not brand specific. Nephew attended.

​Jack

[jaherbst]

The certified mech either attends a school or the majority get certified on line. Most shops now do not have certified techs/mechs. They have one "certified" mech and the rest are hired off the street without any experience.

RideNow has 50+ dealerships across the country and this is their in-house practice. Most shops follow this module. One "certified mech" will oversee the rest of uncertified mechs. A very small percentage of tech/mechs have ever been to and are "Factory Certified". I request to see there "certified" certificate. I have yet to find a true "factory " certified mechanic. Most Certificates if any will be an online certificate. i.e. answer questions and view video's online.

If you find someone you like and are satisfied with, request that person each time. I follow this religiously.
Not all factory or online mechs are any better than the non certified. It really comes down to the individual integrity and due diligence of the person actually working on your equipment not his pedigree.

Jack

[thehawk]

.... It really comes down to the individual integrity and due diligence of the person actually working on your equipment not his pedigree.
Jack

Doesn't it always??? Very well said!

thehawk

[JimVonBaden]

Merely being "certified" doesn't necessarily mean they have any real clue on how to work on your bike. It just means they went to school. Kind of like a doctor. Just going to school doesn't mean they are competent to work on people. That is why they have extensive post education OJT. A newly certified tech can be next to useless. Look for an experienced tech, one with years on the job, over some piece of paper.

On BMWs I am very experienced and have more skills and experience than many "certified" techs, and certainly more common sense and trouble shooting skills.

[Gray Ghost]

Not brand specific. Nephew attended.

​Jack

Incorrect. I attended so I do know about the school. Students go through 36 weeks of general instruction on motorcycles; six weeks of it basic theory, 30 weeks of hands on in motors, suspension, electronics, etc. Then they take one or more brand specific hands on courses which are designed in conjunction with the brand. HD (24 weeks), BMW (12 weeks), Honda (24 weeks), Yamaha (12 weeks), Kawasaki(12 weeks), and Suzuki(12 weeks) are the brands they are currently teaching.

[bigbadbrucie]

If you find someone you like and are satisfied with, request that person each time. I follow this religiously.
Not all factory or online mechs are any better than the non certified. It really comes down to the individual integrity and due diligence of the person actually working on your equipment not his pedigree.

Jack

Very well put, Jack. I honestly don't know if my tech is BRP Certified or not, nor do I care. He's treated my RTS as well as myself with great service and he seems to really care. What more do I really want.....a cerificate on the wall? I think not. jmho wtfdik

[Bob Denman]

My Dealership has enough "paper on the wall", to mimic a Doctor's waiting room.
I'll stick with them, and the Technician that has gotten me through 7 riding seasons.

[missouriboy]

My Dealership has enough "paper on the wall", to mimic a Doctor's waiting room.
I'll stick with them, and the Technician that has gotten me through 7 riding seasons.

Gee, I never thought about expressing it in "riding seasons." As per the dates below, I'm just under four years on Spyders, but I'm still in my "first season!"
Today we're doing a 180+ mile group-ride for lunch.

The forecast is for 86 high, partly sunny. It's 73 right now, at 5:30am.

[jaherbst]

Incorrect. I attended so I do know about the school. Students go through 36 weeks of general instruction on motorcycles; six weeks of it basic theory, 30 weeks of hands on in motors, suspension, electronics, etc. Then they take one or more brand specific hands on courses which are designed in conjunction with the brand. HD (24 weeks), BMW (12 weeks), Honda (24 weeks), Yamaha (12 weeks), Kawasaki(12 weeks), and Suzuki(12 weeks) are the brands they are currently teaching.

Which School did you attend? How long ago? Nephew attended in 2008 I believe. MMI orMTI? Nephew attended in Phoenix. I hope you did not waste all that time and money and are now reaping the benefits by working full time as a "certified" but not Factory trained Tech/Mech.

​Jack

[Gray Ghost]

Which School did you attend? How long ago? Nephew attended in 2008 I believe. MMI orMTI? Nephew attended in Phoenix. I hope you did not waste all that time and money and are now reaping the benefits by working full time as a "certified" but not Factory trained Tech/Mech.

​Jack

I attended MMI in Orlando, graduated in 2014. And once again, for the brands taught there, it is "factory" training. Students in Yamaha can take the tests to qualify for Bronze and Silver while in school, certification granted once they are employed at a Yamaha dealership. People hired off the street by a dealership get sent off for training for a couple of weeks once they have some experience under their belt. At least one of the locations they use is MMI at Orlando. Suzuki, HD, and Honda all have levels that the students can go through and then actually receive the certificates once they are employed at a brand dealership.

[PMK]

Merely being "certified" doesn't necessarily mean they have any real clue on how to work on your bike. It just means they went to school. Kind of like a doctor. Just going to school doesn't mean they are competent to work on people. That is why they have extensive post education OJT. A newly certified tech can be next to useless. Look for an experienced tech, one with years on the job, over some piece of paper.

On BMWs I am very experienced and have more skills and experience than many "certified" techs, and certainly more common sense and trouble shooting skills.

Ironic statement...Same thing for aircraft mechanics.

I have turned down many schools offered to me, actually many of my experienced co workers also decline the schools. Reason being is that the companies want you to be locked in by signing a payback agreement if you leave them in less than the calendar time stated. Many of the schools are not very beneficial to those with years working on the actual aircraft. So the companies send guys with very little experience so they can fulfill the dealer requirements. Sadly, the guy comes back from school, still remains clueless and with little experience and then seldom works on what he went to school for. The techs with a proven track record still do the majority of the real work.

When I became an instructor for training aircraft mechanics, students would tell me all sorts of horror stories about other instructors. Often the other instructors had little to no practical experience working on the aircraft and simply "read their lines" as they instructed. Guess I was lucky, I was recruited as an instructor based on my experience which I conveyed to those wanting to learn.

[JimVonBaden]

Ironic statement...Same thing for aircraft mechanics.

I have turned down many schools offered to me, actually many of my experienced co workers also decline the schools. Reason being is that the companies want you to be locked in by signing a payback agreement if you leave them in less than the calendar time stated. Many of the schools are not very beneficial to those with years working on the actual aircraft. So the companies send guys with very little experience so they can fulfill the dealer requirements. Sadly, the guy comes back from school, still remains clueless and with little experience and then seldom works on what he went to school for. The techs with a proven track record still do the majority of the real work.

When I became an instructor for training aircraft mechanics, students would tell me all sorts of horror stories about other instructors. Often the other instructors had little to no practical experience working on the aircraft and simply "read their lines" as they instructed. Guess I was lucky, I was recruited as an instructor based on my experience which I conveyed to those wanting to learn.

My nine solid months of Tech School in the Air Force taught me almost nothing on the practicalities of aircraft maintenance. It did give me some background, but my years of working in my dad's service station taught me a lot more about practical mechanics. I spent five more years getting very good at aircraft and avionics service and repair. Once I graduated I easily got a job working on 707 and 727 cargo planes. No certifications needed. The one certified guy was the "manager" and was completely useless actually working on planes.

[asp125]

No replacement for experience. I send our bikes to an experienced race tech at my local shop because I know he'll do the job right. Sadly the don't work on Spyders and I have to use a dealer farther away, where they neglected to align the drive sprocket spokes with the rear wheel after changing the belt.