Are there really jobs for motorcyclists out there?
This is a question you probably ask yourself most days at work.
And definitely every single Monday morning.
Wouldn’t it be amazing to get a job in the motorcycle industry, and find a way to make your passion pay the bills?
In a real job, I mean.
Not as a test rider for the new Brough Superiors.
Not as Tom Cruise’s stunt double in the next Mission Impossible.
We’re not talking about fantasy jobs here.
(Even though the dream might get you through the next two hour meeting…)
But what kind of real motorcycle industry jobs are possible?
Where do you start?
It starts with a little creative brainstorming.
You need to know what’s out there.
And once the ideas are flowing faster than your latest motorcycle oil change, you can narrow your focus and start your job search in the area of your choice.
There are more motorcycle industry jobs out there than you might think.
Some are full time roles where you get paid to work in a motorcycle setting.
But there are also part time or side hustle possibilities too.
Why not turn your motorcycle-related skills into the motorcycle job of your dreams?
But first things first.
Let’s look at the kinds of motorcycle industry jobs out there, and see which ones appeal to you.
We’ll start with some full time roles.
Jobs in the Motorcycle Industry: Full Time Options
1. Motorcycle Mechanic
This is the most obvious place to start.
You’ll need to either be a qualified mechanic OR extremely experienced when it comes to spannering.
If you have a knack for fixing motorcycles but no formal qualification, you could always approach your local motorcycle shop and see if they need help.
Here in New Zealand, there’s a crippling nationwide shortage of motorcycle mechanics.
Motorcycle shops are DESPERATE for good mechanics.
Maybe it’s the same where you live.
This could be the perfect moment to break into the industry.
You could offer to work for a trial period to start with.
If the bike shop staff likes you and your work is good, you could end up with a permanent motorcycle job.
2. Motorcycle Mechanic Apprentice
If you’re new to the job market and don’t have much work experience, you could begin the process of becoming a motorcycle mechanic.
That starts with being a motorcycle mechanic apprentice.
It’ll involve part-time study while you work in a bike shop under the supervision of an experienced mechanic.
It’s a great way to get paid while you expand your options and work in an area you love.
By the end of the process, you’re qualified, experienced, and about to get a pay rise to the full mechanic wage.
3. Motorcycle Parts Specialist
Many motorcycle stores have someone in charge of ordering parts for customers.
If you’re good with detail, know a lot about the 5,000 working parts that fit together on a motorcycle, and are confident adapting to various websites and ordering systems, this could be a great fit for you.
4. Workshop Manager
Motorcycle stores always need someone to co-ordinate the flow of bikes through their workshop.
There needs to be a schedule for which motorcycles are booked in for mechanical work, certification, restoration etc.
You’ll need to be well organised and a good communicator.
This is essentially a specialised admin job with a very strong motorcycle flavor.
5. Motorcycle Courier
If you’re a bit of an adrenaline junkie, you might love being a motorcycle courier.
You’ll be under pressure to deliver packages under tight deadlines, while navigating city traffic on your bike.
You’ll also need a good GPS, as you’ll be zooming all over your city and there’ll be no time for getting lost.
If you like being on a motorcycle all day, have a lot of energy, and you’re up for a challenge, this might be the motorcycle job for you.
6. Motorcycle Instructor
If you have a lot of experience riding motorcycles, maybe you’d like to pass on your skills to new riders.
This could be a really satisfying job – you’re helping train new bikers and keeping other motorcyclists safer on the road.
You’ll need to get qualified as an instructor, though.
The requirements will differ depending on your location.
But we’re not talking knuckling down for 10 years at med school here.
It’s a lot easier to Google what the qualification requirements are in your area, and enrol in an instructor training course!
7. Motorcycle Tour Guide
There are two kinds of Motorcycle Tour Guides.
Both are run by professional touring companies.
- Leading Tours
One kind of motorcycle tour involves leading groups of visiting bikers on specific routes.
You use your knowledge of local roads to guide bikers from out of town or other countries.
This amounts to getting paid to lead motorcycle road trips.
- Taking Passengers on a Motorcycle
The other kind of motorcycle tour involves carrying non-biker tourists around town.
The organisation hiring you will have a trike or motorcycle with sidecar, and sign up tourists who want the experience of their lives.
Many people dream of riding on a big Harley, for example.
It could be your job to make their dream come true – and get paid for it.
8. Motorcycle Salesperson
If you have a background in sales (or you’re just naturally persuasive), this could be the motorcycle job for you.
It’s a good chance to showcase your deep knowledge of motorcycles, and match the customer to the right motorcycle.
You’ll need to be friendly and fairly patient, as a lot of this job will entail talking to bikers and wannabe bikers who are still in the dreaming stage.
If you could sell a cape to Superman, or underpants to a nudist, this kind of sales role might be a great motorcycle job for you.
9. Work in the Office of a Motorcycle Brand
Like any other kind of business, all motorcycle brands have office staff.
There may be a branch of your favorite brand in your city.
If you have office skills and a passion for motorcycles, why wouldn’t you approach them?
Showing up to work at Triumph or Harley every morning would probably cure the Monday horrors…
Even if you’re just answering the phone or doing the photocopying.
And there’s always room for promotion!
10. Motorcycle Journalist
If you’re good with words and obsessed with motorcycles, you could write about bikes.
There are different kinds of potential employers for motorcycle journalists:
- Motorcycle magazines who want updates from the motorcycle industry
- Newspapers (print or online) willing to pay for motorcycle columns, and
- Professional websites and large motorcycle blogs, who need an unlimited amount of motorcycle content to compete in the online space.
Get some writing samples together, and approach the most likely outlet for your skills.
11. Motorcycle Insurance Salesperson
If you already have a background in insurance, maybe you could use those skills to move sideways in the insurance industry.
You could start selling motorcycle coverage instead of life insurance, or house cover.
It’s a non-threatening move, and could be a more interesting application of your existing skills and experience.
More Jobs in the Motorcycle Industry: Part Time Options & Side Hustles
There are lots more potential opportunities to make your passion for motorcycles pay on a part-time or freelance basis.
If you have a specific skill and some creative flair, some of these motorcycle job ideas might appeal to you as a side hustle.
12. Motorcycle Photographer
Are you an enthusiastic hobby photographer?
Maybe it’s time to make your hobby pay.
If you already have thousands of stunning motorcycle photos, then you already have a portfolio that can showcase your work.
You could set up as a freelance motorcycle photographer (you’ll need a basic website) and advertise at local motorcycle shows, events and bike shops. This is likely to start out as a side hustle, but if you build your reputation and clientele, it could become a full time motorcycle job.
13. Second-Hand Motorcycle Parts Salesperson
There’s plenty of money to be made in online auctions or sites like eBay.
If you have a garage full of spare parts just gathering dust, this could be a good way to start.
And if you have a friend with hoarding tendencies, this could give you your first pile of stock to sell.
Once you get into the groove, you can cherry-pick parts and accessories for sale online and sell them on for a profit.
If you’re a natural wheeler-dealer, this could be fun as well as a money-spinner.
14. Motorcycle Caterer
Motorcycle events happen all the time – and bikers are always hungry.
If you have a catering background or just love to cook, this could be a market to tap into.
Motorcycle themed birthday cakes are also a potentially big market.
If you know your way around an oven, this could be the perfect way to translate your baking skills into a motorcycle job.
15. Motorcycle Museum Guide
If there’s a motorcycle museum in your town, maybe they need staff.
You won’t know unless you ask.
Even if you do this part time on the weekend, this could be a rewarding side hustle where you get paid to talk about motorcycles.
16. Motorcycle T-shirt Designer
There’s long been a gap in the market for cool, simple motorcycle t-shirts.
There are so many ugly, clichéd and plain old boring motorcycle t-shirts out there.
If you have some creative ideas and a little design flair, you could design your own and sell them through sites like Teespring or Printify.
There are lots more websites like these that will host and ship your designs on your behalf.
A quick Google search will turn up many options.
17. Motorcycle App Developer
Motorcycles and biker culture are becoming more and more technologically advanced.
And everyone’s so addicted to their phones, including bikers.
So there’s sure to be a market for a well-designed app that solves a specific motorcycle problem.
If you have a great idea for how an app could solve a motorcycle issue, maybe you should turn that into an app.
If this is too hard to do yourself, you still have options:
- If you have a great idea but no technical knowledge, hire someone to develop the app for you, or
- Become a part time agent for a motorcycle app that someone else has developed.
Maybe you already use a fantastic app – you could promote it to other bikers, and earn commissions for every one you sell.
18. Motorcycle Journal Creator
Here’s another gap in the market: well designed motorcycle journals.
Plenty of bikers are over 50 and still prefer to write with a pen rather than pick out a message to themselves on a tiny pop-up keyboard on their phones.
And when they take motorcycle road trips, they want to keep a record of the experience at the end of a day in the saddle.
A cool motorcycle journal is an easy way to scribble down highlights of the day, outstanding roads, or the names of dodgy diners you never want to go back to.
You could make up a handful of motorcycle journal designs, have them printed and sell them in online market places like Etsy.
I bought a motorcycle journal for the hubby for one of his birthdays, and he loved it.
It was custom made, with a drawing of his Triumph Scrambler on the cover.
It wasn’t cheap, either.
So this could be a high end product for literate bikers with some spending money.
19. Motorcycle Artist
If you have a knack for sketching or drawing, you could set up a bike portrait business.
You know that bikers are deeply in love with their motorcycles.
And they can’t get enough photos of them.
An original drawing of their motorcycle would be a popular gift idea.
Custom-made portraits are big sellers in plenty of other industries, such as pets.
If people are happy to pay hundreds of dollars for a drawing of the family dog, believe me, they’ll do it for motorcycles too.
20. Motorcycle Restorer
Plenty of bikers hate taking their precious metal beasts into a bike shop – and then not seeing them again for months.
So if you have expertise in restoring specific kinds of motorcycles (especially vintage) you could set up a small business on the side, working part time until it really takes off.
You could also buy wrecked bikes and fix them up and sell them for a profit.
There are more motorcycle industry jobs than you thought, huh?
Some of these motorcycle jobs are traditional roles where an employer will pay you to apply your existing skills to a motorcycle setting. But there’s also potential to use your creative skills and turn a hobby or interest into a part time motorcycle job on your own terms.
It could just mean the end of those Monday morning horrors…
