Georgia Piedmont Technical College recently received a gift of 12 motorcycles from the American Honda Motor Company to be used for training students in the Motorcycle Service Technology Department.
The 12 bikes are now being used as training instruments for students enrolled in the program's one year Motorcycle Mechanics course.
Georgia Piedmont Technical College President Dr. Jabari Simama welcomed and thanked American Honda Motor Company for their generous donation.
"This contribution was a tremendous gift that affords more of our students in the Motorcycle Service Technology program an exceptional opportunity for continued skills development, and, to simultaneously receive hands-on training that is so crucial to their success in the motorcycle repair industry," said Simama. "Contributions, such as this one from Honda, are critical to our ability to endow our students with the caliber of training and skill sets necessary to continue to provide the award winning workforce companies have come to expect from us."
William Hanson, manager of Honda's Motorcycle Communications and Training Office, said American Honda has been a long-time supporter of Georgia Piedmont and recognizes the value and necessity of developing a technically-skilled workforce to maintain its products.
"American Honda is pleased to have Honda based products become part of the training curriculum at Georgia Piedmont. We are encouraged to see students who are interested in Motorcycle Repair techniques and hope the CB125T's will assist in providing the students the experience necessary to be successful in the mechanical repair of Honda motorcycles," said Hanson.
Prior to this gift, Honda and other motorcycle manufacturers have given Georgia Piedmont bikes and curriculum materials. This is the first time, however, that the college has received a large number of the same kind of bike at one time.
"This is great," said Mike Sachs, head of the college's Motorcycle Service Technology program. "Being able to write some lessons around these bikes, with all the students doing the same thing at the same time is going to be a treat, especially for my beginning students." Sachs said his students will first perform maintenance and repairs on the bikes and then completely disassemble them and use the bike's components for overhaul training.
Collectively valued at more than $6,000, the motorcycles arrived on Georgia Piedmont's DeKalb Campus earlier this summer. The bikes are CB125T's, a model of bike never sold in the United States and was previously used at Honda sponsored rider training programs. Because the bikes are being retired and replaced with a more current model, students have a unique opportunity to compare the technological and mechanical differences found in domestic and international models of the company's products, identify modifications between former and current models as well as study variances between retail and non-retail, training bikes.
Georgia Piedmont's Motorcycle Service Technology Program is a one year sequence of classes that prepares students for positions in the motorcycle repair industry. The program emphasizes a combination of mechanical theory and practical experience. It includes classes in basic skills, maintenance, engines, chassis systems, electrical systems, fuel systems, as well as an internship experience.
