Will AI replace motorcycle mechanics?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 8h (100%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 2.1% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 3 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 10 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

8h of a typical shift, or 100%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Replace defective parts, using hand tools, arbor presses, flexible power presses, or power tools. (1h 6m a shift)
• Repair or adjust motorcycle subassemblies, such as forks, transmissions, brakes, or drive chains, according to specifications. (1h 6m a shift)
• Dismantle engines and repair or replace defective parts, such as magnetos, carburetors, or generators. (53m a shift)
• Listen to engines, examine vehicle frames, or confer with customers to determine nature and extent of malfunction or damage. (53m a shift)
• Repair or replace other parts, such as headlights, horns, handlebar controls, gasoline or oil tanks, starters, or mufflers. (46m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 100% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time
• 95% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 91% say a mistake would be very or extremely serious

On Indeed, job postings in the Installation & Maintenance sector are at 118% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 4.1% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 1,400 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $48,580 a year ($23.35 an hour), 5% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $34,770 and $74,400 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 2.1% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 15,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 1,400 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 14,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 616th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 15,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a post-secondary certificate: about 60% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Repairing, Troubleshooting, Equipment Maintenance, Equipment Selection
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Apple iOS, Facebook, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Word

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Diagnose electrical problems.

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics (0m touched, $66k median pay)
• Maintenance and Repair Workers, General (11m touched, $50k median pay)
• Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (0m touched, $51k median pay)
• Automotive Body and Related Repairers (0m touched, $55k median pay)
• Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians (34m touched, $57k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 13 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.