Chris is ASE certified

I have been extra proud of Chris this week.  He passed some professional certification tests and he is helping me write this post about it. Chris is the owner and operator of a motorcycle repair shop and there is more to that than I think most people realize. Cars keep getting more and more sophisticated especially with their electronics. These days, it seems like whenever the "service engine soon" light comes on, it is not something mechanical but always some electrical component you never heard of, that has failed. As complicated as cars have gotten, motorcycles have gotten even more complicated than cars. The modern motorcycle has every electronic control apparatus that modern cars have and even more. Both cars and bikes have throttle by wire, closed loop feedback fueling, antilock brakes, traction control, stability control, etc. Both will have a ton of sensors, actuators and controllers.  The level of sophistication is amazing and they keep getting more complicated every year. Unless you are on a Harley Davidson.  They still have the engineering sophistication of an off-brand riding lawnmower (Chris does not work on Harleys for this reason). A sporty sedan, like a 2015 Jetta SE Turbo, has 170 hp and a weight-to-horsepower ratio of 18 pounds per horsepower. A new sport bike motorcycle, the style Chris rides, has 200 horsepower and will have a weight-to-horsepower ratio of 2.2 pounds per horsepower.  The motorcycle will give you a thrilling ride but it will cost a bit more than the Jetta. These modern bikes get their performance from highly advanced engineering. Besides all the electronic engine management that cars have, bikes will also have computer controlled variable length intake tract, one or more computer controlled exhaust tuning valves, and a few bikes even have a miniature 6 axis gyroscope under the seat to computer manage wheel spin and wheelies. So there is a lot more to repairing these machines than just tasks like tightening the chain and changing tires. When complicated machines need repair, Chris likes to say, "If the human mind can engineer it, then the human mind can comprehend it in order to find the problem." So Tuesday, Chris traveled to a testing site at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and took some tests to see if he is comprehending it. Turns out, he is comprehending it quite well. With a score of 94 percent, he passed the tests and is now ASE certified in the areas of Electrical/Electronic Systems, Engine Performance, and Engine Repair. That's amazing for somebody who is self-taught. Passing the tests has boosted Chris' confidence. Before this, he never really knew where his skill level was, because he has never worked with another motorcycle mechanic and has not been able to compare his skills with anybody else's. Chris might have been reluctant to assess his skill level, but his customers have been giving him 5 star ratings on YELP! for years. I am proud of what he is doing with his shop. Here is a link to Chris' website: Kona Motorcycle Shop

See if you can get this sample question right from one of the tests Chris took.