If you are looking to get paid for doing something you love, take the open road to new opportunities and twist that throttle. You may be pleasantly surprised with the different types of motorcycle careers you could have.

Open Your Own Shop

Why not be your own boss and start your own motorcycle repair shop? As a bonus, you can start your business right from your garage.

Starting a repair shop isn’t easy, but it can certainly be rewarding if you plan it out. You have the mechanical skills and the passion, but you also need a business plan. How much will you charge for repairs? Where will you get parts? How will you advertise? Do you need assistance with accounting?

One idea is to start this new business on a part-time basis, which means keeping your full-time job until you have the basics in place and all the wrinkles of the new business ironed out.

As a repair shop owner, business networking is crucial. It’s a good idea to create a business partnership with local dealers and junk yards. Online parts stores like Bike Bandit are great for back-up and reliable for hard-to-find parts not available locally.

Make Custom Choppers

Want to take your artistic and fabrication abilities to new heights? Making custom choppers would be an ultimate goal for many gear heads. Whether it’s altering a stock bike or creating a whole new bike from scratch, custom choppers can go for big bucks. Because of reality shows like “Orange County Choppers,” the popularity of custom-made choppers has grown tremendously.

Earning a certification in bike building would legitimize your resumé. Being able to show potential clients you have an educational background in building, restoring and repairing choppers goes a long way in your own marketability.

Creating a website for your work is one good way to market your custom-built artwork. Attending shows is a must. But sometimes, with niche markets like these, you have to move where the action is. California is a hotbed for motorcycle lovers, ranked No. 1 in America for most registered motorcyclists. Moving to California, Texas or Florida from, say, Mississippi (the lowest ranked state of registered chopper riders) gives you better odds of landing a job with a custom chopper shop and assures you more job security just in the demand of motorcycles alone.

Buy, Sell or Trade Bikes

You know the difference between the look and sound of a 1959 Triumph Bonneville and a 1947 Indian Chief cruiser, and you know everything there is to know about the Hubless Harley Davidson. So why not get into the business of buying, selling and trading choppers for a living?

This job can not only turn a decent profit, but it can also expand your business network and help you learn more about the mechanic’s side of the business along the way. Good networking can also introduce you to potential clients who need your assistance in buying or selling a motorcycle.

In fact, you could even become an Ebay trading assistant, where you can wheel and deal custom-made, used or new motorcycles through Ebay. While owners of custom-made chopper shops have their hands full with running the business, you could become a valuable asset to the business with your help in selling and buying choppers for those particular businesses.