10 ways to make a career in motorcycling

We’ve all daydreamed about growing a passion into a full-time gig. You’re reading this story on bikesales, so there’s a good chance motorcycles are your thing. Have you ever considered turning that thing into a career?

There are options aplenty for motorcycling-related employment. Let’s look at a few potential career paths for the passionate motorcyclist.

With the gig economy boom, bikes and scooters delivering food, drinks and groceries are almost everywhere these days. The transient nature of delivery work means online platforms such as Uber Eats, Door Dash and Menulog are always looking for riders.

If you have a bike and riding gear, start-up costs are negligible, and you generally decide your working hours. As an independent contractor, your earnings will depend on how much you work, but you’ll need to factor in ongoing costs like fuel, maintenance and insurance.

Australia Post still employs postie riders to deliver the mail around the country, however they generally pilot three-wheeled electric delivery vehicles now as the famous Honda postie bikes are being phased out. Real estate agencies and marketing firms also offer casual or part-time roles delivering brochures or leaflets to mailboxes. Visit Australia Post or employment websites for opportunities.

Police forces use motorcycles for road traffic enforcement, escort duties and special operations with both road bikes and dirt bikes. You’ll need to be a serving police officer before applying to become a bike cop and undertake a specialised training course, which will teach you some pretty serious riding skills.

Some state ambulance services have motorcycle-mounted paramedics for rapid emergency response as bikes can often get through traffic and into tricky places quicker than a four-wheeled vehicle. Ambulance Victoria, for example, currently uses BMW F 850 GS bikes specially fitted with sirens, radio comms and panniers with medical equipment.

Paramedic qualifications are a necessity, so this is not an entry-level position, but certainly something to aim for if you’re keen on bikes and helping the community.

Not a paying career per se, but a very worthy service nonetheless. Bloodbikes Australia riders are volunteers who transport blood and medical supplies by motorcycle. They use their own bikes and pay all their own costs, serving hospitals and healthcare providers in all Australian states and the ACT.

If you’re handy on the tools and enjoy problem-solving, consider a mechanic or technician role. Completion of an apprenticeship or accredited training course is generally required – from there, the possibilities are wide open.

Mechanics can make a living doing general servicing and repairs or specialise in areas such as suspension, engine tuning, electrics and custom bike building.

Got an entrepreneurial streak? Start your own business fixing or modifying bikes or selling accessories. Fancy travelling? Working as a technician with a race team is a great way to see the country or the world, while playing with top-notch machinery.

There wouldn't be many motorcyclists who haven’t dreamed of being a racer. Watching MotoGP heroes getting paid big bucks to ride their exotic machines all over the world, the racing lifestyle looks pretty appealing.

Truth is, you need lashings of talent, dedication and financial support to forge a professional career as a motorcycle racer. For every Miller and Marquez, there are thousands of wannabes who invest large amounts of time and money to not quite make it.

The racing world offers more opportunities than just riding, though. Race teams need managers and technicians, PR people and drivers, and racers need coaches and fitness trainers and agents. 

If you’ve watched the Tour de France, you’ve probably seen the motorcycles shadowing the peloton on each stage. Some of those bikes are ridden by scouts, reporting time gaps and incidents to the competitors and race radio. Others carry photographers and camera operators beaming the action around the world, or journalists, or team support personnel keeping an eye on their riders.

Steering a large motorcycle safely around a shifting mass of cyclists, cars and other bikes on often narrow, twisting and bumpy roads takes serious skill and poise, especially when you’re also checking stopwatches or monitoring a passenger. Riders are used on all the grand tours and many other major sporting events, so it’s worth approaching the organisers to see what opportunities are available.

Getting paid to travel by motorcycle is a great way to make a living. Sharing that passion for bikes and a region with other like-minded souls could only add to the satisfaction. Guides can work for a tour company or be self-employed, and it’s a job with plenty of daily variety. 

As well as being an experienced rider, a motorcycle tour guide needs to be multi-skilled. They need to be friendly, calm in a crisis, highly organised, accustomed to dealing with diverse groups of people, a great communicator, possess deep knowledge of the area they’re travelling in, and know how to navigate and fix minor bike problems. The ability to speak more than one language is also a plus.

Almost anyone can be a bike journo – all you need is a love for and knowledge of motorcycles and the ability to write well about them or speak coherently in front of a camera. It helps if you can punt a bike, but that’s not a necessity – the business has had plenty of wonderful writers who weren’t great riders.

If journalism appeals, pitch a story or two to a bike magazine or website. A blog or a YouTube channel is also a great way to get started. I’ve been at this bike writing game on and off for more than 20 years and it’s given me a decent income and a lifetime’s worth of great bikes, travel and experiences.