Why Motorcycling is Dying???

it's a sales pitch for e bikes complete with passive aggressive slags toward "carburated? really?" I think I'm the only one left with carbed / kick start bikes but okay; hey, I've got lithium batteries older than the guy plugging them and I'm all in on that,
as far as suggesting that "motorcycling" is failing to draw in new recruits, who cares; the less the merrier; I was never a big fan of congo lines in the first place
No doubt electric transportation will completely supplant ICE and I think it's all good; nothing I enjoy more than changing belts in parkade fans where I don't need an air supplied respirator, and where you can plug in at night and commute back and forth the next day I'd consider it myself... alright, I was _______ with you, but meanwhile, back on planet earth, for long range travel and horse power, choice of where I can use a toilet [or not], people I might run into, I wouldn't want to depend on a charging station [Canada - not} nearby
He touches on a very interesting concept though; the point where you understand that you're free; where ever or however that point arrives in every young person, for me it was "borrowing" my sister's boyfriends bicycle in 1968 and ripping the ____ out of it, but the difference was, even though I knew I would never have a bike like this for myself, I still had to pedal to make it go, and that took work, which e bikes alleviate
[edit - added] recently I started up all of my nasty horrible carburated things and I'm good for the shortest "winter"
couple years ago, we could no longer get ethanol free gasoline, which was a bit disconcerting, what I found lately though was "gasoline" for lack of a better.... catch all, has certainly changed; it no longer needs to be rotated every two or three months; it is not eating and reacting with aluminum and brass, so... where in lies the incentive...
Medicate me! Medicate me!!! what sort of people are you !!!!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_9315.jpg
    IMG_9315.jpg
    213.3 KB · Views: 38
Last edited:
Well it started good......ended bad.

How much freedom is there when you have a phone in your pocket that tells you and all your selected friends where you are at any given moment? What's the challenge of heading out with that phone and credit card in your pocket that will get you out of whatever mess you get into? What's the point of a $35k Adventure bike that never gets dirty? How many kids don't even get a driver's license as soon as they're able? Glaciers are melting, there may no longer be a place for polar bears and motorcycles. The world it's a changin.
 
Mellow said:
Motorcycling isn't dying, we are, don't let the old man in.
Click to expand...
Hey, I've got enough replacement parts that I quality as a young man - at least based on average age of my OEM and new parts together! :biggrin:
 
We have bikes that are styled to appeal to the under 25 crowd, but priced for the over 55 crowd. And too overly complex with features that may not appeal to the majority of riders. So, the non-essential transportation market isn't as interested in their products as they once were. Low interest and high prices mean low sales, doesn't take a PhD in Marketing or Finance to figure that one out. And of course, dead men turn no wheels.

The cheap commuter bikes that sell around the world as basic transportation are doing quite well, so their overall business model is working to keep the doors open, but they're doing a lousy job of marketing their upper range products.

I've been to Japan on business, and was trained before going over regarding the Japanese culture. No matter how lousy a technical or business decision your boss makes, nobody will challenge his decision, and it will get implemented. That's where we are now with their lousy marketing.
 
I think you guys are missing the point....we (most of us anyway) started riding motorcyles because we could afford to buy one on a kid's income...tons of little Honda 50s and Suzukis and Bridgestones and Yamahas for around 300 bucks....worked all summer and you owned one....this guy is saying the same thing it's affordable for a kid...doesn't matter the method of propulsion....I don't know what an entry level Honda or Yamaha is these days but I bet it's a hell of a lot more...and he's absolutely right about the sense of freedom having a little scooter gave us
 
We have alot of young men who work at our shop during the summer and they all seem interested in riding. Very few are willing to overcome the few small hurdles of getting a license and learning the skill. Still managed to convert a couple. Most young people value convenience and brevity. If they can't order it on amazon prime next day they cant be bothered. Operating a vehicle with a clutch can't compete with uber I guess. Also believe status/clout impact alot of the decision making. They are much more willing to finance a 80k truck as a status symbol then pickup a hobby.
 
Look around you every young kid is on two wheels...razor scooter pushbike regular bike. skate board......wheels I think we inherently like to lean and roll..affordability is the issue
 
I was 12 when I got my CT70. It was $175 used and I contributed $120 to the cost. No license, no insurance............. Used at cottage and also side streets in the suburbs of Montreal.

First street bike at age 16 was a used Honda CB175 twin. Memory issues here...... I think it was $375 & I paid 100% of the cost. Insurance was $125 a year. Minimum wage at the time was $1.10 so about $550 to get a bike on the road represented 500 hours of work at a local gas station.

The killer in Ontario is the cost of insurance for young male riders. Cost starts at $1,500 to $2,000 for a small bike, and on the crazy end of cost, a 600 super sport would be well over $8,000.
 
Giving our grandson an introduction to motorcycles . His mom rode dirt bikes then her interests changed to horses.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1282.jpeg
    IMG_1282.jpeg
    161.7 KB · Views: 10
  • IMG_1249.jpeg
    IMG_1249.jpeg
    200 KB · Views: 11
I wave at young children at bus stops, etc. It let's them (and their parents) get a momentary good feeling about motorcycles and motorcyclists. And maybe they'll keep this image of a cool motorcyclist that they might be some day in their memory.
 
We will see how this all shakes out. I am surprised at the number of kids zipping around on electric bicycles. They are even wearing helmets on electric scooters (not the Vespa type, the two small wheel push type scooter). Given a taste for 2 wheels, it will be hard to give it all up for cars.
 
I experienced something encouraging recently regarding the future of the motorcycle industry. I recently sold my Suzuki SV650 to a young man in his 20s. He did things right by taking the MSF class, and wore all the protective gear. He seemed very responsible (he's a civil engineer) and was very excited to get into riding. I can only hope there are many more out there like him.
 
The Honda Grom which came out with a suggested retail price of under $2000 was a great step towards getting new people interested in riding.

Certainly buyers of those 125 cc bikes will graduate from that up to a bigger motorcycle later.

BUT.... but those Groms and Navi's and such have increased in price to $4000 maybe 5K these days, with all the dealer prep taxes and junk fees, out the door.

Too much, for just a fun little bike and something that a newbie may not be sure they will like. A beginner might have doubts about the entire concept of riding motorcycles and aren't willing to risk several thousand dollars only to find out it's not a hobby for them.
 
It seems to me manufacturers (other than Honda) are trying to make their profits by taking an ever-shrinking pool of experienced motorcyclists and trying to convince them to buy newer bikes and more expensive bikes,


rather than the bike makers promoting the idea of expanding the market to get new people interested in riding for the first time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom