Why Motorcycling is Dying???

Daboo said:
Funny story that I think you'll get a laugh from...

I was stationed at Griffiss AFB in Rome, NY for four years. A friend of ours was one of the doctors at the base hospital. He wanted to buy a Lincoln Continental. So he and his wife went to the local Ford, Mercury and Lincoln Continental dealership. The salesman looked him in his California surfer outfit (surf bum) and decided he couldn't afford a Lincoln and talked him into a less expensive Mercury. As they were signing the papers, another salesman walked in who knew my friend and said, "Hi Doctor John. How are you doing today?" The first salesman's face just dropped because he let my friend's clothing determine what he sold my friend...and lost a larger commission that day.

Chris
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Years (decades) ago, a local lad who was a Kitchener Rangers star and had just signed a contract with the New York Rangers walked into a local GM dealership intending to buy himself a brand new Corvette. This particular dealership was known for being snobby and expensive. Since he was young and wearing jeans, EVERYONE ignored him.

After about 45 minutes, he'd had enough.

He jumped onto the hood of a Caddie, announced himself at the top of his lungs and demanded "Who the f*ck is going to sell me a Corvette?".

He let them kiss his butt for half an hour and bought one from a Toronto dealership.
 
OhioDeere said:
Everything is expensive these days.. the cost for fun is very high in percentage of your income as compared to 30 yrs ago.
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Everyone that thinks expense is the problem doesn't understand younger generations at all. They have no problem spending money on things they want. They just don't want to travel on 2 wheels. :)

Tom
 
As a father of 3 Gen-Z sons, two of whom ride, and one who wants to (and the kind of dad who relates to all of their friends who ride or want to ride and actually ride with a few of them), I disagree with Canyon Chasers and most of what he says. In fact, he seems pretty disconnected from the reality I experience regularly. Some interesting and somewhat accurate points above, but it really isn't down to one or two factors... it's a lot more complicated than that.
 
As I was driving home from the hospital after visiting my wife I saw a younger person, probably in there 30's on a E bike blasting down the road between cars that were jammed up in a traffic jam at a red light. No need for a Motorcycle which must obey the road rules when an E- bike will go anywhere, street, side walk, cross walk or bike path, at around 30 mph. Also they don't need to stop at stop signs either. No need for a moto license, or any license, registration, expensive insurance or the cost of gasoline and Parking fees. For around 2k dollars one can get a deceit E-bike and charge it up in ones apt. office, or steal electrons from one's neighbor hood store. Why buy a motorcycle when a E-Bike will go almost as fast a a small moto. and can be just as much fun and dangerous.
 
Sadlsor said:
Another viewpoint and answer to the question, found at ADVrider.com...
https://www.advrider.com/nostalgia-just-aint-what-it-used-to-be/
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I thought it looked familiar. My comment...

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I think I agree with @DesmoRonin. It's complicated. The latest generation is different. They are looking around and making different decisions than the previous generations did.
  • My niece's son grew up pretty poor. Mother was a drug addict, etc and finally turned her life around. She worked two jobs to make ends meet. He's taking the money I sent him from my mother's estate and adding it to his investments. His investments. He's been putting money away for some time now.
    • I don't see a motorcycle in his future. He's actively looking towards the future and not spending the money he has or even doesn't have to buy a toy. He goes off on vacations with his mother and enjoys life. So it isn't like he's staying at home like a hermit.
  • I read a recent article about how young men are going to church more and Bible sales are the highest they've been in ages. Also, young men are skipping college altogether and going to trade schools. One employer was recruiting from high school graduates. College isn't the answer to everything in life anymore. In fact, it is little more than four more years of high school, getting indoctrinated by radical professors, and leaving college with enormous student loan debt.
    • It's again being attributed to young men. I think they are looking and planning for the future more than past generations.
  • It's raining outside. It's cold and windy. It's dark by 4:30 pm. You don't see a lot of convertibles in the Puget Sound area, and definitely the motorcycles are few and far between this afternoon.
    • A motorcycle is an expensive toy and the younger generation is recognizing it as such. It is for people who have the disposable income to spend it on a toy that has about 4 months of practical use in the summer. And for the rest of the year, they need the car that can serve them all year long.

All that above (and more) are some of the reasons that make it "complicated" to me.


Chris
 
ChucksKLRST said:
As I was driving home from the hospital after visiting my wife I saw a younger person, probably in there 30's on a E bike blasting down the road between cars that were jammed up in a traffic jam at a red light. No need for a Motorcycle which must obey the road rules when an E- bike will go anywhere, street, side walk, cross walk or bike path, at around 30 mph. Also they don't need to stop at stop signs either. No need for a moto license, or any license, registration, expensive insurance or the cost of gasoline and Parking fees. For around 2k dollars one can get a deceit E-bike and charge it up in ones apt. office, or steal electrons from one's neighbor hood store. Why buy a motorcycle when a E-Bike will go almost as fast a a small moto. and can be just as much fun and dangerous.
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...until you want to go to another city... or take girl on a fun ride/date (or even try to impress one)... or hang out with your friends who ride or drive... or
 
Daboo said:
I thought it looked familiar. My comment...

1763075226296.png


  • It's raining outside. It's cold and windy. It's dark by 4:30 pm. You don't see a lot of convertibles in the Puget Sound area, and definitely the motorcycles are few and far between this afternoon.


Chris
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Reminds me of my first attempt to acquire a motorcycle. I was station at Fort Lewis Wa. in the 1976, Nov, Just a young soldier with vey little money, one child, a two year old and another baby on the way. Wife and I only had one car a 1974 Pinto wagon and I did not want to leave the wife without a car while I was at work or in the field playing Army. One of my co soldiers had jus bought a beautiful blue1976 Honda CB550 4 cylinder. I told the wife I had a solution to our one vehicle problem. I would just buy a Motorcycle and ride to work. We can save on gas and she will have the car. Well She gave me the LOOK, and ask (very nicely) if I really wanted to be riding every day in the rain? Not to mention some other points of discussion. Well long story short I made the decision to forgo the bike and by a POS used car for $400.00 (1965 Ford Galaxy ) My two year old son called it the funny old car. It was not until Feb1982 in Colorado that I got my first motorcycle at age 32, a left over new 1979 CB650.
 
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Longride said:
Absolutely. These kids DO NOT need phones. They need to build relationships, hobbies, and life skills.
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You guys all find plenty of time to visit the web. All you need to see where younger people ride motorcycles is go to a track, dirt or paved. Plenty there with non- touring bikes, off road vehicles, toy haulers, fifth wheels, relationships, hobbies, life skills, phones (that we all seem to need), and even a few old people. They all seem to have little to no interest in two wheel travel or touring. ;)

We all could find more time to ride horses. :rofl1: :beatdeadhorse:

Tom
 
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TPadden said:
You guys all find plenty of time to visit the web. All you need to see where younger people ride motorcycles is go to a track, dirt or paved. Plenty there with non- touring bikes, off road vehicles, toy haulers, fifth wheels, relationships, hobbies, life skills, phones (that we all seem to need), and even a few old people. They all seem to have little to no interest in two wheel travel or touring. ;)

We all could find more time to ride horses. :rofl1: :beatdeadhorse:

Tom
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AI search says: "Yes, motorcycling is in decline, with recent sales figures showing significant drops across the industry. This decline is influenced by economic factors like inflation and high costs, a lack of interest from younger generations who are drawn to other hobbies or transportation, and the aging of the current rider base.".

I'd say spot on. Other hobbies being smart phones.
 
No disrespect intended, but the phone as a motorcycle replacement hobby/pastime/etc for the youth is a broad-brushed lazy speculation at best. I just returned from a trip to Europe for which the primary reason of going there was to attend a MOTORCYCLE SHOW, lol. Aside from the obvious air travel, I spent a fair amount to time in cars, trains, taxi's, and on foot. Everywhere I went, especially in urban areas, everyone, both younger and older (exception: elderly) were glued to their phones. Even at the show (EICMA), an uncomfortable amount of people were tethered to their phones, and not just the influencers, despite the fact that most of the larger booths were adorned with sexily (and sometimes scantily) clad booth models. And while I don't spend much time on trains and taxi's here, I find that it's similar here. We may have a slightly greater percentage of youth vs. other demographic here regarding phone usage, but the phone distraction does not discriminate age, gender. or hobby/preferred mode of transportation.

Risk averseness, social media, digital vs. physical personal interaction, cost of entry (debatable as our cost of losing our motorcycle virginity was almost as expensive in today's dollars), future uncertainty/fear, public/peer perception of what is cool/rebellious/opposite sex magnet, a greater number of not inexpensive distractions for one's disposable income, etc. have a much greater effect than most realize. Sorry, but current AI is still just a data aggregator in most cases/use. Some data shows that the youth are not getting their "other transportation" licenses when they come of age. In Italy, where 2-wheeled transportation is much more of a norm (and means of transportation, not luxury) as it is here, my friends tell me that the teenagers are no longer interested in mopeds/scooters as before, and that the school parking lots are now 2-wheeler sparse. And though data may give the numbers, it doesn't paint an accurate picture, IMO.
 
TPadden said:
We all could find more time to ride horses. :rofl1:
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Yeah, and I'm usually riding 110++ horses all the time!
But raw horses are expensive, require more land to keep, have expensive accessories (aka "tack"), can't safely be ignored for days or weeks at a time, and their doctors can cost a house payment.
I love horses, and riding them.
Can't afford 'em.
 
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