Why is Motorcycling dying?
Maybe because motorcyclists are dying?
Maybe because motorcyclists are dying?
Why Motorcycling is Dying???
- Thread starter RaYzerman
- Start date
Pop-Pop
Site Supporter
Yea, qhat ive been getting of the web is that we really dont need a big bike to tour. Dont know about u, but i went everywhere as a kid on my 360 honda.
Pricing is nuts now. When i started back to riding, gas was $1.69 per gal and a decent motel was $50 with breakfast. Mc donalds was cheap.
Bikes arent cheap anymore.
I have never financed a hobby and never will. This would b my advice to a younger person.
Pricing is nuts now. When i started back to riding, gas was $1.69 per gal and a decent motel was $50 with breakfast. Mc donalds was cheap.
Bikes arent cheap anymore.
I have never financed a hobby and never will. This would b my advice to a younger person.
the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
Well...when I started riding in 1965 stuff SEEMED cheap. You could buy a beginner's bike (Honda C110 50cc sport street bike) for under $300, gas was .35 a gallon, a McDonalds burger was like 25 cents ...
I also made $1.00 an hour part time bussing tables in a restaurant
You can make $14 an hour working at McDonalds today, which would equivalently buy a $ 4,200 motorcycle, $4.90 a gallon gasoline, and a $3.50 burger today
ACTUALLY ...TODAY... a 125cc Honda Grom lists for $3,399, Gas is about $3 a gallon and for $5 at McDonalds I can get a burger, fries, 4 nuggets and a soft drink
Seems to me things are actually easier to buy NOW than they were for me THEN ??????
Didn't stop me from riding!
Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
At the end of the day, folk do what they really want to do - especially young folks.
Most of them figure out how to get it done if they are serious about it.
Most of them figure out how to get it done if they are serious about it.
Pop-Pop
Site Supporter
Well, the heck with them. Im hitting 70 yrs old in february and plan on getting some thousands on the beemah.
Pay cash or walk away kids!
Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
And just think - if you had kept your ST1100 like I told you to how much money you would have saved for riding ...
Did the 750 or does the BMW really do anything more dramatically different than the ST1100?
Pop-Pop
Site Supporter
Actually no. The 700 had terrible panniers for how i ride. The bike is great, and for sale.And just think - if you had kept your ST1100 like I told you to how much money you would have saved for riding ...
Did the 750 or does the BMW really do anything more dramatically different than the ST1100?
The beemeh? Some cushy things like a sixth gear, heated and cruise. I could live with none of those. But, oh baby! That beemah red! Redheads and red bikes will b my down fall!
Ill never forget upstate ny in the snow and slush on my 11. Id do it again wearing shorts!
And, money aint nothing.
Pop-Pop
Site Supporter
Hint: Saddlesore 1000.
More background info: my first (like many others here) Iron Butt certification, just to see if I could. Turns out, I could (like many other else here.)
My previous m/c tag (and screen name), WYGOSLO, was appropriate in my mind for the Honda CBR1100XX, but seemingly made some small town judge irate when I defended myself against a speeding ticket in his dumb traffic court. He was not amused, and told me I was wasting his time. I told him, "That's why you're paid the big bucks."
Dude had absolutely NO sense of humor.
Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
Cruise is easy to add, and so are heated grips and heated seat and a heated plug for heated gear.
Not inexpensive but cheaper than another bike unless you get it for free.
Sixth gear - nope, can't touch that one!
The big issue is fixing them when they break and that will eventually happen to most any motorcycle at some point.
When it does and you have to fix yourself, you want something pretty simple to deal with.
Pop-Pop
Site Supporter
I got it pretty cheap. And! Im too lazy to make upgrades! Looking forward to your next hug!Cruise is easy to add, and so are heated grips and heated seat and a heated plug for heated gear.
Not inexpensive but cheaper than another bike unless you get it for free.
Sixth gear - nope, can't touch that one!
The big issue is fixing them when they break and that will eventually happen to most any motorcycle at some point.
When it does and you have to fix yourself, you want something pretty simple to deal with.
ChucksKLRST
Team Colorado
Pop-Pop
Site Supporter
Redhead required!
the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
Everyone in the Philippines rides a 250cc or under bike for all around transportation. It’s the cheapest form of getting around.
You’re right, FL state does not require ins, but it’s always about the dollars, it’s the mostly finance companies that require insurance for their protection. The math? Yeah ok agree.. that’s all structured for NOT the biker.
Pop-Pop
Site Supporter
I had to sell it to move here. I painted in Boston for over 20 years and might have owned a car for 6 months. I went everywhere on the subway and a rolling luggage. Jm now in the rockies where a car is a must. Sold it back to the guy that sold it to me!And just think - if you had kept your ST1100 like I told you to how much money you would have saved for riding ...
Did the 750 or does the BMW really do anything more dramatically different than the ST1100?
ST1100Y
Site Supporter
Well, a local MC rag recently tried to put a finger on the issue:
(I quote/translate some passages):
The motorcycle industry ignores its most important customer group!
Grey-haired reality vs youthful advertising dreams:
The motorcycle industry advertises bikes with young models, but its main customers are over 50.
This discrepancy between marketing and reality is costing the industry credibility and sales.
Why is she ignoring her most loyal buyers?
The motorcycle industry and its gray-haired reality
The motorcycle industry lives in a strange parallel universe. In their commercials, young, well-trained people with flawless skin drive through urban scenes or over dusty passes, diversely cast, stylishly dressed, seemingly ready for the next adventure at any time.
The reality outside the showrooms looks different.
There are men with gray temples, in their mid-fifties, experienced, solvent and highly motivated to spend more money on their hobby.
These are exactly the people who keep the industry going. And they are exactly what rarely occurs in communication.
A look at the bare numbers puts any illusion aside.
In Germany, the age group between 50 and 59 years dominates the motorcycle population, closely followed by those over 60 years old.
The statistical center of gravity has shifted upward by a full decade in the last twenty years. Where 40 to 49 year olds used to form the backbone of the market, today there are drivers over fifty.
The same picture emerges for new registrations over 125cc. Around 70 percent of all motorcycles in this class are bought by people over 40, with the largest individual group being 50 to 59 year olds. At the same time, the group of 60 to 69 year olds is growing the most. Motorcycling is not getting younger, but older. Measurable, sustainable and across all displacement classes.
There is a gap between marketing and reality
And yet the industry acts as if it has to hide this reality. The fear of being perceived as an old man's hobby is deeply rooted.
Marketing departments believe that youthfulness is synonymous with future viability.
Motorcycles are presented as lifestyle products that must be compatible with fashion, urbanity and social media.
The problem is not that you want to appeal to young people. The problem is that you deny your own customers.
We at 1000PS (<- name of the MC rag) repeatedly experience that motorcycle manufacturers actively ask for “young editors” and specifically send “young people” to international press presentations.
We can only wrinkle our noses at this.
We are proud of our diverse team of young and old people who are brought together by a common passion.
This discrepancy between manufacturers has long been noticeable for retailers in their everyday lives.
Motorcycles are positioned to be sportier than the target group demands.
Ergonomics have to be adjusted later, comfort handlebars installed, seat heights reduced.
Development and marketing sometimes go in different directions.
While sales figures clearly show who is buying, campaigns tell a different story. This is not only implausible, but inefficient.
Clearly, markets in Southern Europe and Eastern Europe are different.
But especially in those markets where manufacturers make real money and sell high-priced products, the older target group dominates.
The question of young people is real, but it does not justify this self-deception.
Yes, young drivers have a harder time. Training costs, insurance and entry prices are high. However, the interest is there when the hurdles decrease. The market needs solutions for beginners, not ignoring existing customers. The current 50+ generation will continue to dominate the market for years to come. Anyone who doesn't take it seriously today is voluntarily giving up sales, loyalty and credibility.The motorcycle industry should stop being ashamed of its reality. Their key customers are experienced, older, predominantly male and passionate. They are not a temporary solution, but the foundation of the business. Anyone who makes these people visible, respects them and addresses them specifically is not acting backwards, but rather economically sensible.
Motorcycling has come of age. It's time for the industry to admit that too.
you can find the whole essay here:
www.1000ps.at
(I quote/translate some passages):
The motorcycle industry ignores its most important customer group!
Grey-haired reality vs youthful advertising dreams:
The motorcycle industry advertises bikes with young models, but its main customers are over 50.
This discrepancy between marketing and reality is costing the industry credibility and sales.
Why is she ignoring her most loyal buyers?
The motorcycle industry and its gray-haired reality
The motorcycle industry lives in a strange parallel universe. In their commercials, young, well-trained people with flawless skin drive through urban scenes or over dusty passes, diversely cast, stylishly dressed, seemingly ready for the next adventure at any time.
The reality outside the showrooms looks different.
There are men with gray temples, in their mid-fifties, experienced, solvent and highly motivated to spend more money on their hobby.
These are exactly the people who keep the industry going. And they are exactly what rarely occurs in communication.
A look at the bare numbers puts any illusion aside.
In Germany, the age group between 50 and 59 years dominates the motorcycle population, closely followed by those over 60 years old.
The statistical center of gravity has shifted upward by a full decade in the last twenty years. Where 40 to 49 year olds used to form the backbone of the market, today there are drivers over fifty.
The same picture emerges for new registrations over 125cc. Around 70 percent of all motorcycles in this class are bought by people over 40, with the largest individual group being 50 to 59 year olds. At the same time, the group of 60 to 69 year olds is growing the most. Motorcycling is not getting younger, but older. Measurable, sustainable and across all displacement classes.
There is a gap between marketing and reality
And yet the industry acts as if it has to hide this reality. The fear of being perceived as an old man's hobby is deeply rooted.
Marketing departments believe that youthfulness is synonymous with future viability.
Motorcycles are presented as lifestyle products that must be compatible with fashion, urbanity and social media.
The problem is not that you want to appeal to young people. The problem is that you deny your own customers.
We at 1000PS (<- name of the MC rag) repeatedly experience that motorcycle manufacturers actively ask for “young editors” and specifically send “young people” to international press presentations.
We can only wrinkle our noses at this.
We are proud of our diverse team of young and old people who are brought together by a common passion.
This discrepancy between manufacturers has long been noticeable for retailers in their everyday lives.
Motorcycles are positioned to be sportier than the target group demands.
Ergonomics have to be adjusted later, comfort handlebars installed, seat heights reduced.
Development and marketing sometimes go in different directions.
While sales figures clearly show who is buying, campaigns tell a different story. This is not only implausible, but inefficient.
Clearly, markets in Southern Europe and Eastern Europe are different.
But especially in those markets where manufacturers make real money and sell high-priced products, the older target group dominates.
The question of young people is real, but it does not justify this self-deception.
Yes, young drivers have a harder time. Training costs, insurance and entry prices are high. However, the interest is there when the hurdles decrease. The market needs solutions for beginners, not ignoring existing customers. The current 50+ generation will continue to dominate the market for years to come. Anyone who doesn't take it seriously today is voluntarily giving up sales, loyalty and credibility.The motorcycle industry should stop being ashamed of its reality. Their key customers are experienced, older, predominantly male and passionate. They are not a temporary solution, but the foundation of the business. Anyone who makes these people visible, respects them and addresses them specifically is not acting backwards, but rather economically sensible.
Motorcycling has come of age. It's time for the industry to admit that too.
you can find the whole essay here:
Motorradindustrie und die Realität ihrer Zielgruppe
Analyse zur Alterung der Motorradkunden und dem Marketing-Dilemma der Branche. Erfahren Sie mehr über die wahren Käufergruppen und deren Potenzial.
www.1000ps.at
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That is to be expected. I seriously doubt any of my friends will live forever. (Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, if you hadn't realized this before now.) And when we're gone, then who will be buying motorbikes?
For "some" years to come, certainly, but not forever. And to my point above... many riders I know are looking at smaller and lighter-weight bikes than they currently own, in order to continue riding. And then what?
At least in Western culture, when many "younger" people are struggling to purchase a home, and cars are usually the primary transportation, cars will come before bikes, while at the same time the cost of both continues upwards.
As we've discussed before, it certainly seems the Asian market will continue to dominate, especially with the smaller bikes, due to affordability / cost of entry, ease of operation in heavier traffic, etc.
So I'm not sure the industry's selection of youthful models in their advertising is truly a significant factor. The fact is, more and younger people have to be persuaded to buy motorbikes, no matter what pitch or ad strategy is employed.
I don't envy the powersports industry today, certainly not in the USA.
But thankfully, as I have fewer years left in me, the industry will be around long enough for my needs.