Are we witnessing the end of motorcycling?

[redzgrider]

Took the week off for BikeWeek again -- generally don't miss it. Have to say, from my perspective it was quite sad. In days gone by, the participation at the Speedway would take the entire front half of the compound, from the north fence to the south, with demo rides from all the major brands -- and even a couple of smaller ones. This year Kawasaki was back after a one year hiatus, and Honda after no demos for the better part of a decade. But Suzuki was notably missing, Triumph remains missing in action, and none of the Europeans at the track.

Overall event fit comfortably in about a third or less of the old area, with no cramping what so ever. Hardly any bikes on the road, and no problem finding parking everywhere we went. Just a few years ago, Orlando Harley had cars park down the road and shuttle in to the dealership -- now, you park right outside the event area.

Must admit, I did not manage to get to Destination Daytona -- perhaps it was packed to the gills and hopping with energy and activity?

 

[philter]

Took the week off for BikeWeek again -- generally don't miss it. Have to say, from my perspective it was quite sad. In days gone by, the participation at the Speedway would take the entire front half of the compound, from the north fence to the south, with demo rides from all the major brands -- and even a couple of smaller ones. This year Kawasaki was back after a one year hiatus, and Honda after no demos for the better part of a decade. But Suzuki was notably missing, Triumph remains missing in action, and none of the Europeans at the track.Overall event fit comfortably in about a third or less of the old area, with no cramping what so ever. Hardly any bikes on the road, and no problem finding parking everywhere we went. Just a few years ago, Orlando Harley had cars park down the road and shuttle in to the dealership -- now, you park right outside the event area.

Must admit, I did not manage to get to Destination Daytona -- perhaps it was packed to the gills and hopping with energy and activity?

Myself I think we are witnessing the end of American Road Racing at least on anywhere near the scale it used to be. Sad.

 

[101stpathfinder]

Most cyclist avoid that area during bike week. I went through there coming back from Jacksonville, but notice I said

"Through there." I hate that mess with all the trailers and riders on their bikes for the first time of the year. The accidents,

loud pipes and show boating is too much for me. I really don't think that event represents the state of motorcycling. The

overall events in that area took a hit when the AIMExpo moved their event. That is the event that I really miss.

 

[HotRodZilla]

The only part of motorcycling that is failing is the "Chopper Phenomena." It hit hard and fast a few years back, and is dying even quicker. I know a guy that owned a chopper shop. He currently has 7 or 8 choppers that were selling for $50 or $60k during the heyday, rotting in a storage unit. Now, he'd be lucky to get $25k, and they're zero mile, beautiful bikes. He offered Alex and I two of them for around $20k a few years ago. Not my style, so we didn't jump, but it's a sad sign of where that segment is headed.

Fortunately for us, people are currently into Sport Touring, ADV riding, retro-type bikes, small commuters and dirt. The HD types with tons of money and a dying loyalty are aging out. They won't disappear, but they will become smaller.

It is what it is!

 

[fjrob1300]

The racing fans will always be there. Bike week morphed into a V-twin clusterfuck. I went once to Daytona bike week. Yes it was fun. But I went to the races. The side show was a bonus . I hope bike week returns to what it once was. A celabration of bike racing.

 

[Fontanaman]

The only part of motorcycling that is failing is the "Chopper Phenomena." It hit hard and fast a few years back, and is dying even quicker. I know a guy that owned a chopper shop. He currently has 7 or 8 choppers that were selling for $50 or $60k during the heyday, rotting in a storage unit. Now, he'd be lucky to get $25k, and they're zero mile, beautiful bikes. He offered Alex and I two of them for around $20k a few years ago. Not my style, so we didn't jump, but it's a sad sign of where that segment is headed.
Fortunately for us, people are currently into Sport Touring, ADV riding, retro-type bikes, small commuters and dirt. The HD types with tons of money and a dying loyalty are aging out. They won't disappear, but they will become smaller.

It is what it is!

+1 gunny. Harley is selling fewer units and having to close a plant as there demographic users base is aging with no replacements. I don't know how other manufactures are doing sales wise. I think it is a bit of a stretch to assume motorcycling is dying base on one event in Florida.

 

[Pterodactyl]

.............I don't know how other manufactures are doing sales wise. I think it is a bit of a stretch to assume motorcycling is dying base on one event in Florida.

KTM, BMW and Triumph did quite well in 2017.......... 'https://riders.drivemag.com/news/2017-number-crunching-winners-losers'>https://riders.drivemag.com/news/2017-number-crunching-winners-losers

 

[Uncle Hud]

Surprising to hear of the drop in attendance. We always know when Bike Week is happening because of the sharp increase in Harleys riding through Atlanta -- on a trailer behind a truck with Midwestern plates.

Not bitching, really; I wouldn't be riding in Iowa in mid-March.

 

[rbentnail]

Ya know, the same thing was said when the Charleston rally ended. And again as the Myrtle Beach cluster-f dies out. Maybe it's just that Daytona folks, like many before them, are simply tired of motorcyclists coming to their town while leaving their manners at home.

 

[Bugman]

This link provides a little insight into the problems of hosting a rally. https://benitolink.com/news/hollister-city-council-cancels-motorcycle-rally Hollister has had a motorcycle rally in past years but voted to not have one this year. BTW The Motorcycle Industry Council says the median age of motorcycle owners increased from 32 to 47 since 1990. Women make up about 14 percent of riders. Motorcycle manufacturers are caught between two customer demographic trends: Millennials who don't ride and Boomers who think they are getting too old to keep riding. https://www.app.com/story/money/nation-now/2018/01/17/harley-davidson-other-motorcycle-manufacturers-face-big-challenges-2018/1039542001/

“Retention of Boomers will continue to be a significant mission for the industry in the next decade, despite the fact that they are aging out,” said a recently published report from a group of motorcycle industry officials calling themselves Give a Shift.

The report says there never has been a more compelling time to ride, with a wide variety of motorcycles across all brands but sales are flat.

Here is where you can get some reports if you are interested. https://miles-by-motorcycle.com/give-a-shift/about

 

[fjrob1300]

The insurance inustry has scared off the young riders. My friends and I rode because it was the cheapest way to get around. Falling in love with riding came up later.

 

[steveoreno]

Here in Indy we have an event known as "Motorcycles On Meridian" which originally was part of and held in conjunction with the Indy MotoGP. Of course the race is no longer held for a multitude of reasons and imho Dorna's greed is mostly at fault for that along with scheduling conflicts but I digress, M.O.M. has morphed into a huge clusterpluck and annoys the locals who work downtown. (My wife is one of them} We in turn no longer attend because of the headaches of the crowd and the fact the event is no longer part of any actual motorcycle race. If half of the folks who show up to drink and ogle each others bikes actually went to the race or even practices we might still have the race.

 

[Bugnatr]

You wouldn't know of any decline with Street Vibrations (Butt Vibrations is a better name) in Reno in the Fall. They claim 50,000 bikers show up but I will never know as I stay away from Reno/Tahoe area that weekend. I live 12 miles from I-80 and I can hear a constant background rumble all day at my house from the Hadley Ableson's climbing the grade of the Sierras on Friday of the big weekend.

Funny thing is once the weather cools below 60 they all disappear

I believe part of the decline is the cost of ownership (both the bike and insurance) for a young adult is getting a hard pill to swallow.

 

[lnewlf]

a large percentage of driving age teens don't even get a drivers license..for me, that's when life began.

 

[hppants]

I agree with Mr. Bug.

18-25 demographic can now buy an entry Kia (or Ford or Chevy or....), which gets basically the same fuel mileage as a liter motorcycle, for very close to the same cost and in some cases, cheaper. And it comes with a roof and seating for four. The industry is pricing itself out of the market.

I also believe the younger generation has a different tolerance for risk. Kids these days are more adverse to risk they can see, and yet have no problems with risk they cannot. Examples include STDs, Bloodborne Pathogens, Food Borne Illness, Identity Theft, Cyber Stalking, Sexual Predation, etc. IMO, this is the opposite of what my generation felt when we were their age.

Just my $0.02 worth...

 

[BkerChuck]

Couple of things come to mind after reading through this thread. First I think most of us on here are old enough to remember the days when we could pick up a running, driveable used car for as little as $100 sometimes even less and either our friends or fathers could help us with doing the work to keep it going. Cash for clunkers program and scrap prices from a few years ago made those days a distant memory. Now I couldn't tell you the last time I saw a used beater that I would even consider for under $1500-2000 in my area. When I was a teen your car was a status symbol. Now that symbol is a cell phone. New I-phone or Galaxy can easily run close to what I used to buy a car for. Then you have the monthly bill on top of it.Many parents now are so busy or self absorbed that teaching and passing on those skills of repairing stuff is a dying art.

New video game console or laptop? Start out at close to $500 before adding accessories or buying games. Social media eats up much of our young people's live as well. Motorcycling? That's a far more solitary activity. Kids today feel compelled to be connected. Constantly. Development I live in currently has a couple of teenagers and quite a few younger kids. Only 1 has ever talked to me about my bikes or riding and I've got my garage door open and I'm out there enough to be approachable. The one that has expressed interest is a young girl next door to me and I had the honor and privilege of taking her on her first ever motorcycle ride with the blessing of her parents. She has told them her first vehicle will be a motorcycle now instead of a car!

I don't know the answer any more than the next guy. i can say that my own interests in bikes and style of riding has changed and evolved greatly in the past 5 or 6 years. Travel has become far more important as I get older. A crotch rocket no longer has quite the same appeal it once did. My back and wrists couldn't handle it. Cruisers? I rode plenty when I worked at a Harley dealership. Not impressed then and not impressed now. ADV bikes? I am considering adding one to the fleet at some point. Priblem is that much like the younger generation the prices are just too out of my reach right now.

 

[art miller]

I agree with Mr. Bug.
18-25 demographic can now buy an entry Kia (or Ford or Chevy or....), which gets basically the same fuel mileage as a liter motorcycle, for very close to the same cost and in some cases, cheaper. And it comes with a roof and seating for four. The industry is pricing itself out of the market.

I also believe the younger generation has a different tolerance for risk. Kids these days are more adverse to risk they can see, and yet have no problems with risk they cannot. Examples include STDs, Bloodborne Pathogens, Food Borne Illness, Identity Theft, Cyber Stalking, Sexual Predation, etc. IMO, this is the opposite of what my generation felt when we were their age.

Just my $0.02 worth...

+ ^^^^^

 

[wetwolf]

Personally, I would rather not have a generation of soap eaters on 2 wheels.

 

[BakerBoy]

No, not the end. IMO there are simply more and more things pulling at us all (good and bad), including aging/demographics, adding up to a decline in motorcycling (which is not a foretelling of the end of motorcycling).

How many of us are increasing our riding lately (as in recent years vs. prior years)? Based on my own experience as well as reading other's comments about riding on forums, anecdotally it seems to me there's general declining use of existing motorcycles (and declining frequency of replacing or adding a motorcycle)--I believe that is true even for those of us who are considered regular motorcyclists.

Naturally some portion of the larger motorcycling community is likely increasing their riding frequency. But I deduce the count of those declining exceeds those that are increasing use of motorcycles. And that's ok.

I live near a highway out of Golden where on weekends there's a continuous noise stream from loud cruisers... I'm completely good with that reducing!