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Old 11-11-2017, 10:24 AM   #1
dale55   dale55 is offline
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Are Motorcyclists Becoming Extinct?

It seems to me that bikers are becoming more and more less common. All my biker friends are 45 years plus and everytime I go to a biker rally everyone is at least over the age of 35. At one time there were thousand of hotrodders in the 50's and 60's but now there are none and anytime you see a hotrodder they are 60 plus years old. Is it just a matter of time before bikers especially large cruisers go the same way?


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Old 11-11-2017, 11:03 AM   #2
rolfe   rolfe is offline
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You can look at the sales of 3rd. qtr. numbers overall from all companies. Plus all the bikes sold to happy owners already in their garages.

so NO not yet Dale.

Everyone is itching to ride and still do.
 
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Old 11-11-2017, 11:50 AM   #3
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A 2014 article based upon 2011 numbers. A couple of surprises...

https://www.fool.com/investing/gener...ownership.aspx
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Old 11-11-2017, 01:31 PM   #4
Demolition Man   Demolition Man is offline
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It is called the Smartphone/cellphone generation. It is more important to have to newest phone, than to have a car/bike or meet friends/buddys for real.

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Old 11-11-2017, 02:31 PM   #5
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A lot of us got into motorcycles because that is all we could afford.
We learnt how to fix them because we could not afford to take them to a mechanic.

We got bit by the motorcycle bug at an early age.

Nowadays young guys can either afford a car or have one bought for them.
Our parents could not afford to do that.
The cost of motorcycles and motorcycle insurance is deterring the next generation from getting into motorcycling.
They go straight into a car and stay there.

From my experience guys that get into motorcycling at a later age have a bike for a few years and then sell them. They always wanted one, try it and move on.

The ones that start from an early quite often have a motorcycle all their life.



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Old 11-12-2017, 10:03 AM   #6
twowheeladdict   twowheeladdict is offline
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Here is my take on the situation. Most of those 55 and older served in the military and formed a comradery that makes them more prone to go to 'biker' gatherings.

Young people that ride, ride their bikes and hang out at coffee shops and internet cafes.

I would guess that if you ask most of those 35 - 50 year olds that you see at gatherings if they served in the military you would get a majority yes answer.

I have many coworkers that ride once a month for a 30 mile ride and call it good. They have many other hobbies and activities occupying their time and they only ride for pleasure on a nice day. They won't commute or do an overnight trip on their bikes.

I also think that many perceive the roads to be more dangerous today than they ever were and the cars are safer than they ever were. I believe that to be a true statement.
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Old 11-13-2017, 01:30 AM   #7
bo1966   bo1966 is offline
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It's the millennial generation. They've grown up on mommy's couch and still live at home into their 30's. The only way they'll ride is if a bike is given to them ( and of course they'll feel entitled to it) and it has keyboard controls, seat that matches mommy's cushions and the rest of the country pay's their gas and insurance ( and of course they're entitled to that also ). Riding a bike is about a sense of freedom you feel when on the bike, at least it is for me, Now if snowflake can get one in mommy's house and stay in his safe space where nothing can offend him, it might happen that millennials start buying bikes. personally i'd rather them stay in their respective safe places and off the road
 
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Old 11-13-2017, 12:57 PM   #8
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It's not just motorcycles; amongst my classes less than half the seniors have a driver's license. I know people will say that their parents drive them everywhere but that is simply not true. Many young people so not see anything special about cars (or motorcycles), they are simply a way to get from point A to point B and there is a growing population that sees them as an unnecessary expense. A factor in many college decisions has become "Do I beed a car". Many students will not consider going to school someplace where they have to have a car to get around. It's also why young people are fleeing rural areas. Mopeds are now being supplanted by electric bicycles and they have a far lower cost of ownership.
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Old 11-13-2017, 11:35 PM   #9
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It's harder to text and tweet on a motorcycle. Millennials can't deal with electronic social separation of more than a few minutes (seconds?), so riding a motorcycle is out of the question. Of course, tweeting and texting while driving a car is absolutely necessary.
 
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Old 11-14-2017, 11:56 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sabre-t View Post
It's harder to text and tweet on a motorcycle. Millennials can't deal with electronic social separation of more than a few minutes (seconds?), so riding a motorcycle is out of the question. Of course, tweeting and texting while driving a car is absolutely necessary.
They could buy a Gold Wing with the new infotainment center built in

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Old 11-14-2017, 02:27 PM   #11
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I certainly don't condone driving and texting. I think it's even worse than drunk driving, which is also stupid.

I'd just like to comment that millenials face many more challenges than previous working generations did. The biggest one, in my opinion, is that to stay employed you must be available 24/7/365 and answer every call/email/text at the very moment you receive it from your employer. Otherwise, you'll be replaced with someone who will "take their job more seriously."

I have to explicitly tell my employer when I'll be out on a hike/lake/out of town or on a long ride so they don't get upset at me not responding immediately! So, for some of us, being tied to f'ing electronic devices is not a choice, it's required to pay the bills. And it sucks.
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Old 11-14-2017, 04:56 PM   #12
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Long live the day when owning a phone was an option and not a necessity.
 
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Old 11-14-2017, 05:59 PM   #13
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Exclamation Mark Seems like it to me..

Quote:
Originally Posted by dale55 View Post
It seems to me that bikers are becoming more and more less common. All my biker friends are 45 years plus and everytime I go to a biker rally everyone is at least over the age of 35. At one time there were thousand of hotrodders in the 50's and 60's but now there are none and anytime you see a hotrodder they are 60 plus years old. Is it just a matter of time before bikers especially large cruisers go the same way?


Dale
According to the local stealerships, the answer is yes. Sadly, in this area, they are selling multiple SIDE-BY-SIDE 4 wheelers for every two wheel verhicle. Their perspective is that biker numbers are getting less; while fun loving, no extra license needed ATVs are becoming more popular.
In this part of Iowa, many towns allow open containers in 4x4's...
Scary.

Ride safe,
Smokier
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Old 11-15-2017, 08:37 PM   #14
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It wasn't a comment on employment. It was a comment about entitlement and I disagree. It's much easier to stay employed when all you have too do is complain your feelings were hurt or that you're offended. I see it everyday. These minimals get away with things I could never pull off on the job when I got hired. Nor would I have wanted to. We go through a lot of them simply because they feel too entitled to actually have to work.
 
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Old 11-18-2017, 04:13 PM   #15
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My local kawi dealer said this is the best year he has had in new bike sales in a long time. Used bikes just the opposite. 650-900 are most popular with young folks. Tourers not so much.
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