08-26-2017, 10:52 AM
In the US, Generation X (1965-1980) - the group between Baby Boomers and Millenials - are an enthusiastic motorcycle demographic, the only problem for manufacturers being that they are a relatively small cohort. These are the guys who rode the original super sports like the GSX-R750 from the mid-'80s on through the '90s and into the '00s. With the oldest ones passing 50, these guys are moving onto other bikes, apparently ADVs and maybe Harleys, which is bringing about the death of the 600 class.
Millenials are the way they are because Baby Boomers raised them that way; their parents used Game Boys, Playstations, and Disney DVDs as babysitters. So it's a generation that has lost a connection to going outside to find fun. And when they did venture outside, they had to wear a helmet and knee pads on their bike. They weren't allowed to run around the neighborhood unsupervised because Chester the Molester might abduct them. So on the whole, the generation is insular and risk averse...not exactly fertile ground to promote a hobby that is 27x more risky than driving a car.
One thing that seems to excite them is electric vehicle technology. Maybe electric motorcycles will entice them to join the fold.
Millenials are the way they are because Baby Boomers raised them that way; their parents used Game Boys, Playstations, and Disney DVDs as babysitters. So it's a generation that has lost a connection to going outside to find fun. And when they did venture outside, they had to wear a helmet and knee pads on their bike. They weren't allowed to run around the neighborhood unsupervised because Chester the Molester might abduct them. So on the whole, the generation is insular and risk averse...not exactly fertile ground to promote a hobby that is 27x more risky than driving a car.
One thing that seems to excite them is electric vehicle technology. Maybe electric motorcycles will entice them to join the fold.