09-22-2017, 04:35 PM
I must admit that I know very few motorcyclists amongst my circle of family, friends and acquaintances in life. However, I have been surprised by the number of people who I've known or have conversed with over the years who did ride at some point earlier in their life.
The bottom line as I see it is this: For a variety of reasons, it seems that a good percentage of people who find themselves drawn to motorcycling end up seeing it as an activity to be enjoyed for a period of time only to be replaced by other activities at some point down the road. As interest in motorcycles decreases among younger generations, and older generations decrease in number (or have decided that their motorcycling phase of life is over) it comes as little surprise that we are seeing a decline in motorcycle sales and motorcycling in general. On the flip side, while younger generations are also showing a decreased interest in cars as well, there are still plenty of people around who are comfortable with sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle and piloting their way down the road. For quite a few of these folks (an increasing number it would seem), a RV must not seem like that much of a stretch when it comes to ways they can spend their retirement years.
People often say things like "it's all about the journey and not the destination". That philosophy would certainly seem to hold true in the case of riding motorcycles. For most people, when it comes to motorcycling the machine itself plays a key role in the experience — an extremely visceral experience at that. Of course the destination often does matter but hopefully you get my point. I feel that the folks who are sucked in primarily by the visceral element of riding are the ones who tend to stick with it longer, well into their later years.
I'd guess that for many who are drawn to RVs, the reverse is true — it's more about the destination(s). An RV can haul you places and provide you with a place to stay when you get there. I can't imagine that there is much fun to be had in driving one of those things. I suppose that many find enjoyment in the "camping" that occurs as part of the deal. However, wrapping yourself up inside of your home and heading off down the road is about as non-visceral as it gets, perhaps topped only by simply staying at home (the kind without a motor and wheels). But hey, we all like what we like. To each their own.
One of the few constants in the world is change.
The bottom line as I see it is this: For a variety of reasons, it seems that a good percentage of people who find themselves drawn to motorcycling end up seeing it as an activity to be enjoyed for a period of time only to be replaced by other activities at some point down the road. As interest in motorcycles decreases among younger generations, and older generations decrease in number (or have decided that their motorcycling phase of life is over) it comes as little surprise that we are seeing a decline in motorcycle sales and motorcycling in general. On the flip side, while younger generations are also showing a decreased interest in cars as well, there are still plenty of people around who are comfortable with sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle and piloting their way down the road. For quite a few of these folks (an increasing number it would seem), a RV must not seem like that much of a stretch when it comes to ways they can spend their retirement years.
People often say things like "it's all about the journey and not the destination". That philosophy would certainly seem to hold true in the case of riding motorcycles. For most people, when it comes to motorcycling the machine itself plays a key role in the experience — an extremely visceral experience at that. Of course the destination often does matter but hopefully you get my point. I feel that the folks who are sucked in primarily by the visceral element of riding are the ones who tend to stick with it longer, well into their later years.
I'd guess that for many who are drawn to RVs, the reverse is true — it's more about the destination(s). An RV can haul you places and provide you with a place to stay when you get there. I can't imagine that there is much fun to be had in driving one of those things. I suppose that many find enjoyment in the "camping" that occurs as part of the deal. However, wrapping yourself up inside of your home and heading off down the road is about as non-visceral as it gets, perhaps topped only by simply staying at home (the kind without a motor and wheels). But hey, we all like what we like. To each their own.
One of the few constants in the world is change.