What motorcycles do young people want?

[Roper_imp]

Three of my sons are between the ages of 17 and 30. When we talk motorcycles (other than dirt bikes), here's what they say:

- Absolutely don't want a cruiser.
- Don't want a touring or ADV bike.
- Sports bikes are great for one person. Girls (wife in one case) don't like riding perched up high over the back wheel on a seat the size of a maxi pad.
- Standard style motorcycles with flat seats are great, and girls think they look cool and want to ride on back.

Well, that leaves a pretty small selection:

- Kawasaki Z900, W800
- Honda CB1100 (discontinued but available if you look)
- Triumph Bonneville
- Guzzi V7, V9
- BMW R nineT

So, a couple of questions:

- Are my sons' expectations typical of people in their 20s who are interested in motorcycles?
- Are there other motorcycles which would fit those expectations?

[peterbaron]

It looks like your sons think our, classic motorcycle way =

[PowerDubs_imp]

UJM

Practical - in a cool way!

What...???

[misterprofessionality]

A great example of a motorcycle "young people" want is the Husqvarna vitpilen 401.

Its light, inexpensive, torquey, eye-catching. And easy to ride.

A secondary example of a motorcycle that sells extremely well in those demographics is the triumph street twin...again. simple, relatively inexpensive, torquey, great sound, eye catching.

Young people don't like barriers to getting into motorcycling. They like fun and simplicity. They like to feel cool without really knowing what they're doing. They like to stand out. Z900s might also qualify but they're at the very top of acceptable pricing, and they don't feel as good as a twin to a new rider. Think more like an MT07 or an XSR700. Those are both massively popular with that demographic for the same reasons I stated above.

Outside of this you have irresponsible types who just want loud and fast. They want an r6 or a kawi 636.

[pekingduck]

Three of my sons are between the ages of 17 and 30. When we talk motorcycles (other than dirt bikes), here's what they say:

- Absolutely don't want a cruiser.
- Don't want a touring or ADV bike.
- Sports bikes are great for one person. Girls (wife in one case) don't like riding perched up high over the back wheel on a seat the size of a maxi pad.
- Standard style motorcycles with flat seats are great, and girls think they look cool and want to ride on back.

Well, that leaves a pretty small selection:

- Kawasaki Z900, W800
- Honda CB1100 (discontinued but available if you look)
- Triumph Bonneville
- Guzzi V7, V9
- BMW R nineT

So, a couple of questions:

- Are my sons' expectations typical of people in their 20s who are interested in motorcycles?
- Are there other motorcycles which would fit those expectations?

So, what you're saying is that kids want the bikes their dads want? Are they mature for their age? Or are we just young at heart?

Seriously, I think the biggest sellers, in urban areas at least, are the small/mid-size sport bikes like Yamaha R3 and R6, Honda CB300F/CBR300R, CB500F/CBR500R, Ninja 400, GSXR600, etc.

I think that image is the biggest factor. They buy small cruisers only if size is an issue.
I can see how they think ADV bikes and cruisers are for older people who they don't need or want to go fast.

[Bheezy27403_imp]

A great example of a motorcycle "young people" want is the Husqvarna vitpilen 401.



Just ran across this bike a couple months ago buying my 2 year old son a toy version. They make a 701 as well (big thumper!) that I would love to put in the garage.

[Roper_imp]

Three of my sons are between the ages of 17 and 30. When we talk motorcycles (other than dirt bikes), here's what they say:

- Absolutely don't want a cruiser.
- Don't want a touring or ADV bike.
- Sports bikes are great for one person. Girls (wife in one case) don't like riding perched up high over the back wheel on a seat the size of a maxi pad.
- Standard style motorcycles with flat seats are great, and girls think they look cool and want to ride on back.

Well, that leaves a pretty small selection:

- Kawasaki Z900, W800
- Honda CB1100 (discontinued but available if you look)
- Triumph Bonneville
- Guzzi V7, V9
- BMW R nineT

So, a couple of questions:

- Are my sons' expectations typical of people in their 20s who are interested in motorcycles?
- Are there other motorcycles which would fit those expectations?

So, what you're saying is that kids want the bikes their dads want? Are they mature for their age? Or are we just young at heart?

Seriously, I think the biggest sellers, in urban areas at least, are the small/mid-size sport bikes like Yamaha R3 and R6, Honda CB300F/CBR300R, CB500F/CBR500R, Ninja 400, GSXR600, etc.

I think that image is the biggest factor. They buy small cruisers only if size is an issue.
I can see how they think ADV bikes and cruisers are for older people who they don't need or want to go fast.

Well, that might be part of it

Don't get me wrong, they love the idea of riding a fast and flickable bike, but they love the idea of a girl on the back even more. And, according to my 17 year-old, "No girl is gonna ride with me if she thinks she'll fall off. And the only girls who like Harleys are old, fat, and drink a lot of beer."

[zirconxi_imp]

Most of my "below 30s" riding buddies want a supersports. Middle age want adv/touring. Classic are those grease monkeys or fashion geek favorite. And most girl ride pillion only because they want to stay with the rider (perhaps just fall in love maybe), not because they enjoy riding. The girls that enjoy riding want to ride them self, not as pillion, and they treat their bike with more TLC than their men. Try to touch their bike and you are a dead man.

[GoldOxide_imp]

I don't know any young adults (or old kids) who talk about motorcycles, unless it is about how dangerous they are.

From where I sit, and it is just a data point, they appear dead inside. No soul. Empty stares.

= = =

" ... is Boomer still talkin'? He's still talkin'. When is Boomer going to die so I can inherit the rewards and buy bitcoin and goat's milk?"

= = =

I think I am getting a bit krawchity.

[LongRanger_imp]

My girlfriend’s 42-year old daughter is the general manager of two established and well-known multi-line motorcycle dealerships in San Diego. She doesn’t ride and has no desire to do so. She claims her biggest demographic is the young enlisted men (Navy and Marines) who home-port in San Diego and want something inexpensive to ride while they’re not on deployment. She sells a lot of Hyosung’s and Kymco’s. At her other dealership, which mostly sells Yamaha and Polaris / Indian, young folks are more interested in dirt bikes than street bikes.