Compelling motorcycle demographics

[the Ferret]

32 Compelling Motorcycle Demographics

 

[Rocky_imp]

Interesting stuff - even though it's from a US perspective - but generally I think it can probably be applied to most of us.
I recognized myself on many points and facts.

 

[CB4ME_imp]

.. seems that guys who gave up riding to get married, raise a family, and have a career decided to get back onto a bike assuming that they didn’t lose any skills – except that they did. Motorcycles are also more powerful than they used to be, which can be a surprise for riders who haven’t been on one in awhile.

The main reason I downsized to a 471cc bike. Less opportunity to get in trouble.

 

[curlyjoe]

The CB was my first bike after taking a 30 year break from riding. It took many thousands of miles riding to get back up to speed again. I missed second gear when I rode away from the dealership. Since all the staff comes out and watches a new owner ride away, it was kind of embarrasing, lol.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I've been riding continuously since 1973 and have really noticed an increase in my risk aversion over the past 5 years or so. I'm now content to cruise at the speed limit, where in the past I usually rode 20-30 mph over and didn't think twice about crossing the double-yellow to overtake slower traffic. Those days are over.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

.. seems that guys who gave up riding to get married, raise a family, and have a career decided to get back onto a bike assuming that they didn’t lose any skills – except that they did. Motorcycles are also more powerful than they used to be, which can be a surprise for riders who haven’t been on one in awhile.

The main reason I downsized to a 471cc bike. Less opportunity to get in trouble.

This sounds familiar. After a 25 year hiatus from riding, I attended a vintage motorcycle rally. The buzz came back. I decided to buy a Triumph Bonneville until I saw the $13,000 base price. Bonnies were $1300 out-the-door when my buddies rode them in the late 60s.

I looked around and bought a CB500XA for less than $6800 out-the-door. I was concerned that a 500cc bike might not be powerful enough. But I was wrong, it was surprizing quick.

As I was not use the 6-speed close ratio transmission and instant response of the fuel injection, I hobby horsed out of the dealers lot. That was embarrassing, but not dangerous.

That happened two days later when I went to make a left turn at a city intersection. As I approached the car at stop sign on my left started to move forward and stopped when they saw me. I snapped the throttle off when they moved, and back on when they stopped. The bike immediately leaped forward towards the curb. Fortunately there was no one parked there as I wobbled awkwardly around corner. I learned to use second gear after that scare to smooth out turns at intersections.

It took a number of rides before I was comfortable and riding smoothly. I am sure there will be a new learning curve when I get my CB1100 EX a few months from now. The EX is 100 pounds heavier and has twice the horsepower. I'll also have to watch the fuel gauge, as I know it won't get 81 miles to the Imperial gallon like the CB500.

 

[Papa Weeley_imp]

.. seems that guys who gave up riding to get married, raise a family, and have a career decided to get back onto a bike assuming that they didn’t lose any skills – except that they did. Motorcycles are also more powerful than they used to be, which can be a surprise for riders who haven’t been on one in awhile.

The main reason I downsized to a 471cc bike. Less opportunity to get in trouble.

Did you join the CB500 club, too?!

 

[Nortoon_imp]

.. seems that guys who gave up riding to get married, raise a family, and have a career decided to get back onto a bike assuming that they didn’t lose any skills – except that they did. Motorcycles are also more powerful than they used to be, which can be a surprise for riders who haven’t been on one in awhile.

The main reason I downsized to a 471cc bike. Less opportunity to get in trouble.

Did you join the CB500 club, too?!

Did you join the CB500 club, too?!
I joined a CB500 Forum before I bought. It was mostly CB500R and CB500F members at that time. But they sure liked their bikes, and had very few complaints about them.

When the CB500X Forum opened, I joined that. There was a lot of good information there. The forum members knew more about the CB500X than the dealers.

I struggled trying to install my center stand spring. There were two suggestions that did not work. I walked away cussing. Finally someone posted about using the greased shaft of a Phillips screwdriver as a lever. Worked like a charm.

 

[the Ferret]

That's an old mechanics trick we used 30 years ago, only we used flat blade screw drivers. THe tip fits on the centerstand button easier.. Works Great.

 

[Rocky_imp]

That's an old mechanics trick we used 30 years ago, only we used flat blade screw drivers. THe tip fits on the centerstand button easier.. Works Great.

Yep, I've used that old trick several times.

Like some of the others, I had a 34 year break between motorcycles and only came back to bikes in 1992 when I retired - and that was almost by accident.
A younger co-worker got into bikes and stirred up my interest once again by taking me on occasional visits to bike shops. Four months later I had a new Honda Hawk NT650

 

[Carguy1959_imp]

I too did the 25 year break of not having a bike. I had ridden a few here and there. I bought a 2009 Harley FXDL low rider in 2012. Took a bit of getting use to, but was able to pass my riding test at the dmv, zig zag thru cones and stop and starts with touching the ground. I sold the Harley and bought a 2014 STD new in 2016. After restarting riding on the Harley, the CB was pretty easy getting use to.

 

[rboe]

The latest Motorcycle Consumer News has an article on accident rates. Based on 2014 data, motorcycles have a 2600% greater fatality rate per 100 million miles than cars. 22.96 vs 0.85. I didn't find a relevant date for the data in the link.

Fatalities and injuries are getting better for cars (well duh, crumple zones, air bags, protective cage etc. while get - zip).

Down right scary! Perhaps not enough to talk me out of riding, but it was a cold slap in the face none the less.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I read the MCN article too, and while I need to go back and read it again, generally in a good portion of motorcycle fatalities, the rider is DUI, riding without a helmet, and/or doesn't have an endorsement. That's not to suggest that licensed, ATGATT, sober riders aren't at risk, but those who aren't generally face much more difficult odds and I think the accident statistics bear that out.

 

[Rocky_imp]

I read the MCN article too, and while I need to go back and read it again, generally in a good portion of motorcycle fatalities, the rider is DUI, riding without a helmet, and/or doesn't have an endorsement. That's not to suggest that licensed, ATGATT, sober riders aren't at risk, but those who aren't generally face much more difficult odds and I think the accident statistics bear that out.

I agree.
We have a lot of crashes here that are caused by the rider simply losing control and have nothing to do with other vehicles - mostly by younger riders.
The saddest perhaps are those middle-aged riders who have either come back to bikes or just bought their first bike - usually a big heavy cruiser type - over-cooked it in a corner and went off the road.
Some survive; some don't. Last year we lost a couple of "older" riders who rode their cruiser like a sport bike and couldn't make it around a corner.
Unfortunately, their wives were lost too. Such needless tragedies!

 

[Supervillian_imp]

I wonder how companies (HD in particular) will respond to demographic trends...All the millennials I see in the urban areas are riding larger scooters or old small displacement UJMs that they have turned into cafe racers.

Money issue for sure, but also a whole different aesthetic.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I have no evidence to back this up, but I think today's young riders (urban millennials) probably view their bikes more as fashion and less as passion. Many of us older riders got our start on minibikes and dirt bikes as kids and developed a lifelong passion (and the skills) at a relatively young age. Somehow I don't think today's 20-something rider had the same opportunity to have those experiences, and therefore probably represent a different type of motorcycling customer.

 

[EarsOnWheels_imp]

DC has a thriving, passionate set of young riders. Young folks can't spend thousands of dollars on an accessory. It has to be a passion in some way.

 

[jimgl353_imp]

I wish we had graduated licenses and more training here as in Europe.