The future of motorcycling

[wheelnut]

It doesn't seem that long ago that all we could buy was 1000cc crotch rockets, a BMW GS or a GS clone.

Over the last couple of years we seem to have more choice both in capacity (perhaps thanks to the the new licensing structure) and style. Loads of retro styled stuff, a good choice of nakeds and some old niche brands being revived and becoming more popular.

Getting a bike the day you turn 16 isn't a rite of passage now and hasn't been for a while so hopefully a litle more choice will attract a younger demographic.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I've got two teenage children, one 14, one 16, neither have shown any interest in motorcycles or cars despite being around both their whole lives, young people have moved on from motor vehicles.

[Rockburner]

I've got two teenage children, one 14, one 16, neither have shown any interest in motorcycles or cars despite being around both their whole lives, young people have moved on from motor vehicles.

I'm going to make a massive assumption that you live in a large-ish town with semi-decent public transport? If the kids are free to move about and see their mates without recourse to personal vehicles then of course they're not interested yet.


If you were out in the sticks, 5 miles from the nearest bus stop I'd bet they'd be riding by now.

[Rockburner]

It doesn't seem that long ago that all we could buy was 1000cc crotch rockets, a BMW GS or a GS clone.

Over the last couple of years we seem to have more choice both in capacity (perhaps thanks to the the new licensing structure) and style. Loads of retro styled stuff, a good choice of nakeds and some old niche brands being revived and becoming more popular.

Getting a bike the day you turn 16 isn't a rite of passage now and hasn't been for a while so hopefully a litle more choice will attract a younger demographic.

The smaller capacity bikes were always there, but they were cheap economical commuters, tools if you like.

With the ageing of the 'general' biking population, and the greater restrictions on speed and speeding, along with increased traffic levels, superbikes are becoming less interesting, and bikes that give more comfort while at normal speeds, and (it has to be said), a 'hark-back-to-early-adulthood' feel are obvious market sectors that are going to grow, the smaller capacity bikes are excellent for this, and the manufacturers are realising that.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I've got two teenage children, one 14, one 16, neither have shown any interest in motorcycles or cars despite being around both their whole lives, young people have moved on from motor vehicles.

I'm going to make a massive assumption that you live in a large-ish town with semi-decent public transport? If the kids are free to move about and see their mates without recourse to personal vehicles then of course they're not interested yet.


If you were out in the sticks, 5 miles from the nearest bus stop I'd bet they'd be riding by now.

No, I live on the edge of a medium sized town, with average public transport, both my children's social time is mostly online, neither of them go out much (especially during lockdown)
For me bikes were always about adrenalin and freedom rather than transport, they both get their adrenalin fix from computer games, when they go out for a walk it's for exercise.

[weeksy]

I've got two teenage children, one 14, one 16, neither have shown any interest in motorcycles or cars despite being around both their whole lives, young people have moved on from motor vehicles.

I'm going to make a massive assumption that you live in a large-ish town with semi-decent public transport? If the kids are free to move about and see their mates without recourse to personal vehicles then of course they're not interested yet.


If you were out in the sticks, 5 miles from the nearest bus stop I'd bet they'd be riding by now.

No, I live on the edge of a medium sized town, with average public transport, both my children's social time is mostly online, neither of them go out much (especially during lockdown)
For me bikes were always about adrenalin and freedom rather than transport, they both get their adrenalin fix from computer games, when they go out for a walk it's for exercise.

That's saddening.

Mine is 12 and hard to keep indoors. Mostly MTB stuff, but scooters, skate park and football too.
He loves an Xbox of course, but he's more than up for going out plenty.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

That's saddening.

Mine is 12 and hard to keep indoors. Mostly MTB stuff, but scooters, skate park and football too.
He loves an Xbox of course, but he's more than up for going out plenty.

Not really, they're happy teenagers, they're both a lot happier and better behaved than I was as a teenager, what I want for them is to be happy, and if that means they like different things to me I'm happy with that, they'll get more independent as they get a bit older and find what they want to do in life.

[Bigjawa]

I've got two teenage children, one 14, one 16, neither have shown any interest in motorcycles or cars despite being around both their whole lives, young people have moved on from motor vehicles.

I'm going to make a massive assumption that you live in a large-ish town with semi-decent public transport? If the kids are free to move about and see their mates without recourse to personal vehicles then of course they're not interested yet.


If you were out in the sticks, 5 miles from the nearest bus stop I'd bet they'd be riding by now.

I live in a village with 3 buses a day and none after 5pm, the local kids either get their parents to run them about or whatever 17yo has passed his test. Or they just borrow a tractor.

The only motor vehicle the kids here aspire to, is some sort of turbo diesel that chicks out black smoke.

[Asian Boss]

Motorcycle shaming. That will be the future of motorcycling.

And the transition to pooled low-specification electric Renualt Twangos for the polluting proles.

[Skub]

It doesn't seem that long ago that all we could buy was 1000cc crotch rockets, a BMW GS or a GS clone.

Over the last couple of years we seem to have more choice both in capacity (perhaps thanks to the the new licensing structure) and style. Loads of retro styled stuff, a good choice of nakeds and some old niche brands being revived and becoming more popular.

Getting a bike the day you turn 16 isn't a rite of passage now and hasn't been for a while so hopefully a litle more choice will attract a younger demographic.

There has always been choice in flavours of motorcycles. In the 70s (when I started riding) there were a lot of model model variations on a theme. One engine covered a plethora of styled bikes,so I can't see choice making much difference to the youngsters. A manufacturer can be very diverse,but if a new generation of potential buyers are generally indifferent,then they won't even notice.

I see people from their late 20s and early thirties being the new version of the learner brigade. Quite often they have their car licence long before they venture into bike ownership. I see these riders on the road riding with ingrained car habits and most of them are very shit indeed.
Teenagers seem largely indifferent,as Bigjawa said,most aspire to some shitty oil burner running with it's arse an inch off the ground.

I'd be interested to hear a recent breakdown of CBT age group seen by Bigyin and Spin.

I think bikes will rock on for a few years yet,if the electric stuff doesn't kill interest altogether,but the buyer demographic seems to be in a state of flux at the moment,hard to predict.

[The Spin Doctor]

It doesn't seem that long ago that all we could buy was 1000cc crotch rockets, a BMW GS or a GS clone.

Over the last couple of years we seem to have more choice both in capacity (perhaps thanks to the the new licensing structure) and style. Loads of retro styled stuff, a good choice of nakeds and some old niche brands being revived and becoming more popular.

Compare what's available today with a bike magazine from the late 70s, early 80s...

Half a dozen body kits on an MT-07 doesn't match the sheer range of two strokes and four strokes, singles, twins, triples, fours, the odd six, inline, V-twin opposed twin, water cooled, air cooled... and so on.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

In around 1980 Yamaha were selling at least the following 250s

RD250LC
XT250
DT250
XS250
XS250 US Custom

That's just the 250s I can remember, and I haven't included the 4 competition 250s they were also selling, Suzuki were selling a similar range of 250s, Honda weren't selling any two strokes, but you could choose between the Superdream and CB250RS which both did the same job.

There was an amazing range of bikes being sold in the UK 40 years ago, most of them small bikes, I suspect the increasing complexity and cost of getting a bike license has dropped bike sales, but the motorcycle press of the 90s pushing 160mph 600s as starter bikes didn't help.