Average age of bike riders generally

[steve_h80]

But I do see quite a lot of youngsters on scooters, I think that's where the next generation will come from.
It's not over yet

[Trev]

Some interesting points in the posts, one theme coming out is the biking scene not being cool for youngsters is a big turn off for them and the more I think about it the more that makes sense. For sure I wouldn't have be caught dead when I was a youngster hanging about with old fuddies, throw in the biking equivalent of rambling clothing that we ponce about in these days and the fact that girls never really liked the bikes when we were young, let alone now, and you have sure fire no go zone for any self respecting 'cool yoof'.
C'mon hipster dudes, hurry up and make biking cool again :woohoo:

[AustinW]

When I was a youngster my bike gear was the doc martens I wore anyway, the Levi's I wore anyway, a leather jacket I also wore anyway. The only special kit I had was gloves and helmet. Some of my dad's yellow oilskins did as waterproofs if needed. Now for H&S reasons it's special bike gear head to toe that nobody really likes wearing off the bike. Part of the reason why bikes have become weekend toys for most and are impractical for youngsters. Heck, I have even heard of bikers getting pulled over by police for not wearing "appropriate" gear.

You also don't see the old fella going to work and back day in day out all weathers on a 125 or aC90 wearing a donkey jacket, yellow open face, red work gloves, and wellies any more.

Bikes are marketed as and seen as "toys" for the weekend. Cars are the workhorse for going to work and household chores. Cheap financing with PCPs and "free" insurance means cars look very affordable too.

Bikes can be way cheaper than a car for all age groups (buy carefully, home service, look after it). Equally they can horrendously expensive with crazy running costs.

Sorry long rambling post but there's loads of reasons why bikes are going out of favour with youngsters. I don't think cost or complexity of licences is a major factor though.

[SteveR]

I have been increasingly noting the number of folks I have come across who take the bike test and then seem to stop within a year... After spending upwards of a Grand on training and the test then all the gear, this does seem strange! Sometimes it is just finding the damned things are too scarey I reckon...

My daughter's BF has a full test, aged about 26/27 and owns a Vstrom or Versys. To the best of my knowledge, the bike has not turned a wheel in 18 months.... :blink:

[SteveR]

C'mon hipster dudes, hurry up and make biking cool again :woohoo:

Cool? I have always been cool... Unlike my bike gear which is decidedly uncool...

[AlanHolt]

And lets not forget the growing segregation amongst the various biking groups. How many dads on here have used the term 'power ranger' to degrade a sports bike rider, or referred to them riding their 'japanese rice cooker', and could that of put your son off biking because he really wants a sports bike but dad won't approve? Or chanted 'sons of anarchy' when a group of harley riders pass? I'll ride with anyone on anything, but I know a lot of others won't. Stop the hate, and start them young. My dad bought me an MOT failure for £3 when I was 9. It was a Honda C90. It didn't have an exhaust (it used to spit fireballs straight out of the head), no brakes and bald tyres. Dad took me and the bike to some waste land and let me ride until the tank was dry. Every sunday we did that, rain or shine. I learnt how to stop a bike without using brakes, how to slide a bike on wet grass and more importantly how to control a slide, how moving my body weight affected handling etc etc. Then dad let me ride his road bikes off-road. The first was a Suzuki TS50, the a Kawasaki KE80. And that was it, from the age of 11, i was hooked on bikes.

[Jak*]

Whilst there may be many reasons the increased use of social media is likely to be one reason as it has already been cited as a cause for the reduction in young drivers (and totally off topic a reduction in teenage pregnancies). The cost and complication of getting a full bike licence must also be a factor, which is presumably why they introduced it. Even if you pass your test on your 17th birthday you cannot rude anything bigger than a 125cc until you pass your next test when you are 19. The increased cost of housing and student loans probably are other important factors.
From what I remember the cost of bike insurance for young riders is now comparatively less than that for young car drivers was when I was 17.
The solution may be the deals than KTM and others have offered young riders with a monthly payment that covers the bike and insurance and a trade in deal when they come to upgrade. I would not advise my children to go that route but I can see why people do.
Cheers Jak

[Mad Hatter]

I'm 28, I've been riding for 10 years this year and have 3 bikes, use them all year round.

My Mrs loves bikes, love going on the back and has her own on L plates and is looking at doing her test, she turned 30 last month.

Our lodger is a woman who has a bike and is looking at doing her full test, she's 25 and waited this long to make the test thing easier.

Another friend of ours is a 25 year old chick, she's got a CBR600rr and kicks my ass on track days, she's had her full license a fair while now, but she did it before the new new structure came in.

Me, my Mrs and our friends know a whole bunch of people under 30 who ride, but we're all around that age. But not too many newer riders under 24 doing a test now because of the ball ache of the new system, the a2 category doesn't auto unlock and it's the price of a other test to get an actual "full" bike license.

Small bikes are considered easy, cheap transport for young people, a CBT and a cheap 125 is way cheaper than a car, for me it was cheaper than just the insurance by a massive margin, and i would've had one sooner than 19 if it hadn't taken so long to convince my mother.

[-Ralph-]

When I was a youngster my bike gear was the doc martens I wore anyway, the Levi's I wore anyway, a leather jacket I also wore anyway. The only special kit I had was gloves and helmet.

I still ride like this on a regular basis in summer. I don't want to walk around a shopping centre in full bike gear in the middle of July. If you actually want to use your bike as practical transport, then the clothing has to be practical as well.

Heck, I have even heard of bikers getting pulled over by police for not wearing "appropriate" gear

Can't wait for the day that happens. Shorts, T'shirt and flip flops fair enough, that only takes a 20 mph spill on a roundabout to do serious damage, but if the day comes when I get pulled for wearing my normal jeans and boots to go shopping, which as you say is what everyone wore when we were teenagers, the copper will be getting no end of abuse. My skin, my choice, my risk assessment. Don't crash in the first place and riding gear isn't an issue. So long as I'm legal the authorities can keep their noses out.

[Cone]

Heck, I have even heard of bikers getting pulled over by police for not wearing "appropriate" gear

Can't wait for the day that happens. Shorts, T'shirt and flip flops fair enough, that only takes a 20 mph spill on a roundabout to do serious damage, but if the day comes when I get pulled for wearing my normal jeans and boots to go shopping, which as you say is what everyone wore when we were teenagers, the copper will be getting no end of abuse. My skin, my choice, my risk assessment. Don't crash in the first place and riding gear isn't an issue. So long as I'm legal the authorities can keep their noses out.

Dont know if were getting off topic here but i think sooner rather than later insurance companies will be making deductions from claims for inappropriate gear, i use to know someone working in insurance who said if you were involved in a cycle accident without a helmet they looked at reducing your claim by 25%