Average age of bike riders generally

[Mike54]

Been riding most of today around the Lakes, the Forest of Bowland, lots of popular riding areas. Each time we stopped it really hit me that the average age of the riders around the cafes etc seems to be late 50's and higher.

Is riding now so unappealing to young men and women? What are the manufacturers doing about it? Where is the market? Saw a few adv type of bikes but mainly tourers and sports bikes, smattering of harleys, some big beemers etc.

KTM and BMW sales figures remain v healthy, as does Yamaha now they've had a real renaissance with the MT range and others, but where are the bikes to appeal to your average 18-25 year old guy or girl? Also most women I saw were pillions, not riding their own bikes. We saw one woman only on her own bike (this is amongst hundreds of riders).

views?

[Cone]

As a young man (34) the licensing structure seems to confuse the hell out of me, im so glad i did mine 13 years ago. I started on sports bikes as i loved the adrenaline hit but them slowly came around to the fact you have to push the machines to enjoy it, then it wasn't safe.

Also I've noticed that the growth of vehicles on the road from when i started to now has just been massive. I use to be able to go out for a sunday blast and see very few other vehicles, now the roads are rammed.

I do think that the youth of today have so much accessibility to cars that turning up somewhere drenched with helmet hair just isnt on! When i was younger it was my only way to get around. Now its in my blood (thumbs)

[Richard Simpson]

Young people are not interested in mechanical things or outdoor things very much any more.

The summer of 1976 was probably the high point for all things motorcycling. UK registrations peaked in 1979 and its been downhill all the way. The last time I went to the NEC motorcycle show I was about 50 years old. I expected to feel old, instead I realised that there were few people there younger than me who weren't working on a stand. It was like going to a classic bike show as far as the demographics of the visitors went.

It's now probably more difficult to get a 'full-power' motorcycle licence than it is to get a licence to drive a 44-tonne truck (and not many young people want to do that any more either). But you do get paid to drive the truck.

You can blame all sorts of factors, but to me the main one is that it's now cheaper to own and use an average car than it is an average motorcycle.

I suspect the next resurgence in motorcycling will come when someone invents something completely new...light, simple to use, cheap and environmentally friendly.

think back to the post-war era...in war-ravaged Japan and Italy we had the invention of the Honda Cub and the Vespa. Both of them different to what had gone before and the perfect transport solution to the issues of the time.

Stuff like FireBlades, 1200 GSs etc are the peak of development in specific directions...with no where to go when you get to the top except down.

[sprintster]

I think most youngsters see sitting their test as just too much hassle going through all the stages and expense to bother.When my son was in his early teens I lived on a farm so he had a moped to muck about on, then his step-brother's Gas Gas 350.When he turned 16 he bought himself an Aprilia RS50 but as soon as he was 17 he sat his car test and hasn't bothered with bikes again.I'm sure he would get another bike some time but in his early 20's he's got other things he would rather spend his money on.
Just another thought,us older guys were used to always being outdoors as kids so the thought of riding a bike in rubbish weather didn't faze us.Two pairs of denim jeans and a wollen scarf were winter gear! :laugh: Now kids sit in the house all day on computers and would never dream of going out if it's cold or wet.

[Sideleaner]

Now kids sit in the house all day on computers and would never dream of going out if it's cold or wet.

Indeed, got 2 of those :unsure: And the 3 stage drivers license is a turndown too, 3x the costs and hassle to go through the tests.

Plus the "green" mentality which is very popular, look at the last elections in the Netherlands, they gained 10 seats. I encounter the same when I speak to youngsters at work. When I was in my 20's in the eighties, everybody was a petrol head. We had a long series of MX world champions and MX tracks. We had road races, the 24h races and MotoGP (formerly WC races) in Franchorcamps. All this is nearly banned now, and I don't like it at all. Only football and cycling is cool nowadays. For the record...i live in Belgium.

[Tramp]

Its a uk thing...in mainland Europe its different......in france the old and young ride together on whatever they have ...simple....

[sprintster]

Its a uk thing...in mainland Europe its different......in france the old and young ride together on whatever they have ...simple....

Is that due to the differences in testing and weather that I mentioned though? :unsure:

[Tonibe63]

For those of us born in the 1960's mopeds capable of 50mph were a chance of cheap freedom at the age of 16, quickly followed by relatively cheap 100mph fun at 17 with no training costs. Now it is an expensive hobby to get in to (training) and equally expensive hobby to buy and run a bike.
For youngsters starting out it is a no brainer to go the car route especially when Mum and Dad will pay for driving lessons, tests etc and probably fund your first car ...... guilty as charged

[-Ralph-]

I think the bank of mum and dad have a lot to do with it, we are way more protective nowadays than we have ever been before and the bank will pay for cars and lessons, but won't pay for and in some cases forbid two wheels.

[Tramp]

Maybe its a money thing :whistle: ...young cant afford the crazy bike prices let alone a house of their own...where as the average 50 year old can....

Also maybe the young im not so cant understand them :woohoo: ....have other ideas...


It dosent really matter anway.....just ride B)