Motorcycle Industry is Doomed

Only when I strike that pose while racin'

Matt, I don't know where you are located, but here, minimum wage is $8.25/hour. I see and hear a lot of young people griping about the money they make. But I also see a lot of them working at Starbucks, McDonalds, WalMart, Trader Joe's, mostly just selling shit to people. I don't know what you expect, but those are minimum wage jobs and aren't going to change anytime soon (or ever).

I know people with Sociology degrees that can't find work that pays over $12.00/hour. Same with History and Art degrees. But my boss/lead guy, in a factory machine shop, is 28 years old. Came up out of the shop, and I don't know if he even finished high school or any kind of college. He makes over $100,000/year. Through hard work and sticking with it. I know plumbers that make a damn good wage. Tile setters. Welders. Machinists (like me). Nurses that make over $50/hour. My point is, that there are some really good paying jobs out there. But like my stepkid put it, "I don't want to do that kind of work, I want to do what I love". Hate to tell him, but that isn't going to happen. He wants to make movies. But they aren't going to come knocking on his door, when he is off from his retail job, and ask him if he wants to make movies, especially since it would cut into his getting drunk time, which is pretty much any time he's off of work.

Not sure what to tell you. There are trades that pay very well, and that you can start your own business after a certain amount of training/apprentice time. But very few people seem to want to work with their hands these days(except for the illegal aliens).

You've got options. And although a lot of people don't believe it, you can still live the American Dream. Or you can sit around bitching about how the rich man is keeping you down, and smoke and drink your brains out.

And, it's a sport.

I wanted to do what I loved too, so I learned a skill or "trade" and can now afford the sport of riding dirt bikes pretty much whenever I please. It's rad.

I'm 24, just started as an engineer at Ford after graduating college a few months ago and just bought my second bike. I picked up a used 2011 F800 GS. There are some of us younger folks around, but I would say we are few. I can only name two of my friends that ride. I have gotten plenty of shit from people saying that I'm going to get hurt or how ridiculous it is to be spending so much money on a motorcycle. I also think its a matter of how people in general spend their time. I road race a neon, mountain bike, brew beer and have tons of other hobbies, but most of my friends just watch the boob tube and get drunk on the weekends. I spend lots of money on my hobbies compared to other people, but I don't spend hardly anything on going out or buying nice things like clothes and electronics. When everyone feels they need the latest and greatest trends and spend $250 a month on cable, internet and a cell phone, expendable cash gets low. I guess its all priorities.

Car
-Protection from elements
-Less maintenance
-30mpg
-Add gas, go, change oil occasionaly

Motorcycle
-More maintenance
-Tires replaced more often, chain replace, brake pads more often.
-40-50 mpg
-Gear
-More dangerous


I wouldn't say motorcycle is cheaper.
I have 2 bikes and a car, if it is raining out. I am taking my car. If I am going to the store, I go in my car. If I just want to go down the block, I get in my car. Don't need to gear up.

If I want to have fun I take my bike, or go far on the freeway during traffic.

AJ gets it. None of my stepkids' friends work, they're in their 20s, live at home, their parents pay their car payments, insurance payments, cell phone, food, everything else, and they are "students", but for sure they all have a "medical marijuana" card. You know, bad backs, glaucoma, stress, chemotherapy for their cancers, the usual bullshit. Even my stepkid finally copped to having one. We threw him out last year, at 22 years old, after about 7 years of not moving 1 step forward with his life. Not 1 step. Basically stopped going to school after about 9th or 10th grade. Started smoking dope at about 14. I'd get home from work at 3 in the morning, and his bedroom light would go off when he heard my bike, then he'd sleep until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, and snivel that he couldn't find a job. As it is, he's got a real drinking issues manifesting itself, almost everything he does revolves around getting drunk going to bars, almost getting arrested, almost or actually getting into fights at bars, etc., etc. My wife turns a blind eye to it though, but I see it clearly.

As far as that $250 a month internet/cell phone/cable bill, as long as they are paying for it themselves, not leeching off their parents or grandparents, whatever floats their boat.

And AJ, it isn't that you choose to ride or whatever and they don't, it's the fact that you are doing what you want to do, when you want to do it. A great number of people, young and old, are just barely getting by, a lot let their drinking/drugging/whatever activities take over their lives and never get with the program. I used to be that way with dope. Not any more, I'm making up for lost time now.

A little bit off track from the motorcycle industry dying. As long as there are people like me around (2 or 3 or 4 bikes a year, on average, used, and maybe a new one every 3 or 4 years), it'll be fine.

Why the hell should one compare an economy car to a high power bike! Compare like with like!
I'm a Honda fan and from Germany, so here is what I'd compare if it comes to cost efficency:
Honda Jazz Hybrid vs. CBR 250R
4.5l/100km, 175km/h topspeed, 12.1s 0-100km/h, over 19k€ new vs. 4.1l/100km, 140km/h topspeed but only 8s 0-100km/h and less than 5k€ new.

Bike wins with lower cost and more fun.

Accepted.
Btw. the only problem with grocery shopping is you can't transport four crates of beer/water/coke at once.


Totally offtopic:

Oh great... you watched your stepkid having REAL problems over years, clearly needing professional treatment, didn't manage to help him get out of the shit and your "solution" was to put him on the street where he should do what... drink more and fade to death? And now you rant about it on forums? Really great.

fair comment.... outside the US. here in the US, people just don't buy small bikes, why, cause they don't sell em here, under 500cc, we have choice of 3 or 4 bikes, that's it


I'm compairing what people buy and try to convince themselves that they are saving money

Edited for accuracy.

Cars are cages and you may need better gear if yours is a pain to put on, doesn't keep you dry or can't carry anything.

Motorcycles are only as dangerous as the nut holding the handlebars makes them.

If you go motorcycle ONLY they are cheaper. If you insist on keeping a car around as well then there is no way a motorcycle will save you enough money to cover the added lic, ins, maintenance.... Of keeping a car around car.

If one bike by every one of the big manufactrurers isn't enough, go for scooters. There are not more bikes that fully fit my requirements, but hey if there's one that fits perfectly, it's enough.

By the way, the NC700 for example is quite economic too and would win the comparison as well, but is much more powerful and so shouldn't be compared to an economy car like the Jazz Hybrid, more to a Civic 2.2 i-DTEC

Yet another shining example of people embracing their opinion, and cramming it down your throat as fact

mostly tires

also remember to compare apples to apples, don't compare professional maintenance costs for a cage to DIY costs on a bike, AND compare what the recommended intervals are.

bike $425 for 2 tires (mounted & balanced) lasts 10k = 4.25¢/mile
car $350 for 4 tires (again mounted balanced) lasts 80k = 0.44¢/mile

bike spend almost 10 times as much on tires

also routine maintenance, cars go 100,000 miles between tuneups, bikes go only 7,500 (going by recommended interval in manual)

milage

bike @ 50mpg = 7¢/mile car @ 38mpg - 9.2¢/mile

cost of ownership similar

bike new $8k, value with 100k miles $500 - 7.5¢/mile
car new $15k, value with 100k miles $7,500 - 7.5¢/mile

chain & sprockets is something that cars don't have, but some cars do require changing a timing belt at 60k or 75k

I use my V-strom and in the past my SV650 for business use and have detailed accounting for tax purpose, My V-strom cost per mile is 45¢± compared to 36¢ for a Ford Ranger and 52¢ for a Chevy van, cheapest car I ever owned was a BMW 320i that only cost my 26¢/mile, My SV was 35¢/mile (over 135k miles)

Maybe motorcycling is inconsistent with youth culture today? We've got an entire generation that has been coddled into believing that they're something special. They have hundreds of "friends" on Facebook, and for the few that actually stepped away from the computer or Playstation and played sports, there were no winners or losers and everyone got a trophy. Motorcycling requires personal responsibility; to check and maintain your machine, to be aware of what's going on around you, and to understand the limits of your ability. In a nutshell, we're raising a generation of pussies, and motorcycles aren't for pussies! If I had a kid, I'd name him Sue!

Because they tend not to be.

Motorcycles could be cheaper, but that isn't really a design goal for most manufacturers.

Motorcycles are more engaging in the same way a manual transmission car with rack and pinion steering is more engaging than an automatic transmission car with full power steering.


Though if you're comparing TCO new/new it would be hard to beat something like a Honda fit for 7 years, though you might manage it with something like a ninja 300 abs or a new cb500 abs, but figure in all weather gear costs too.


There are some situations where cars are untenable - I can park next to any building on campus with a bike, I work in a couple of them. I can't even park a car on campus at all and I've been here for years. A motorcycle is a way to not ride the bus, in my case.

Why must subsequent generations like what you like? It will never happen, so get over it.

ORIGINAL POST:

Hmmm.

It occurs to me that the human race itself could be doomed in the next few generations .

We're lost.

Not too worried; it's mostly comprised of fucktards anyhow.




I'm 44, and just purchased my ninth used bike. (Unless I've lost count...)

I am looking at buying my very first new bike, a shiny black Ducati MTS1200 (??) in the next year or so...

... but only because I *may* get a promo deal and get it for 50% of MSRP.

Couldn't justify $20,000, although I do thinks its worth it.

OTOH, if this deal never materializes, I'd also be keen on an R1150GSA, or an R1100S, or, better yet,

BOTH!!

I'll be keeping my K1200GT, so I know it's gonna be a great season regardless.




HAPPY TRAILS, TRANSPORTAION OR SPORT, YOU FF'S!!!!!
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I got a friend named Sue.

6'6", close to 250#, genial Korean w/ a black belt in TKD.

Call him a pussy, and he'll kick your redneck ass, then buy you a beer!!
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The humor of old guy rants is inversely proportional to their basis in knowledge and reason. This thread is hard, empirical evidence of that.

I've been laughing my ass off reading it.

DOOM!!!!!

Although I disagree with the OP, I do see the motorcycle industry changing mostly because it won't be driven by the US "toy" market anymore. The transportation NEEDS of Indians and the Chinese will drive the market instead of Americans need to look badass, thank God.

As far as young Americans go, I think bikes are just more expensive than they used to be. The "most sophisticated production bike ever", the 1969 CB750 sold for $1,495. That's about $6,820 in today's dollars. For seven grand you can barely get a KLR. Not exactly the most sophisticated bike out there. A better comparison is the S1000RR which my local dealer has for sale for almost $17,000.

I hope that the Chinese and Indian influence will bring more reasonable and reasonably priced motorcycles into the US market so young people can see that you don't have to be a "hard ass biker" or a flat-hat-brim, tribal tattoo stunter to enjoy motorcycling. AND *GASP* a motorcycle might actually be a reasonable form of transportation!