For those with an inflated sense of self worth.

[SCQTT]

The good side is we are growing. The great side is motorcycle sales have leveled in their decline and have started to recover.

Motorcycle sales peaked in 05 & 06 with just under 1 million units sold per each of those years.

Prior to that 1973 was the biggest year.

Dualsport is small, growing but small. I know it is difficult for many of you to imagine that they sell more scooters in America than GSs, but in reality they sell more scooters than DUALSPORT MOTORCYCLES.

Harley has several models......MODELS that, by themselves, outsell the entire range of dualsport motorcycles.

Not trying to be a jerk, but want to illustrate to the armchair product development people on here the size of their market.

So yes, they might have every imaginable biker bell in three different finishes, but they probably are not going to have a carbon fiber skid plate for your 88 Moto Morini Camel or create a streetable MX bike for you to ride down to the corner pub.

[OrangeYZ]

NO!!! A DRZ400S with a 6-speed would outsell everything! EVERYTHING!!!

[avgas]

Surely I'm important enough for Suzuki to make me a 6-speed drz! Maybe with a rallye fairing...

[Ginger Beard]

I here that Yamaha is finally going to make the WR450r. It's going to weigh 235 lbs fully loaded WITH racks and panniers, get 100mpg, have a 6 gal tank and a lifetime of free fill ups , a wide ratio 10 speed , 25 inches of suspension travel but a 30 in seat height all while having 14 inches of ground clearance , never need any maintenance (not even oil) and come with tires that hook up like racing slicks on the street and full nobs in the dirt. Best of all the "G" in mpg stands for good wishes which is what you fill your tank with. What for the environmentalists that hate DS bikes? Yamaha has them covered too. The only emissions from the 7db exhaust will be unicorns and daisies.

[anotherguy]

Be cool to watch you try to be a jerk.

[SlipChip]

Yeah, in the grand scheme of things we are a niche, but the thing about niches is, if you don't fill that niche someone else will, and then they get the sales and you don't.

[Paebr332]

Originally Posted by SlipChip

Yeah, in the grand scheme of things we are a niche, but the thing about niches is, if you don't fill that niche someone else will, and then they get the sales and you don't.

Not every niche is profitable. Sales without profits soon lead to bankruptcy.

[JimVonBaden]

Originally Posted by SCQTT

The good side is we are growing. The great side is motorcycle sales have leveled in their decline and have started to recover.

Motorcycle sales peaked in 05 & 06 with just under 1 million units sold per each of those years.

Prior to that 1973 was the biggest year.

Dualsport is small, growing but small. I know it is difficult for many of you to imagine that they sell more scooters in America than GSs, but in reality they sell more scooters than DUALSPORT MOTORCYCLES.

Harley has several models......MODELS that, by themselves, outsell the entire range of dualsport motorcycles.

Not trying to be a jerk, but want to illustrate to the armchair product development people on here the size of their market.

So yes, they might have every imaginable biker bell in three different finishes, but they probably are not going to have a carbon fiber skid plate for your 88 Moto Morini Camel or create a streetable MX bike for you to ride down to the corner pub.

Pretty much the whole of your post is a DUH for anyone who is paying attention!

Jim

[Patj551]

I never really cared if I was part of "the herd" anyway!

[tvpierce]

I don't necessarily consider growth in our sport to be a positive thing. The more mainstream motorcycles become, the more self-centered-oblivious-to-the-world-types there will be on two wheels. That means more accidents and more focus on us by our dip-shit lawmakers -- who will do everything in their power to dumb-down bikes like they have to cars: mandatory ABS, traction control, airbags, TPS. I don't have a problem with these technologies, I just don't think it's my Legislature's job to keep me safe -- don't they have potholes to fill?

As it stands now, we pretty much fly below the radar: we get discretionary treatment on minor infractions like parking in non-designated areas, lane splitting in some states, etc. It's manageable with the current crowd of riders because we don't have huge numbers, and we tend to be a sensible, aware group. If half the population was riding bikes, that just wouldn't be possible.

The cruiser crowd is doing their best to screw things up for all of us though with their loud pipes. Pretty much all states always had noise and/or inspection regulations on the books, but nobody enforced them because it wasn't a big problem. Now with proliferation of straight-pipes on bikes, (mostly cruisers) states and municipalities are cracking down on all bikes.

Hope this doesn't sound too elitist: but, I was happier when there were fewer people riding.

[JimVonBaden]

Conversely, the more on the road, the more awareness will be generated, hopefully increasing safety. Look at much of Europe as a model.

Also, more riders mean more power to change the laws to make riding safer like in CA that allow lane splitting, and maybe filtering.

Jim

[eatpasta]

Originally Posted by SCQTT

Harley has several models......MODELS that, by themselves, outsell the entire range of dualsport motorcycles.

if thats true..... it's sad

[Ginger Beard]

Originally Posted by tvpierce

The cruiser crowd is doing their best to screw things up for all of us though with their loud pipes. Pretty much all states always had noise and/or inspection regulations on the books, but nobody enforced them because it wasn't a big problem. Now with proliferation of straight-pipes on bikes, (mostly cruisers) states and municipalities are cracking down on all bikes.

I was in agreement right up until that bit. While it may be cruisers in your area it seems to be the sport bikes with race exhaust that are the worst offenders here in SFL.

[fastdadio]

Originally Posted by JimVonBaden

Conversely, the more on the road, the more awareness will be generated, hopefully increasing safety. Look at much of Europe as a model.

Also, more riders mean more power to change the laws to make riding safer like in CA that allow lane splitting, and maybe filtering.

Jim

I really don't want the world I live in to resemble any thing I see in Europe or Kali.

[No False Enthusiasm]

Would the mythic WR450R address a market niche any smaller than Honda's Rune?

NFE