We have no idea what the pressures are on a small business at this time so I'm prepared to cut some slack. With businesses going to the wall, sales are obviously at a low ebb and any profit from a possible single sale will be wiped out by utility bills. Andy
that dealer is so incompetent I’m surprised they haven’t killed someone, my new V2 came from them with melted wiring that was shorting out after they bodged a bike trac install, and I’ve heard horror stories of wheels not done up etc. my friend knows a guy who test ride a bike there and the rear axle was loose, he stopped on the a34 to hand tighten it. the average age is worrying considering you need the 16’s to buy ‘volume’ and then some dwindle off. There are 3million people in the uk with a bike licence, 5% of the population I believe
Is it just the complications of the test that put young people off riding then because when I’m out and about riding I always have lots of young people stop and look at my bikes so that says to me they are still interested in them.
It’s not just Ducati, although that’s what’s focussed on here, but all brands, across the board - bar the new entry Chinese ones.
The age thing seems to be an English phenomenon. When I go to bike shops in France there are a lot more youngsters riding and spending their cash. It’s still seen as a cool and aspirational thing to do to ride a bike. Same in Italy too. Not sure that is the case here anymore.
Is the test process the same? There are so many tests and costs in the UK to get a bike licence, and you can't have a powerful bike until you're 24!
And in Europe the kids are thrashing about on scooters in shorts and T Shirts in 30 degrees of sunshine. Over here you gotta go out and spend £300 on clothing and still get freezing cold and soaking wet. Doesn’t sound that attractive for a 17 year old. In Europe cars seem to come at an older age.
In Barcelona there are 300000 bikes in a population of 1.6 million. One in five. In the uk 1.3 million bikes , one in sixty
They might be interested in them but lets be honest here...How many could realistically afford to become bikers? 50+ years ago when I bought my 1st new bike it cost me around a 1/3rd of my wages over 3 years to buy it via Higher Purchase. A new crash helmet cost £17 (2 years later I bought the best you could possibly buy a Bell Star for £20). and a new top quality leather jacket cost £44. IIRC? Insurance cost around £40 a year for a "Riders Policy" where the amount of bikes you owned didn't (if any difference at all?) cost any more cash. Fast forward a few years and I'm still a few months short of my 22nd birthday, I buy a new very expensive 900SS Ducati and it still only cost 1/4 of my wages for 3 years.
When I got my first ‘big’ bike after passing my test at 20, a Rgv250 the insurance was £750 tpo and with the purchase loan and running costs it crippled me financially so to me biking has always been expensive. Off topic but when I bought that bike I crashed it on the ride home into a ditch. Later on my mate came to have a look at my new purchase and said why did you buy that it’s been crashed? Yes I crashed on the way home I said. He never let that one go
Bearing in mind that the UK test system was changed to tie it closer in with the system in Europe, then apart from some age limit differences there is still the same hierarchy of grades and tests in both the EU and UK. Some tests are actually more involved over here, I have to undertake a medical and psychotechnico aptitude test each time I change my licence or a group expires
Though you can get one (moped) age 15 for solo use only and driving cars is not allowed until 18, so the youth is definitely more likely to have a go than they are in the UK. Combined with the vastly better weather, biking is much more appealing in matadorlandia
It would appear that Moto Rapido don’t have any pressures and are extremely cash rich, as their can’t be arsed attitude isn’t dong them any favors with the general public!
Sounds very similar according to this but i guess much of it is EU wide regulations. I do get that much of France has better weather than the UK but you canot get away from the fact the UK roads have way to much traffic on them. You will need a 7-hour class if you have never ridden a motorcycle before, which will supplement your home state’s car licence with a laminated certificate. Cost is around 200 EUR depending on the market. 3) Obtain a french driver’s licence; this is what the rest of this post is about. As with the rest of Europe, motorcycle licences are tiered, so you will apply for an A2 licence, which limits you to just under 50HP for the first two years of riding. To get your full licence, you will need to go through another 7 hour class 2 years after having obtained your A2 licence, at which point you will get your full A permit. Most more powerful bikes can be restricted to A2 power levels at the dealership, which essentially means you can buy nearly anything you want with an A2.
16=Moped 17=A restricted 125 or take a A1 licence which allows you to ride with no L plates, carry a pillion etc 19=Pass your A2 motorcycle that entitles you to ride a restricted motorcycle. 21=Full unrestricted motorcycle test only if you have taken and passed the A2 licence. 24=Full unrestricted licence if you can’t be bothered to go through the stages at 19.
