Not just the forums, biking in general. It's a real problem for the industry that we're all getting older and there isn't a generation behind us to buy the bikes. Mandatory bikes for 16 year-olds, I say!
You are right and it's only certain manufacturers who decide to seriously prioritise this into their market target that might try and drive prices down.
Median average for 130 responses is 54, I suspect similar to Honda, a bit older than Suzuki, older still than Kawasaki but much younger than BMW. For Harley owners there is the biggest disparity between what the average is and what the owners think it should be (or what they look like). Have to say the market for proper bikes is nothing like it was when I was a hooly biker in the 80s This working from home thing is quite something
My R0 value is 2.0 Both sons are bikers with full licence. Alas, it does look like we're a dying breed, getting driven to extinction by; cost/difficulty of getting full licence, cost of bikes and then insurance running costs. Increasingly onerous regulations and laws. Who can get excited about an ebike? We were lucky we had the best petrolhead years!
My son (17) is wanting a bike as well but insurance, fuel and maintenance are all going to come as an unpleasant surprise to him. I keep telling him to direct his sights down from the likes of a YZF-R 125 but he'll have to learn the hard financial way. What he doesn't realise is, two wheels and an engine are all that's important. I expect electic bikes will come of age. It's early days. Plenty or potential performance advantages but how you replicate the spine-tingling sound of an Akropovic exhaust, I'm not so sure.
I'm 50 in 3 weeks and my youngest son turns 18 on the same day. He currently rides a twist and go moped, but he has been into "proper bikes" for years, so his 18th birthday pressie will be either a YZR 125 or an Aprilla RS125. He ideally wanted to get the original 2 stroke version but I reckon every single last one of them will have been thrashed harder than a call girl at a Tory Party conference and he should think with his heart rather than his head and get the more modern 4 stroke. He's already had one engine seizure with his moped due to it burning oil (shout out to the amazing Bill Bunn Motorcycles who rebuilt it for parts cost only) and I imagine a 20 year old 2 stroke would give him many more opportunities to repeat the experience. He tells me that the reason many people his age are not graduating from 'peds to bikes is that it is simply too much of a ball ache to keep doing tests every couple of years and also too expensive. He also mentioned that a lot "urban" squids like him don't see the point in going to all that effort to get onto a 600 or 1000 in 3 or 4 years time when speed limits are so low in town - 20mph throughout the whole of London and increasingly the A roads are sneakily being made into average speed check zones - and they are so rigorously enforced. The view amongst his moped riding friends is that you can have a lot more fun going fast on a slow bike than you do going slow on a fast bike. Also, there is an urban culture which favours mopeds rather than bikes. It's sad that motorbikes are becoming more and more niche and eventually will probably go the way of the horse by becoming little more than a weekend folly for a small number of people.
Zhed46 have you thought about getting him on track? I was really worried about my boys going on the road even though they all kept me busy replacing pistons etc due to never bloody listing to me when I told them to keep an eye on the oil!!! They’ve all progressed to the track now which makes me a little happier as I’m usually with them! Though my hearts still in my mouth when they’re on track! And they cost me a bloody fortune! Love that we all do it together though!
He can’t wait. The idea was for him to enter the “L Plate Cup” race this year at the Bike Shed Festival, while I ran bikes in the Cafe Racer and/or Custom Cup races. Unfortunately it’s all been called off due to Covid. I’m also presently constantly reminding him to try and find out what licence and/or CC bike he can run around the Nurburgring, if it’s open again (or if not, when), and also what road travel restrictions we may encounter getting there. Ditto U.K. track days.
If he does the acu test he can do any Uk track day bud! It’s a good way to introduce him to being on a track and you could get him some instruction too! I did Mallory a few years ago with one of my boys and gave it the old” I’ll sit behind you then I’ll come past and show you some lines” could I catch him? Could I fook!! They’ve all learnt so much about bike preparation and bike control that if they ever decide to do their tests and ride on the road it will hopefully give them a heads start!
My son sent me a txt few days back asking if Ducati did a 750 monster I said, you buying one He said maybe
