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Old January 9th, 2018, 06:09 PM   #78
InvisiBill
EX500 full of EX250 parts
 
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Name: Bill
Location: Grand Rapids-ish, MI
Join Date: Jul 2012

Motorcycle(s): '18 Ninja 400 • '09 Ninja 500R (selling) • '98 VFR800 (project) • '85 Vulcan VN700 (sold)

Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 1
MOTM - Aug '15
I think it's a little bit of everything mentioned in the article. By the way, https://www.bikebandit.com/blog/post...riders-with-us is the actual blog post for those of us late to the party.

Younger people are doing without vehicles more frequently now, even the 4-wheeled variety. Fewer vehicles overall means fewer bikes too.

Dealerships (again, even for cages) have come to represent about the worst buying experience possible. In trying to make more money (or lately, just stay afloat), they seem to have taken to grabbing at money however they can. They tack on all those fees previous posts have mentioned, for no apparent gain to the customer. They generally have a reputation of poor customer service. They simply get in the way, take your money, and treat you like crap. Gee, I wonder why new customers aren't lining up at the door?

Newer bikes are getting better and better. They last longer, which is going to reduce the number of followup sales. However, all the fancy new tech (some required by law, some just to say they have fancy new tech) increases the cost. As anything gets more expensive, you're simply going to have fewer buyers who can afford it.

Which gets into the final point mentioned. Their study didn't include anyone from outside the US.
Quote:
Had they done so, they might have place more emphasis on the single, fundamental difference between their markets and ours: that in other parts of the world, motorcycles are viewed as an affordable, convenient mode of transportation, while here, they are generally viewed as expensive recreational toys. In America, most people can’t afford to have a motorcycle; in Vietnam, most people can’t afford not to have one.
All the tech, safety features, and just "bigger/better" on US bikes, combined with the general population's attitude toward bikes, makes them expensive toys here. Due to the relative rarity of bikes here, I think I'd prefer to be riding in a third-world country than here if I were forced to go without my gear. Bikes are simply expected there, while people seem to see right through them here. Bikes being less common means bike-related things are more of a specialty (i.e. more $$$) and you're more likely to have someone run over you with their 17-ton SUV because their brain didn't register you as another vehicle. Expensive and dangerous aren't generally features that appeal to the mass market.


Some of these are chicken & egg problems. I don't know how we can make drivers more used to seeing bikes on the road without simply getting more bikes on the road. I don't know that we can drastically improve the sales process while making everything cheaper. In some cases, changing perception could position bikes as a solution to the problem. Maybe scooters and cheap bikes become a "good enough" vehicle for those who don't need/want a full car, but can't make walking/biking/busing work completely.


I generally agree with what others have said. I'm not going to go out and try to get everyone I know to buy a bike. I don't think anyone here wants to be on the road when every single person hops on a bike for the first time, at the same time. However, if someone expresses interest in it, I'll do my best to guide them. My brother has talked about getting a bike, but I'm not sure how much he's really into it. I'm trying to get him to take the MSF class. He can get a taste of riding without having to drop a bunch of cash on buying a bike and gear, it counts as his license endorsement, and I think it helps make you a better, more aware driver in general. He was looking at bikes (mostly little Ninjas) on CL, and I was explaining the pros and cons of newer vs. cheaper, etc. I'd much rather give someone lots of good info and have them decide that motorcycling simply isn't for them, than to have them invest a lot of money and regret it or even get hurt/dead just because I'm trying to further a cause.
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