Where have the glory days gone

kkawboy14
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kkawboy14 7/1/2019 6:32am
7/1/2019 6:32am
Motodave15 wrote:
NIMBYISM and people generally age 40+ have caused the glory days to disapper! - Us people 30 and younger, cannot ride anywhere without getting a ticket...
NIMBYISM and people generally age 40+ have caused the glory days to disapper!

- Us people 30 and younger, cannot ride anywhere without getting a ticket
- land to use for fun, is almost impossible to find unless you drive almost 2 hrs away.
- cost prohibited.
- tree huggers
- people who move next to a off-roading area (local) then complain about sound and dust
- extreme litigation (Commen sense isnt so common)
- 100 miles of stuff blocked off, for one flower or bug that would be decimated if a wild-fire hit.
That’s the college kids that are the treehugger, gopher turtle saving riding area closure leaders!
kage173
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kage173 7/1/2019 6:48am
7/1/2019 6:48am
Urbanization and digital life.

tcallahan707
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tcallahan707 7/1/2019 6:53am
7/1/2019 6:53am
Let's be real, being active isn't a priority for most of the 40+ crowd. It's not shocking that the interest to be outside playing isn't there.

With that being said, I do thing time and resources have a major impact on our sport as well. The middle class is shrinking and with that, their free time.
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JM485
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JM485 7/1/2019 7:12am
7/1/2019 7:12am
Thank god another one of these threads popped up, I’m sure we’ll get to the heart of the matter this time around. . .

Thread predictions:
1. Millennials are lame
2. Baby boomers ruined our economy
3. Random references to participation trophies that have nothing to do with anything
4. Bikes are too expensive
5. MAGA
6. Someone will be along shortly to explain how they don’t understand social media and light weight throw shade on anyone who uses it, as they post said message on a social media platform
7. Old guys will explain why their generation was better and that they don’t understand what happened, as they helicopter parent their own kids.
8. If we’re lucky, bears.
9. Meme game better be on point to make this thread worth reading
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mx617
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mx617 7/1/2019 7:17am
7/1/2019 7:17am
JM485 wrote:
Thank god another one of these threads popped up, I’m sure we’ll get to the heart of the matter this time around. . . Thread predictions...
Thank god another one of these threads popped up, I’m sure we’ll get to the heart of the matter this time around. . .

Thread predictions:
1. Millennials are lame
2. Baby boomers ruined our economy
3. Random references to participation trophies that have nothing to do with anything
4. Bikes are too expensive
5. MAGA
6. Someone will be along shortly to explain how they don’t understand social media and light weight throw shade on anyone who uses it, as they post said message on a social media platform
7. Old guys will explain why their generation was better and that they don’t understand what happened, as they helicopter parent their own kids.
8. If we’re lucky, bears.
9. Meme game better be on point to make this thread worth reading
I think that about covers it. Maybe some complaining about how wages haven't kept up with inflation (usually from the guys with a 6bedroom house, RV, boat, etc)
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DA498
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DA498 7/1/2019 7:39am
7/1/2019 7:39am
motogrady wrote:
It's not just moto. Back in the 70s, the golden years, tennis was big also. Conners, Borg, Ashe, Laver. You could ride a lot of places...
It's not just moto.
Back in the 70s, the golden years, tennis was big also. Conners, Borg, Ashe, Laver.

You could ride a lot of places, but empty courts were hard to find. There was a kind of gentlemens agreement on the public courts, if someone was waiting you played for 45 minutes and gave the court up.

Now, I rarely see anyone out there hitting balls.
There's a freaking clay court one town over and I've
never seen a person on them.
We would have killed to play on clay back then.

The side by sides, taking away from the moto scene is real. Went by Morgantown Mororsports last week. 80% 4 wheelers 20% motorcycles.
And thats being generous.

Ya, the 4by4s are hurting us, but that ain't the only thing going on out there
Thats funny, The wife and I were driving around yesterday looking at real estate and came across this recreation facility with two new empty tennis courts. I thought the same thing.
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Harry Backmon 7/1/2019 7:40am
7/1/2019 7:40am
Plenty of reasons why and most touched on in this thread. To me, the two biggest reasons are lack of available riding areas and too many other distractions (like smart phones).

And JM is right...this has been kicked around endlessly here with the VBT.

The best thing you can do is just ride and tell people how fun it is.
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aFACEdismembered 7/1/2019 8:08am
7/1/2019 8:08am Edited Date/Time 7/1/2019 8:09am
MBR wrote:
It is not about money or places to ride. Mobile games, movies and social media are just too addictive, easy to access and fun. This is...
It is not about money or places to ride. Mobile games, movies and social media are just too addictive, easy to access and fun. This is during the first 250 moto last year at Glen Helen. People are just not interested on motocross or things outside internet anymore. Sad but true. It was still possible see people of all ages interested in motocross at Loretta’s as there was no cellular reception Wink
...and who buys the phones and gives them to their kids to "keep them entertained"?

It's a parenting problem. Not a technology problem. Parents just shove shit in their kids faces to entertain them instead of actually, you know, being a parent. The younger you start the worse it will be. I know parents of 2-3 year old who use this method to get their kids to stop complaining. They're weak and just give in so they don't have to listen to their kids bitch. I watch families sit down in a restaurant and the kid has headphones on looking at his phone the entire meal. No conversation. Parents don't care. Something becomes habitual when you allow it to happen. It's not by accident.
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endurox
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endurox 7/1/2019 8:13am
7/1/2019 8:13am
kkawboy14 wrote:
When I was a kid you could just ride around the neighborhood. There literally is no place for kids to just ride mini bikes, go carts...
When I was a kid you could just ride around the neighborhood.

There literally is no place for kids to just ride mini bikes, go carts or dirt bikes easily and everyday.

Riding now is a half day event!
Depends where one lives. 11 minutes to local track or 45 minutes to closest open area for me. The 4 stroke noise is a big issue IMO. E bicycles will be as big as dirt bikes were in the late 60’s thru late 70’s.
Brad460
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Brad460 7/1/2019 8:21am
7/1/2019 8:21am
I think it comes down to the fact that dirt bikes can be dangerous and society is far more safety conscious today..Most people I talk with (co-workers, friends, etc) will say that is the reason...

My kids have motocross bikes and I am hoping they love it as much as me, but sometimes even I am hesitant and question myself if it’s the best thing for them because I don’t want to see them get hurt. Of course I remind myself they could get hurt doing anything...

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CivBars
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CivBars 7/1/2019 8:23am
7/1/2019 8:23am
$40 Practice fees seem to turn a lot of people away from the track.
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RCMXracing
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RCMXracing 7/1/2019 8:35am
7/1/2019 8:35am Edited Date/Time 7/1/2019 8:46am
The Training facilities are doing well training the youngsters. Gonna make junior the next RC. Doing SO well they rarely have open practices anymore. This is in Texas: SCMX and UGMX.

The good is plenty of young riders out there working hard to achieve goals.

The bad: It seems to me that nowadays parents are either all in or they don’t want in at all. I see this with all sports. IMHO some of this comes from celebrity superstar athletes. If you’re not a big name in sports nobody knows who you are. Thinking this mentality has trickled down. Parents are yanking kids out of school for homeschool because school interferes with their sport. Not just moto. Agree? No? Just a theory.
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scrallex
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scrallex 7/1/2019 8:56am
7/1/2019 8:56am
I don't know about you all but as a 23-year-old, I have many memories of having the fuzz called on us by neighbors week after week over the summer until about age 14 when we decided that running from law enforcement on trail bikes wasn't a good idea anymore.

Seemed like every year more and more people were less interested in telling us to buzz off themselves and would just call in the cavalry on the off-chance that they heard some kids having fun on an XR75. I can't imagine a society increasingly removed from each other is any more tolerant of kids riding around hitting small homemade jumps and corners in the empty lots around the neighborhoods..
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mikec265
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mikec265 7/1/2019 9:02am
7/1/2019 9:02am
Parents give kids electronics, instead of their time these days. When I was a kid I played outside with other kids and rode bicycles everywhere. No one's parents ever interacted much with us. There's a lot more chubby kids in preschool and kindergarten these days. Staring at tablets doesn't burn many calories. If your kids do go outside, there's not as many other kids for them to play with these days.
So, I spend a lot of time with my kids outside, and it's worth it.
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Blade Flanagan jr. 7/1/2019 9:08am
7/1/2019 9:08am
MBR wrote:
It is not about money or places to ride. Mobile games, movies and social media are just too addictive, easy to access and fun. This is...
It is not about money or places to ride. Mobile games, movies and social media are just too addictive, easy to access and fun. This is during the first 250 moto last year at Glen Helen. People are just not interested on motocross or things outside internet anymore. Sad but true. It was still possible see people of all ages interested in motocross at Loretta’s as there was no cellular reception Wink
This picture makes me sad.
1
Brad460
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Brad460 7/1/2019 9:24am
7/1/2019 9:24am
scrallex wrote:
I don't know about you all but as a 23-year-old, I have many memories of having the fuzz called on us by neighbors week after week...
I don't know about you all but as a 23-year-old, I have many memories of having the fuzz called on us by neighbors week after week over the summer until about age 14 when we decided that running from law enforcement on trail bikes wasn't a good idea anymore.

Seemed like every year more and more people were less interested in telling us to buzz off themselves and would just call in the cavalry on the off-chance that they heard some kids having fun on an XR75. I can't imagine a society increasingly removed from each other is any more tolerant of kids riding around hitting small homemade jumps and corners in the empty lots around the neighborhoods..
Same thing was happening to my friends and I back in the late 80’s...we had the cops called on us every time we rode around the neighborhood. Same situation as it is today.

Also, the money/wages comment is bull too...people are spending money like crazy these days.. I have friends who are spending thousands for their kids to play these “select” sports and driving all over the state in new Chevy Tahoes..
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scrallex
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scrallex 7/1/2019 9:45am
7/1/2019 9:45am
How much support does the amateur scene get these days also? I feel like I might have been one of the last "regular joes" to get good support from Kawi as far as cheap bikes (cost), a small stipend ($500-1k), and double contingency. This was at the 65/85cc level too where payout for a state race win was $75-150 (so $150-300 if you were a "Team Green").

I don't even think there are enough entries at state races here for it to be worth the while of the OEMs anymore. Back then there were easily 20 kids in each Supermini class. Today they barely have 5 together. And those 5 each probably have the same in their program as the back 15 combined just 10 years ago.

All I'm saying is that we grew up in a middle-middle-class family, raced hard, raced fair, and raced often, and we did it all on a mechanics salary and still had money set aside for when things hit the fan. Shit, I have an engineering degree and make more now than my parents did my entire life and I can't even afford a bike right now because of all the expenses that go into these days. I'm looking at getting myself equipped with a used '17 KX450, ($4.5K), all the extra trimmings one needs to get a bike program running right with a new model ($500), new gear since mine hasn't been updated since I left high school ($1K). So $6K I have to pony up, and all of this has to wait until I can get a house and stop throwing away money at an overinflated rent. And now you see the problem of every young adult today who wishes they could still ride bikes.
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kb228
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kb228 7/1/2019 9:47am
7/1/2019 9:47am
CivBars wrote:
$40 Practice fees seem to turn a lot of people away from the track.
Youre getting jipped if youre being charged $40 for practice
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Sierra Ranger
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Sierra Ranger 7/1/2019 9:54am
7/1/2019 9:54am
The vast majority of Americans don't have $2k in the bank for emergencies, much less a dirt bike. America has entered third-world status economically, I hate to say. I believe the basics of living are so tough for everybody now (corporate and government greed) that most people I know, even with college degrees and good jobs, are in survival mode. Phones don't help, an opiate-soaked society doesn't help, automation is making life easier and people lazier and in even worse physical condition, etc.
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RichieW13
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RichieW13 7/1/2019 9:56am
7/1/2019 9:56am
Dropbear wrote:
We are at a crossroads with technology. People don’t want to buy into old technology (ice) and new (e) is slow to get off the ground...
We are at a crossroads with technology. People don’t want to buy into old technology (ice) and new (e) is slow to get off the ground. Not helping things and there are a multitude of other issues affecting motor racing in general.
Are you saying that there are people who are thinking about getting into dirt biking but not sure if they should get a gas engine or wait for electric bikes, so they don't ride at all?
RichieW13
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RichieW13 7/1/2019 9:59am
7/1/2019 9:59am
Premix wrote:
Time, money, and technology. Everyone is busy as hell, prepping the bikes, making the trek to the track, and cleaning everything after is time consuming. The...
Time, money, and technology.

Everyone is busy as hell, prepping the bikes, making the trek to the track, and cleaning everything after is time consuming.

The sport itself it a huge money pit if you’re doing it at even a semi serious weekend warrior. It’s all money out. You literally aren’t going to “make” money or even break even doing it, EVER. Gas, oil, tires, filters, tear offs, fluids, wear parts. Not to mention if/when you get hurt from track owners building ridiculous jumps or poorly maintaining the track, that hospital bill is going to SUCK.

Motorcycling itself will always be around, but the niche of motocross is on its way out. There’s no bike or technology going to save it. Sorry.
It has always been expensive to ride. What has changed now?
byke
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byke 7/1/2019 10:04am
7/1/2019 10:04am
Sierra Ranger wrote:
The vast majority of Americans don't have $2k in the bank for emergencies, much less a dirt bike. America has entered third-world status economically, I hate...
The vast majority of Americans don't have $2k in the bank for emergencies, much less a dirt bike. America has entered third-world status economically, I hate to say. I believe the basics of living are so tough for everybody now (corporate and government greed) that most people I know, even with college degrees and good jobs, are in survival mode. Phones don't help, an opiate-soaked society doesn't help, automation is making life easier and people lazier and in even worse physical condition, etc.
I think this is touching on something that's really important, which is that people need to be smarter and smarter to survive, yet as a society we're doing our best to create the opposite.
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Premix
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Premix 7/1/2019 10:18am
7/1/2019 10:18am
RichieW13 wrote:
It has always been expensive to ride. What has changed now?
Never said it has gotten MORE expensive, I agree it’s always been expensive. But today’s cost of living has increased ten fold. A cost prohibited hobby isn’t a priority anymore for a lot of folks. If I wasn’t as heavily invested into the tools, gear, parts ect. No way I would ever get into it now
ktm300hater
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ktm300hater 7/1/2019 10:22am
7/1/2019 10:22am
I bought my 5 yr old grandson a Pdub. He rode it twice and said it's boring. We are doomed
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CivBars
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CivBars 7/1/2019 10:23am
7/1/2019 10:23am
CivBars wrote:
$40 Practice fees seem to turn a lot of people away from the track.
kb228 wrote:
Youre getting jipped if youre being charged $40 for practice
Tell me about it. If everything at the track was 10/10 I could maybe justify going. Watering and Lights mainly.
ZV111
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ZV111 7/1/2019 10:33am
7/1/2019 10:33am
Going to ride is a hassle. Its usually a 2 hour trip to the track. Takes an entire day to go ride. And then it costs a fortune. You can buy property to ride on and then you get miserable ass neighbors who don’t leave the house all day, and they call the police. It’s become such a pain in the ass.

I’ve got posts on Facebook or somewhere from a few years back predicting the pitbike comeback. Cheap, quick, easy and fun.

Seems like pitbikes are back on the rise. Curious to see what happens with that.
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ATKpilot99
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ATKpilot99 7/1/2019 11:16am
7/1/2019 11:16am
How do we know our parents wouldn't have done the same had these devices existed ? They just told me to go outside when they got sick of my shit. One thing that seems to have been lost though is sitting down to dinner as a family . We did that pretty much every night.
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Brent_Apodaca 7/1/2019 12:40pm
7/1/2019 12:40pm
I agree whole heartedly I have had the cops called to my house and my grandparents house ( years ago) . Simply because I have had bikes in the bed of the truck or have fired a bike up in my front yard.On top of that Living in the country doesn't mean anything anymore. Recently the cops stopped an autistic kid at the end of our dirt road. It being a town where everyone knows everyone , my neighbors knew that the kid has a development delay , yet they still call. Mind you this kid is not ripping up and down the road.He goes to a dirt lot thats public land , and goes in circles. I stopped to talk to the cops and let them know of his condition , and they made it a point to "understand what I'm saying , but your neighborhood is calling him in constantly". They then called in two more cop cars ,and waited for the kids parents to get home to cite them.
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kb228
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kb228 7/1/2019 12:51pm
7/1/2019 12:51pm
Brent_Apodaca wrote:
I agree whole heartedly I have had the cops called to my house and my grandparents house ( years ago) . Simply because I have had...
I agree whole heartedly I have had the cops called to my house and my grandparents house ( years ago) . Simply because I have had bikes in the bed of the truck or have fired a bike up in my front yard.On top of that Living in the country doesn't mean anything anymore. Recently the cops stopped an autistic kid at the end of our dirt road. It being a town where everyone knows everyone , my neighbors knew that the kid has a development delay , yet they still call. Mind you this kid is not ripping up and down the road.He goes to a dirt lot thats public land , and goes in circles. I stopped to talk to the cops and let them know of his condition , and they made it a point to "understand what I'm saying , but your neighborhood is calling him in constantly". They then called in two more cop cars ,and waited for the kids parents to get home to cite them.
Agree as well. Guy diagonal to my house calls them even if i ride out to the end of the driveway to load up to go ride. Dude had a speed trap put on my road 4 days after i got my first street bike. Hell he called the cops on me for parking my truck on the side of the road so my buddy could get his out of my driveway in 10 mins to leave.

Some people are real dickheads. No fun zone for those miserable pricks.
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