Very off topic, but I guess on-topic when it comes to 'new bikes sales'/'growing the sport' and things like that.
I've been travelling on the US East coast for the last 2 weeks and if I'm not totally living in my own mind, I would say a clear difference is that on the road you see much more 'practical cars' nowadays compared to 15-20years back when there were a ton of Camaros/Mustangs, Japanese sports cars and all kind of crazy jacked up trucks. Now you see 'sensible' japanese/american/european cars.
Maybe I'm growing old and don't recall correctly but I would say it's a change in car landscape. Off course, driving around the more affluent areas of New York, the Hamptons, Washington DC etc you see expensive cars...that's not what I'm saying... but what you see on the highway driving from NYC to Miami is mostly sensible cars.
So if people cannot afford expensive cars as they did 20years ago, I guess there is not too much money for new dirt bikes either.
(btw, I didn't make the same observation in California 2years ago, but I might have been in another state of mind...)
more diversity less car culture relatively speaking.
Kids today aren’t into much, to be honest. My son has a dirt bike, a one wheel, bike, skateboard, etc. We sign him up for every sport available, and he would rather be home playing video games with people he’ll never meet. He’s not into cars, music, or really much of anything. All of his peers are pretty much the same. Scary for the future, not only of the sport, but the country.
I personally could write a check for a Lamborghini if I wanted to, but with the inflation I experienced during and following Covid, I’d rather keep my money invested. I really think the “show off” culture of my youth is pretty much a thing of the past. The new flex is being able to retire at some point.
That being said, I’ll be spending money racing motocross until I’m no longer able.
Gas, food and entry fees alone you're looking at close to a $150 day- for practice. Then to think about buying a new dirtbike?.. it's a rich man's sport.
The question — where did all the relative* middle class money go?
Now I could share a bunch of graphs showing massively accelerated wealth inequality but graphs and facts would make me a libtard… so I won’t.
I could share experts analysis of the effects of the BBB but that would make me a libtard…
I could show increasing levels of medical bankruptcy for individuals, hospitals and clinics… but that would make me a libtard
I could show that urban sprawl is the number one contributor of track closures (including me favourite track in Melbourne closing just last month)… but that would make me a libtard.
Or we could look at how the cost of housing has become a farrr bigger portion of income than any time in the last 50 years and only getting worse… but that would make me a libtard
We could look at non of walkable, non bikeable new developments, or a lack of third spaces, or how houses have become larger as yards have become smaller or we could look at all sorts of corruption that determines the type or f urban development that happens… but that’s just libtard speak.
Or we could blame immigrants and diversity and Muslims and communism and wind farms and Stark Vargs and blah blah blah as that seems to be the accepted boogie men on this forum and the clearly real reason discretional spending and motocross participation is teetering on collapse…
Anything else is just libtards being libtards so let’s ignoring it.
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Bruh…. Shut up
Recognizing the rapid acceleration/expansion/growth of “The Great Divide”…as of late…let’s say these last 5+ “Post Global Debacle Years”…doesn’t make you anything but an informed observer…
I guarantee that no-one around these parts is gonna see me as any form of left leaning; yet, I get your point.
Now, we can argue about the billions come trillions that were thrown around these last 5+ years or the insane immigration policies that allowed MILLIONS OF UNVETTED POEPLE to walk into the United States or alllllll the insane “funding for one thing that was spent on the other thing”…yada, yada, yada…
And we’ll probably not agree on much.
But, know this: Many Americans are actually catching on.
See how you move on from ‘yeah yeah yeah your an informed observer’
But, now, let’s argue about immigrants… sorry… what? All the above is real, true and has a far bigger effect on motocross than what you really wanna focus on… which is such partisan hackness… I love your little 5+ years… the + giving you a little out, while you 5 makes it clears you are blaming Biden for the above… cool and in many parts true… and in even more parts not at all exclusive to Biden… but again, it’s irrelevant to this thread because has far far far far less of an effect on motocross as a sport than what I’m talking about. So maybe take your ‘yada yada tacit agreement but let’s focus on my pet topics’ to non moto and stay on topic.
Which is something a libtard would say… I guess.
Good lord, fuck off
I,m making spaghetti rt now that’s 5 bucks, track under 30 miles, 50 bucks for unlimited classes , gate fee 15 . I was spending 700 a week on flying j cold sandwiches , gal of water & scale tickets living as cheap as possible as I always do on the rd. Midwest in winter , Chesapeake, Wv. Pa. Spring se . When I,m stuck running in the northeast the price of food, water goes wayy up. I talked to a broker pal he said it’s much worse now then 2 months ago or 2-3 yrs ago . I,m done trucking you can’t make anything I wanted to quit in 07 when the economy crashed but there was no jobs. once I get my injections done I,m a maintenance tech I did that b4. The vehicles in the ne are smaller than the Midwest because gas& insurance is higher. The se & Tx. Hv a lot of gt mustangs & sports cars , cool 90,s trick pu,s.
It turns out the reason American motocross tracks truck in so much sand is just so you can keep your head in it.
Dude, you simply don't fucking get it. You never will. The ironic part is, YOU think you have all the answers. But you simply don't fucking get it. And I'm not going to get in a back and forth with an idiot. Good luck figuring shit out in life, you'll need it.
I am also quite certain that I don’t “get it“ — and I guess that’s because generally what I choose to “get” is at least based off something objective and when someone on a motocross forum wants to turn a list of legitimate reasons motocross is in danger and failing and becoming too expensive etc. and turn it into an argument about their being too many brown people in America then yes I’m quite certain that I don’t “get it“…
There’s this old and very tired adage “don’t argue with an idiot because they’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience“ I’m very much feeling like that applies here and since you have it “figured out“ and I can’t even find any facts and figures that figure out to whatever you have “figured out,” then of course I am the idiot…
And yes, I will spend my life time trying to fathom what you have figured out… at this point all I’m getting is… failing school system? Manufactured consent? Bubble bubble bubble?
Many Americans caught on September 12, 2001 vowing to “Never Forget”. You see how long that lasted, not even 1 generation.
Move to Non Moto
People getting wealthy doesn't destroy the middle class, growth of government does. In my county there are 13 school districts each with administrations, artificial turf football fields, huge campuses with acres of grounds to maintain and maybe 800 - 1000 kids in grades 9-12. Those school taxes do not hurt wealthy people, they kill the middle class though. As does gas tax, sales tax, SSI tax, on and on. The real income gap is not between the wealthy and poor, it is between the citizens and the government. The government is not the actual entity paying 200,000 soldiers to be in Japan, Korea, and Germany is single mothers, senior citizens, and young families actually footing the bill. The citizens of this country pay for all of it, every nuclear sub, every school addition, every road, every forest ranger.
There are a million ways to obtain wealth and security. Learn what those paths are, figure out the best way to get there, and pick one. Otherwise, don't, and just scream at society that it isn't fair. One of these choices offer you a real chance at happiness and success. The other guarantees you will be a miserable and angry person until the day they drop you into the ground.
From childhood rec leagues to the ‘No Child Left Behind' grading system, Gen Z has been socially engineered to believe everyone is a winner and entitled.
While it is true that things are not universally fair, in this country you can forge great wealth and security. The difference is how you think it functions versus how it actually functions. Working hard will not secure you anything... working smart does. Regardless of your background, conscious moves to improve your life have to be combined with strategic moves to obtain success. The majority of people that complain often made conscious moves to improve their life, but not strategic. For example, and this is a common one. College. Those that went and got a degree without a clear reason and direction for that degree, without looking at the job market for that degree, amassed debt going to expensive schools vs community college and transferring to a cheaper state university... these people made a conscious move to improve, but not a strategic one. You can apply this to many areas of life decisions. All options are on the table and can be accessed by anyone, but too many do without thinking strategically. I get that people don't want it to be this way, but it is...
Today’s lesson is over, It’s now time for me jump in my mid engine supercar and head up PCH for breakfast or shall I take the 66 restomod fastback Mustang GT?
Did you just wake up this morning and say to yourself: 'Gee, I want to get into a political pissing contest in a motocross board'?
People in the Northeast are much more conservative than rest of the country. This includes automobiles, dressing styles, home design, and vacation destinations. They also value education, as can be seen by rankings of most educated states. College choices also figure heavily into monthly expenses , leaving less room for luxury, sport, or specialty cars. Many parents making $200k per year are skimming by because they have 2 children in expensive college programs, thereby hamstringing their ability to afford new “ nicer” products. This, along with their ingrained financially conservative thought process precludes them from purchasing these vehicles.
P.S…ironically, most of these states are politically far more liberal than the rest of the country with the exception of the left coast.
Pit Row
People just don’t like being outside as much. Not even really sure what the primary driver either myself is anymore - getting older, family obligations, 20+ years of persistent online connections…
We won’t understand what changed for a few more generations.
Shitty roads full of potholes, winter, no wide open spaces, and tons of cops take the fun out of fun cars in the northeast.
People with money have moved on to expensive luxury cars (that look and function like practical cars) instead of sports cars.
Please see “Global Debacle” (the virus which shall not be named and the global Panickdemic) before you go making foolish assumptions. The response I refer to was fueled by both sides of our political aisle.
“Scared makes Stupid” is the lesson to learn there.
Also, go make some toast…smear some butter and Vegimite on it and get right; because, bro…you’re going off the deep end.
At this point, I may need to retract my informed observer observation and change it to pseudo-informed Aussie-Berzerker.
I chose not to for fear of being called a libtard… so I just stated the reality… and as per usual the brains trust of CTE sufferers couldn’t help but make it about their own racism. Totally taking it non moto…
Racism.
Wow.
You really do need to go make that Vegimite-toast and maybe go for a ride.
Maybe go surfing and just recharge your mojo…?
In other-words…
Bro, go outside and breathe a little.
Look, I’m old. So, I remember when you didn’t need to tell these things to an Aussie. 🤣
Straya is pretty dicked but Victoria seems pretty bad.
eMTB ride out behind the lake where our hidden tracks are and then ride out the front gate to your local joint or…why not just go to the club for brunch?
Maybe order a pizza. Doesn’t really matter. 🤣
People have multiple cars these days. The fun ones just come out for fun not going to work
Lots of garage queens in my neck of the woods. But I’m pulling out my fun car this morning.
Sometimes the fun ones come out for a little “exploring”…oh, and some “Very Remote Location Flat Tires”! 🤪
We need to go out in the Bronco sometime.
That’s a rental property. Got bored with that Lake many years ago and it gets a tad bit warm in July out there.
I have multiple homes.
I rarely even post here. Life is too short. Zaca 161 thinks his opinions are facts and now he has injected immaturity with his last post above.
A decent "starter house" has more than doubled in the last 8 years around here with most of that growth being the last 4 years. Now factor in the increase in payments since then I don't know how young people are making it without help. And I live in a area that was considered cheap to live in.
Friends have lived there over the years…still have some nice trails and “hillside tracks” out behind the lake.
I’m a baech dude. Never want to be far from the beach unless it’s winter and then I want to be close to the lifts. Yup…California…be sure to tell everyone how much it sucks. 🤣
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