No easy ride: Motorcycle industry is in deep trouble and needs help fast, panel agrees

motogrady wrote:

I'll bite. There are 3 letters missing. AMA. They were created, almost a century ago, with the goal to promote and grow, heck some would say...

I'll bite.

There are 3 letters missing.

AMA.

They were created, almost a century ago, with the goal to promote and grow, heck some would say save, the industry back then.
What have they done lately?
Besides offer free towing.

Any ads on TV promoting the lifestyle?
How about radio.
Anyone catch an ad in USA Today on the sport of motorcycling?
I know I haven't.

Besides the magazine, which only existing members get, or the exposure that comes from the different
racing venues, which by the way pay The AMA, what the f@@@ are they doing to promote us to the general public?

Would it kill the budget, are things that tight in Ohio, to run even a few 15 second spots on a few mainstream
programs?

One wonders, is the guy running that organization, with his vision of cloning a 2 wheel AAA, the right guy for the job? Is that the way to secure motorcyclings future growth?

How many here salivate at the thought of free roadside assistance?
Or 15% off a motel bill?
Anyone?
Is that what got you into bikes?

Yes, they say, and probably do, fight for our rights in DC. And I'm not saying that isn't something to be ignored, or taken lightly.

But, that was not their Mission Statement in the beginning.

In ones opinion, they need to read their history, where they came from, and maybe get back to some of that.
They hold a great responsibility to the welfare, and well being of this industry.
Keeping it in the public eye, assuring interest, assuring growth, can and should not be left to the manufacturers and race promoters alone.

If the powers that be, at the very top of the AMA, don't see that, or maybe don't believe that, or don't want to do that, well, maybe it's time for a change, to someone that does.

malachi177 wrote:

My mind is melting....

Gen X born 1966-1976
Gen Y (millennials) born 1977-1994
Gen Z born 1995-2012

So my oldest isn't a millennial...via one source anyways

7eleven wrote:

$140 a year for liability in CA. I do not let her out of my sight and she sleeps inside. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2017/12/18/232671/s1200_E3CD583C_32F0_4DDB_8299_60B44C0B1409.jpg[/img]

$140 a year for liability in CA. I do not let her out of my sight and she sleeps inside.

Acidreamer wrote:

Lucky. My liability in ohio is $55/month for an 02 gsxr 600 lmao

line-up wrote:

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-motorcycle-summit-20171214-story.html A group of two dozen concerned motorcycle veterans has published a comprehensive research document that addresses the question, “Can this industry be saved?” Maybe, it...

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-motorcycle-summit-201712…

A group of two dozen concerned motorcycle veterans has published a comprehensive research document that addresses the question, “Can this industry be saved?”

Maybe, it concluded, but it’s not going to be easy.

Former Indian Motorcycle executive Robert Pandya formed the Give A Shift group this fall, hoping to find a consensus of opinion among his friends and colleagues.

He began with a written survey, which included 300 participants, and proceeded to a two-hour roundtable discussion in Long Beach, on Nov. 16, with 25 of the most ardent influencers.

Their comments, made anonymously for fear of offending employers and business associates, paint a dire picture.

Sales are flat or falling in almost every area.
Baby boomer buyers, the most consistent motorcycle consumers, are aging out of the industry fast.
The industry has failed to increase sales by making new riders out of women, minorities and millennials.
The old dealership model is broken and needs a makeover.
The arrival of autonomous vehicles may push motorcycles off the road entirely.
“The message is, ‘We are in trouble, and there is no silver bullet,’ ” Pandya said.


Robert Pandya, left, seen here discussing a new Indian product with actor and motorcyclist Mark Wahlberg, hopes his Give A Shift forum will invigorate riding enthusiasm and sales. (Manny Pandya / International Motorcycle Shows)
Among the key findings in the report, which can be read in its entirety here:

The motorcycle industry does not need better product, but its marketing and advertising methods are failing to attract new riders in part because they are too focused on selling bigger, faster, more expensive machines to veteran riders.

“There has never been a more compelling and interesting time in motorcycling,” the report said. “It’s clear … that the bigger issue is lack of general interest in riding.”

The industry also has failed to appreciate the importance of the female rider, losing sight of the concept that mothers who ride tend to produce children who ride. Instead, manufacturers focus too tightly on the more typical male consumer and, when it comes to women, rely on the careworn “shrink it and pink it” approach to apparel and gear manufacturing.

“There is clearly a path to attract female ridership that does not come from traditional motorcycle marketing and must be explored,” the report said. “The increase in female ridership will have a huge influence on young riders’ access to motorcycling.”

The panel faulted motorcycle dealerships for being outmoded and unimaginative, and for employing sales personnel primarily interested in selling top-of-the-line products to well-heeled buyers while ignoring the entry-level beginner.

“Dealers still often do not know how to sell to women, couples, families and non-traditional customers,” the report concluded. “Being enchanted by motorcycling can quickly be dulled by a poor, confusing or dismissive dealership experience.

Even more worrying, Pandya’s report said, is the approaching widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles, whose prevalence on public roads may leave no safe space for motorcycling.

“There is a very real risk of motorcycling being completely cut out of the conversation for future vehicle infrastructure systems,” the panel concluded. “The single biggest threat to motorcycling overall … will be the incompatibility between autonomous vehicles and existing motorcycles.”

Though the panel’s conclusions were bleak, its members did have ideas for slowing the erosion in sales and enthusiasm.

The paper called on the power sports industry collectively and riders individually to self-correct, self-police and work together to improve motorcycling’s image.

Manufacturers must “promote motorcycling as an activity for everyone,” “tell a compelling story about the benefits and joys of motorcycling” and “affect acceptance of the positive aspects of motorcycling.”

Riders, in turn, must be better ambassadors for the sport they love and better at sharing the message.

“If just 20% of existing riders were able to bring a new rider into the mix every year, the shift would be dramatic not only in sales but in camaraderie,” the report said. “Motorcycling can no longer be our secret.”

Blaine Schuttler, managing director of Husqvarna Motorcycles North America, said a major challenge is in simply identifying consumers and connecting with them.

“Our marketing activity plans are geared toward people who are currently in the sport, and toward trying to attract returners to the sport,” Schuttler said. “At the same time, everybody in the industry is trying to attract people who haven’t been exposed to motorcycles or have never ridden motorcycles before.”

Some companies, the report charged, have failed to produce enough motorcycles that are appropriately sized and priced for new riders, or have failed to make them sufficiently attractive.

But even those who have built splendid lineups of starter motorcycles, like Honda, are having trouble capturing the attention of potential riders whose free time and disposable income already are occupied by online gaming, streaming video content and other popular outdoor activities such as cycling, mountain biking, hiking or RV camping.

“There are so many options for that audience in terms of transportation and recreation,” said Lee Edmunds, national motorcycle advertising manager for American Honda. “I don’t see anything approaching what we need to do with that audience.”

The problem is made particularly acute, the report said, because many millennial consumers were “bubble-wrapped for safety in their youth” or raised by overprotective parents who discouraged risk-taking.

“Adventure is not at the top of the list,” said MotoQuest tour company founder Phil Freeman. “It’s more about comfort and security.”

Industry consultant and former Honda executive Chris Jonnum, who was not part of the panel but endorses many of its conclusions, observed that the thrill of motorcycling alone should make it an easy sell.

“What we have is cool and fun and genuine and appealing,” he said. “Everyone who does it knows how great it is, and how fun it is. What we’re trying to do here shouldn’t be impossible.”

Motodave15 wrote:

Millennial checking in here. (Im 29, 1988) This issue is Two Folds, My dad is a baby boomer so he got me into riding when i...

Millennial checking in here.
(Im 29, 1988)

This issue is Two Folds, My dad is a baby boomer so he got me into riding when i was 14 in 2004.
Rode a great deal from 14 till about 20. Had to start working and going to school and picked up the sport of hockey. (Mainly due to accessibility, i could go to work and still go play afterwards, almost every damn day)

The issue i see with me and my colleagues, Is that one new bikes are expensive especially when your job isn't even coming close to 50k a year. (even for people with degrees). The second issue has everything to do with getting to riding spots. its far and there is no way you can do anything else with your day, sitting in 1-1/2 hours of traffic going and 2 hrs of traffic heading back home... plus the fees and maintenance cost...and if it explodes your ass aint riding for awhile cost wise

There is hope on the horizon though... Electric bikes,

whoever in the motorcycle industry can make a mx or on-road electric bike thats fun as shit and cost sub 6k (probably impossible) and you would see a fucking explosion from the millennials....Combustion will always have a spot in the heart... but electric will allow old riding spots to come back... and you can sneak off and moto around your neighborhood as the only way to get caught would be for someone to literally watch you (and call the cops on your spot)... because with no sound you can literally do what ever.

I feel like motorcycles have a silver-bullet... but either the technology isn't where it should be battery wise.. or somebody is afraid to go all in.

malachi177 wrote:

My mind is melting....

Gen X born 1966-1976
Gen Y (millennials) born 1977-1994
Gen Z born 1995-2012

So my oldest isn't a millennial...via one source anyways

AJ565 wrote:

For what its worth on the on-road side of things I sold my '12 GSXR1000 when I moved to Texas because full coverage went from $45/mo...

For what its worth on the on-road side of things I sold my '12 GSXR1000 when I moved to Texas because full coverage went from $45/mo in Ohio to $383/mo here in San Antonio and that was the cheapest I could find. Progressive wanted $537/mo. My bike payment was only $140/mo. So I can see why the market would be down with insurance the way it is for full coverage, which you have to have when financing a bike.

jeffro503 wrote:

Taking on this whole discussion in one reply would take more time then I wanna spend. BUT.....as to this line here >> [b]The industry has failed...

Taking on this whole discussion in one reply would take more time then I wanna spend. BUT.....as to this line here >> The industry has failed to increase sales by making new riders out of women, minorities and millennials."......

As far as women go.....I saw more women riding mx last summer then I have ever seen in the past 35 years of riding. I don't know what it is , but the NW women's MX scene has blown up pretty well , and I think it's awesome. On another note , I have been seeing a stead incline in riders at the tracks around here too. Like the last 3 - 5 years , there just seems to be more. Which is great in my opinion.

user760a wrote:

I think that anyone who doubts that there is much of a problem or does not see the problem at all is probably one of the...

I think that anyone who doubts that there is much of a problem or does not see the problem at all is probably one of the lucky few people who happens to be surrounded by true enthusiasts.

I can really attest to the dispassionate indifference that young people in general have toward anything that requires much effort, preferring drinking, drugs, smartphones, mindless entertainment, etc instead. It is really pathetic.

LOVEMYCR500 wrote:

I think most MX motorcycle racing is like watching paint dry. AMA, Bring back the 2 stroke!

okay I said it.

7eleven wrote:

$140 a year for liability in CA. I do not let her out of my sight and she sleeps inside. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2017/12/18/232671/s1200_E3CD583C_32F0_4DDB_8299_60B44C0B1409.jpg[/img]

$140 a year for liability in CA. I do not let her out of my sight and she sleeps inside.

endurox wrote:

Interested in some opinions and if could put approximate age in response. Does it make a difference going into a big multi brand shop versus stopping...

Interested in some opinions and if could put approximate age in response.
Does it make a difference going into a big multi brand shop versus stopping by a mom and pop shop?
Does it matter if you can go back and talk to the mechanic who is working on your bike?
Does a dealership with a large apparel inventory matter or do you shop mail order?
thanks

endurox wrote:

Interested in some opinions and if could put approximate age in response. Does it make a difference going into a big multi brand shop versus stopping...

Interested in some opinions and if could put approximate age in response.
Does it make a difference going into a big multi brand shop versus stopping by a mom and pop shop?
Does it matter if you can go back and talk to the mechanic who is working on your bike?
Does a dealership with a large apparel inventory matter or do you shop mail order?
thanks

backinthesaddleagain wrote:

Yes, I have always bought at the Mom and Pop shop. first bike my parents bought me was 1974 MR50 at a Honda dealer/hardware store. My...

Yes, I have always bought at the Mom and Pop shop. first bike my parents bought me was 1974 MR50 at a Honda dealer/hardware store.

My first bike I bought was 1983 CR125 and the mechanic came out of the back and answered any questions I had about the bike. In fact he still works there as parts manager and races MX still.

As long as they can get me what I want reasonably quickly and at a competitive price that works for me.