New bike sales not looking very good.
Discussion
http://www.motofire.com/2017/10/news/down-again-se...
Eeek! Sporty bikes down another quarter on already rubbish figures (compared to 10 years ago).
Eeek! Sporty bikes down another quarter on already rubbish figures (compared to 10 years ago).
I see all the shiny new bikes at my local showroom and think yes I want. Then I see the price tags for stuff that was affordable to me in my 30s but now seems ludicrous to me in my 50s.
This is for super sports btw.
Then you think about theft in London and the trouble I had with my last nice bike so stay riding my snotter.
So bike companies! get our police to actually do something about bike crime.
This is for super sports btw.
Then you think about theft in London and the trouble I had with my last nice bike so stay riding my snotter.
So bike companies! get our police to actually do something about bike crime.
I spoke to a contact at Suzuki a few weeks back and they have a big issue with an increasing client age. Apparently the average Suzuki rider is 55 years old and this is not unique to them.
Young uns just don't appear to have the same interest in bikes anymore, disposable income is down and the chance of getting caught is up.
Young uns just don't appear to have the same interest in bikes anymore, disposable income is down and the chance of getting caught is up.
I'm always dissapointed that the UK doesn't seem to have taken onboard the European love for small bikes and mopeds.
Going into the larger European cities and seeing young couples on mopeds etc just seems sensible.
Not sure why the younger generation here hasn't embraced this, as it would likely lead to some trying larger engined bikes.
Maybe the bike industry needs to advertise directly at the young generation.
When I was at school I remember many friends getting scooters as they were so cheap even new, with plenty of dealer insentives
Going into the larger European cities and seeing young couples on mopeds etc just seems sensible.
Not sure why the younger generation here hasn't embraced this, as it would likely lead to some trying larger engined bikes.
Maybe the bike industry needs to advertise directly at the young generation.
When I was at school I remember many friends getting scooters as they were so cheap even new, with plenty of dealer insentives
Prof Prolapses top guesses as to why;
- With bikes like the MT-10, Mulitistrada, S1000R, S1000XR, etc. sportsbikes have become less relevant on the roads.
- Increasing age of motorcyclists mean they don't want a sportsbike
- A new sportsbike now costs £15,000
- With possible exceptions from Ducati, all sportsbikes now are f
king insanely fast, i..e limited/low 600/750 options. - Theft is at record highs
- Salaries are at record lows
- A2 licencing means that young people can't be fked with the hassle
- In the UK you can still buy quick cars relatively cheaply, and you can do the shopping in them.
- Is there actually any sportsbike marketed at younger folk?
I agree with everything you've said Prof but I think you've also missed an important point (although half implied it in a couple of other points). As the age of the "average" rider increases, at the same time manufacturers have been making sports bikes more and more sharply focused. For most 50 plus riders a modern sports bike is too focused. It's not just the speed, but the size (small bikes don't go well with ... er ... larger riders), the comfort, the capacity to carry luggage (even a set of throw overs are a problem on most sports bikes) and the razor sharp handling. All of the above limit a sports bike to a track and/or sunny Sunday afternoon toy.
mikebradford said:
I'm always dissapointed that the UK doesn't seem to have taken onboard the European love for small bikes and mopeds.
Going into the larger European cities and seeing young couples on mopeds etc just seems sensible.
Not sure why the younger generation here hasn't embraced this, as it would likely lead to some trying larger engined bikes.
It's all very well but in most European countries it's not absolutely bladdering down with rain all the time - it's all very well looking at the idyllic vision set forth in manufacturers literature of a beautiful couple in some Italian city stopping at some trendy cafe, but the reality in the UK is pissing rain and wearing massive, bulky waterproofs and then (if you live in that London) coming back to find your bike has been nicked. I'd buy a car.Going into the larger European cities and seeing young couples on mopeds etc just seems sensible.
Not sure why the younger generation here hasn't embraced this, as it would likely lead to some trying larger engined bikes.
mike74 said:
Is the new bike market the same as the car market? i.e for ''sales'' read ''rentals''
Not really.PCP is becoming a bigger trend in bike sales (and, like with cars, is leading to increasing sticker prices as the monthly looks better then) and is used in around 50% of big-bike sales (over 300cc), but that is still a way off of the 80% of new cars that are cold on PCP. There are a few small bikes (125cc etc) that are available on PCP but most are traditional cash/loan purchases.
Most have already touched on the main reasons, but the biggest one for me is the price. I know you have to take inflation etc. into consideration but £15K -£17K for a litre bike seeems a ridiculous amount of money for something that does probably less that 4000 mile a year (in my case!).
Probably rose tinted glasses but I remember being in the Yamaha dealer in Newcastle when the 2009 R1 came out and that was around £8799 on the road. Has inflation really got to the point 8 years later where bike prices have almost doubled? Yes you are getting a lot more technology (anti wheelie / launch control etc), but do you really need / want it?
Probably rose tinted glasses but I remember being in the Yamaha dealer in Newcastle when the 2009 R1 came out and that was around £8799 on the road. Has inflation really got to the point 8 years later where bike prices have almost doubled? Yes you are getting a lot more technology (anti wheelie / launch control etc), but do you really need / want it?
I think there is another angle too.
When I started out (illegally) at 15 on my AP50 it was all about freedoms, being able to get about and have as little to do with your parents as possible. Bikes. and subsequently cars, were a laugh in addition to getting from one place to another. And what you did on the road wasn't as scrutinized or socially frowned upon as it is now (boring).
These days kids seem far happier in their cringeworthy Walton-esque families having their parents ferry them around, thereby freeing up more of their funds for whatever mobile phone they are cooing over or drink/other vanity items. All reinforced by the authorities having made driving or riding a predominantly joyless experience nowadays anyway. And also very expensive, as vanity or self-consciousness appears to prevent modern kids being happy with either a doggy car or bike like I was starting out.
The bike test hassle may potentially put some off, but I doubt I would have worried about that when all I was thinking about was a 50/125 to get away from home.
The insurance, on the other hand, probably plays a large disincentive. We had it much better with that too.
When I started out (illegally) at 15 on my AP50 it was all about freedoms, being able to get about and have as little to do with your parents as possible. Bikes. and subsequently cars, were a laugh in addition to getting from one place to another. And what you did on the road wasn't as scrutinized or socially frowned upon as it is now (boring).
These days kids seem far happier in their cringeworthy Walton-esque families having their parents ferry them around, thereby freeing up more of their funds for whatever mobile phone they are cooing over or drink/other vanity items. All reinforced by the authorities having made driving or riding a predominantly joyless experience nowadays anyway. And also very expensive, as vanity or self-consciousness appears to prevent modern kids being happy with either a doggy car or bike like I was starting out.
The bike test hassle may potentially put some off, but I doubt I would have worried about that when all I was thinking about was a 50/125 to get away from home.
The insurance, on the other hand, probably plays a large disincentive. We had it much better with that too.
STe_rsv4 said:
Most have already touched on the main reasons, but the biggest one for me is the price. I know you have to take inflation etc. into consideration but £15K -£17K for a litre bike seeems a ridiculous amount of money for something that does probably less that 4000 mile a year (in my case!).
Probably rose tinted glasses but I remember being in the Yamaha dealer in Newcastle when the 2009 R1 came out and that was around £8799 on the road. Has inflation really got to the point 8 years later where bike prices have almost doubled? Yes you are getting a lot more technology (anti wheelie / launch control etc), but do you really need / want it?
Mine was 10.5 k on the road march 1st 2009. Probably rose tinted glasses but I remember being in the Yamaha dealer in Newcastle when the 2009 R1 came out and that was around £8799 on the road. Has inflation really got to the point 8 years later where bike prices have almost doubled? Yes you are getting a lot more technology (anti wheelie / launch control etc), but do you really need / want it?
The alternatives are greater now, you must really want a bike to shell out the costs of the bike/kit/servicing/tyres for something that sees little use in our climate.
Those on here are already converted but to someone on the fence - £15k which buys a litre sports bike also buys quite an interesting 2nd car; alternatively, £15k extra on the budget of an only car takes you from a new 2.0TDI to something far nicer, can be used all year round & looks great on the drive.
Likewise young rider/driver, has either been bitten by a crap Chinese 125 or badly abused Japanese 125. See how cheap things like Corsas are, can be fixed by any local garage/father and can take friends to share fuel costs or girlfriends to share bodily fluids.
Those on here are already converted but to someone on the fence - £15k which buys a litre sports bike also buys quite an interesting 2nd car; alternatively, £15k extra on the budget of an only car takes you from a new 2.0TDI to something far nicer, can be used all year round & looks great on the drive.
Likewise young rider/driver, has either been bitten by a crap Chinese 125 or badly abused Japanese 125. See how cheap things like Corsas are, can be fixed by any local garage/father and can take friends to share fuel costs or girlfriends to share bodily fluids.
I do definitely agree that younger people have less interest In bikes nowadays. Im 18 and have been/racing riding bikes since I was 7. I've spoken to my dad and his friends about what riding bikes on the road was like when they were younger and they said you could get a large bike straight of the bat(don't know how long ago this was). Nowadays you have to go through so many tests to get a bigger bike that people don't bother and just get a car. its a hassle trying to get my mates to do their CBT as they 'already have a car so what's the point'.
papa3 said:
I spoke to a contact at Suzuki a few weeks back and they have a big issue with an increasing client age. Apparently the average Suzuki rider is 55 years old and this is not unique to them.
Young uns just don't appear to have the same interest in bikes anymore, disposable income is down and the chance of getting caught is up.
I don't think it's a lack of interest. I think it is the cost and complexity of getting a licence. I think the manufacturers need to lobby to make it more accessible.Young uns just don't appear to have the same interest in bikes anymore, disposable income is down and the chance of getting caught is up.
Also the days of the the cheap bike has gone, even old snotters are priced as future classics.
Look on eBay to see how many cg125s can be found for less than £1k.
- People do not have money to drop on toys as much anymore
- Our weather is horrendous for 9 months of the year
- Our roads are horrendous
- Our roads are to busy with traffic and street furniture
- Police are actively checking speed
- Social media and the stigma attached to biking is not good "your die on that" attitudes exist
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