Author Topic: We are becoming an endangered species! (Read 6989 times)

slappy · « **on:** 22 July 2016, 04:05:21 pm »

Every time I go to somewhere that bikers tend to gather at, be it a show or cafe, they all seem to be as old or older than me. Other week at Fridaythorpe with a mate he commented on it then, and today I had an early morning run to the coast and called in again at Fridaythorpe on the way back at about 10.30am. There were about 10 bikes there and all the riders were of a mature age, I know there are younger riders out there but they seem to be few and far between, extinction seems to be looming.

BBROWN1664 · « **Reply #1 on:** 22 July 2016, 04:12:01 pm »

There are fewer and fewer young bikers now because of two things.

1. The changes to the law making it harder and harder to actually get a bike licence
2. more and more parents who have never ridden a bike that drum into their kids that bikes are dangerous.

Exupnut · « **Reply #2 on:** 22 July 2016, 04:21:08 pm »

......and then there's Christo

fazersharp · « **Reply #3 on:** 22 July 2016, 04:21:41 pm »

Quote from: slappy on 22 July 2016, 04:05:21 pm

today I had an early morning run to the coast and called in again at Fridaythorpe on the way back at about 10.30am. There were about 10 bikes there and all the riders were of a mature age,

Er maybe it has something to do with the fact it was 10.30 am on a Friday and all the young-uns are at work earning just enough money to pay for some petrol

Robbie8666 · « **Reply #4 on:** 25 July 2016, 11:26:42 am »

I was at Poole Bike Night last Tuesday and the age range was varied!

at a rough guess 1500 plus bikes & trikes

pillions from about 8 and riders I'd say from 18 up to 80+

admittedly the majority of Power rangers were mid 30's to early 50's but not exclusive to that age range
and the people I was chattin to were mid 20's to late 50's riding cruisers etc

again if you look at the age ranges at rallies that is a good indication of how wide spread it is!
agree at things like Rorkes Drift & OGRI rallies etc the age is in the higher end as a lot of Veterans attend but at Bulldog Bash there a huge age range again.

limax2 · « **Reply #5 on:** 25 July 2016, 11:52:34 am »

Quote from: slappy on 22 July 2016, 04:05:21 pm

Every time I go to somewhere that bikers tend to gather at, be it a show or cafe, they all seem to be as old or older than me.

Consider yourself lucky, when I go out they (nearly) all seem to be younger than me.

mtread · « **Reply #6 on:** 25 July 2016, 04:38:25 pm »

Quite a lot of youngsters room round here on 125s (not scooters). I always make a point of giving them a wave and chatting if I stop

joebloggs · « **Reply #7 on:** 26 July 2016, 06:45:14 pm »

I think bike price's don't help, 1 k gets you a very wide selection of cars, many bikes at that price will need good money spending on them, tyres, brake disc's, chain and sprockets a full service etc etc. If your on a budget and/or a new motorist, cars make more sense.

mickvp · « **Reply #8 on:** 26 July 2016, 07:55:30 pm »

I think the two main point from my POV have been addressed on this thread:

1. Most parents seem to think bikes are dangerous. I've just turned 30 but have had bikes since I was 16 and the amount of times my mates parents made comments about never letting their kids on a death trap was unreal. None of them bikers themselves mind

The other main one for me is the amount of hoops young ones needs to jump through to get into an proper bike these days. Unless you are 25 DAS is out the window and most people younger than that simply don't have the patience to wait 2 years on a smaller bike so it puts them off altogether. In today's instant gratification mindset a 2 year waiting time is no use to most. They should be focussing on teaching proper riding techniques and advanced instruction rather than pushing engine size limits onto people IMO, but that's another thread entirely.

I only know one guy out of my entire circle of friends and workmates that rides, it's grim.

Freck · « **Reply #9 on:** 26 July 2016, 08:11:10 pm »

Most of the younger generation that I know would be too worried about messing up their hair from wearing a helmet, or getting their hipster beards full of flies. And that's just the girls

Bloody limp wristed jessies!

hotmetal · « **Reply #10 on:** 27 July 2016, 08:50:18 am »

To be fair, the beardy hipsters are quite into their bikes. Especially if it's some shite courier bike from the 70s/80s that they've modded and restored. CX500 go for silly money amongst the pointy-shoes skinny jeans boys these days - full credit to them for actually caring about bikes and modding them, even though Hipster Central is the bike theft capital of the universe.

Overall I agree that it's the restrictions on getting a licence and the cost, plus constant anti-bike publicity from not just parents but the nanny state they grew up in.

BBROWN1664 · « **Reply #11 on:** 27 July 2016, 10:03:02 am »

When I was 16, way back in the dark ages, the moment the clock ticked past midnight and you became 16, you were roaring off your driveway on your 50cc moped (with gears) that you had spent the previous months/weeks drooling over in the garage. - Now, you have to wait for a week or two until your booking at the local CBT place.

When I was 16, your parents could insure the moped for pennies with "any rider" - Now, it costs a fortune and must be named riders.

When I was 16, there was a generation of parents who had ridden bikes themselves as bikes were cheap transport so had no issues with their kids riding bikes - Now, very few parents have ridden so just think bikes are dangerous

When I was 16, all the kids had done their cycling proficiency and knew the rules of the road, and actually cycled places, on the road - Now, they may have done it if their school could be bothered (my sons didn't) but they never cycle on the road so don't understand how traffic flows.

Dave48 · « **Reply #12 on:** 27 July 2016, 06:17:17 pm »

I couldnt agree more with the above views & opinions.
There is unfortunately a negative image that persists in todays society when, truth be told, motorcycling for many is a lifestyle choice & is not exactly cheap-a far cry from the "bad boy" ton-up rocker " image that the media liked to portray in years past.
Sadly the majority who regard motorcycling as a dangerous pursuit have never experienced actually riding a powered two-wheeler & the sense of freedom & exhilaration involved. Of course, we all know that statistically motorcyclists will always come off worse in an RTA, but we accept the greater risk & at the same time learn to develop a respect for the riding environment & become skilled in anticipation & other areas that enhance our enjoyment of motorcycling.
Unfortunately most car drivers cannot begin to appreciate what we have to learn & put into practice.
I see a whole generation of citizens glued to their electronic devices who appear to inhabit a different reality.
You can either cocoon yourself away or meet life with the attitude that "risk" can be very subjective & in the end no-one leaves here alive anyway so why not enjoy the journey?

Hedgetrimmer · « **Reply #13 on:** 27 July 2016, 11:02:04 pm »

I've been an endangered species ever since the first time I threw my leg over a bike

Millietant · « **Reply #14 on:** 28 July 2016, 07:53:32 am »

Quote from: BBROWN1664 on 27 July 2016, 10:03:02 am

When I was 16, way back in the dark ages, the moment the clock ticked past midnight and you became 16, you were roaring off your driveway on your 50cc moped (with gears) that you had spent the previous months/weeks drooling over in the garage. - Now, you have to wait for a week or two until your booking at the local CBT place.

When I was 16, your parents could insure the moped for pennies with "any rider" - Now, it costs a fortune and must be named riders.

When I was 16, there was a generation of parents who had ridden bikes themselves as bikes were cheap transport so had no issues with their kids riding bikes - Now, very few parents have ridden so just think bikes are dangerous

When I was 16, all the kids had done their cycling proficiency and knew the rules of the road, and actually cycled places, on the road - Now, they may have done it if their school could be bothered (my sons didn't) but they never cycle on the road so don't understand how traffic flows.

LOL BBB - my youngest was chomping at the bit for his 16th birthday to come around - he too had a "moped" (OK a 50cc bike with gears - 6 of them - and not restricted to 33mph) - nothing like this even existed in the 60's and 70's for us to ride. Just imagine how cool it would have been to sit on this at a set of traffic lights with your 16 y/o mates on their AP50's, FS1E's, SS50's, or even the exotica that were Puch's and Fantic's 😀

Millietant · « **Reply #15 on:** 28 July 2016, 08:03:47 am »

Both of our kids loved being on the bikes when they were younger (they were 14 and 9 in this pic from the Black Forest

Youngest is now 21 and he adores his Fazer 600, which he's had since passed his test (a month after his 17th birthday).

He didn't even mind riding around with the 33 bhp restrictors in (for 2 years) - which I totally understand. I can remember loving my Kawasaki 2 stroke triple and even on its best day it never made anything like the power, or torque, that the restricted Faer had.

Personally, I blame the parents these days for not getting kids into biking - the safety nazi's have convinced the majority of them that anything outside and/or fun, is dangerous - FFS, they're even trying to ban tackling in school-rugby cos it's too dangerous! and they're complaining about the dangers of foccing Pokemon Go !

What kind of world do we live in, Eh !!!!

BBROWN1664 · « **Reply #16 on:** 28 July 2016, 08:12:25 am »

My eldest is 21 and passed his test when he was 17. it was a couple of months before the rules changed so he too had the 33bhp limit for 2 years during which time he had a restricted ER5. Once the two years was up, he got himself a full fat FZS600.

the youngest turns 16 in November. With the approach of bad weather etc around then, he may get his CBT done in time for Christmas

and be able to get out on the road. That said, he is not as interested in bikes but still wants one.

crickleymal · « **Reply #17 on:** 28 July 2016, 09:48:30 am »

As people say, insurance and price and the hoops you have to jump through. It has always puzzled me how expensive secondhand bikes are compared with cars. It's not easy finding a sub £1k bike that isn't a piece of sh1te, yet you can buy umpteen cars for that price.

Dead Eye · « **Reply #18 on:** 28 July 2016, 11:07:40 pm »

Supply and demand is probably a big factor along with how dangerous a cheap bike can be (and feel) compared to a cheap car. In addition another factor is service items; tyres, suspension and brakes are much more expensive on cheap bikes than on cheap cars and have a significantly larger impact. Buying cheap things for your cheap car just to keep it on the road and get you to the shops isn't a great idea, but it will work. Doing the same on a bike is exponentially increasing the risk of a crash, injury or even death by comparison (opinion)

joebloggs · « **Reply #19 on:** 28 July 2016, 11:17:04 pm »

Quote from: Dead Eye on 28 July 2016, 11:07:40 pm

Supply and demand is probably a big factor along with how dangerous a cheap bike can be (and feel) compared to a cheap car. In addition another factor is service items; tyres, suspension and brakes are much more expensive on cheap bikes than on cheap cars and have a significantly larger impact. Buying cheap things for your cheap car just to keep it on the road and get you to the shops isn't a great idea, but it will work. Doing the same on a bike is exponentially increasing the risk of a crash, injury or even death by comparison (opinion)

You could argue that cheap parts for most cars are oe standard unlike bikes where cheap parts are just cheap.

fazersharp · « **Reply #20 on:** 29 July 2016, 12:20:24 pm »

In the news today is the media's demonisation of motorbikes as I have heard it reported a few times about a judo athlete having an horror motorbike accident in Vietnam on further reading it transpires that she was on the back of a motorbike taxi when her dress got caught in its wheel, no mention of helmet. Yet the headlines are motorbike crash.
May I just say good luck and speedy recovery for the girl.

I think we should do what (certain )others have done and hijack "aphobia" and throw it at anyone who says anything remotely disparaging about riding or bike or bikers

What we are seeing in the media is Motorbikeaphobia

taylor · « **Reply #21 on:** 29 July 2016, 09:54:12 pm »

these day,s most of them just steal our,s.

Slaninar · « **Reply #22 on:** 30 July 2016, 06:54:02 am »

Kids today are getting.... well, people in general - like idiots.

When I see them all packed in helmets (and sometimes elbow and knee protectors) when riding push bikes... Not being allowed to climb trees, run more outside etc... Motorcycles fall into (and that is true, sadly) more dangerous category.

Add hassle and expense to get and run a motorcycle...

Plus the money my first motorcycle cost is now the money for which kids want to buy a smartphone... must have a smartphone...

Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but how things have changed. Popular music:

Compare this - musicians, lyrics... the whole energy...

To this, which is nowadays "the music":

seangee · « **Reply #23 on:** 30 July 2016, 08:17:27 am »

Think it more us older ones that actually ride them. Spent the last few weeks test riding and the amount of new models and stock levels suggest they are selling bikes to someone. Always fascinates me how many (younger) people come up to admire mine in the work car park and start telling me about their bike. When I ask where it is they assure me it only gets used on sunny weekends and does 200 - 400 miles PER YEAR

Skippernick · « **Reply #24 on:** 30 July 2016, 01:59:56 pm »

Well just got back from Calne Bike day, and i was surprised at the amount of younger people, teenagers really and a lot of them were girls which is good.