Motorcycle riders age. Is it increasing?

[Shinyribs]

I think one of the reasons that forums are dying out is that like you many people are going phone only. I access forums both through my phone as well as a computer with a pretty large screen. The experience is 1000% better on the computer. First, a lot of information doesn't show up on a phone. The big thing however is that pics and vidoes just aren't the same on the tiny screen of a phone. I guess it depends on what you come to a forum for. I recently watched some of Ridefreak 's videos which have some great music in them. I put them on the big screen and put on my headphones and enjoyed.

I know I can show videos from my phone on my TV but I rarely do that.

Only reason I still own a computer is if I need to print something. As soon as I figure out how to get the phone to talk to the printer I can let the old laptop die off 😁

I Bluetooth everything off the phone. Don't mess with videos much. I'll let a documentary play in the background when I'm in the shop or cooking. Not in the house much and haven't really turned on a TV in about 10 years.

 

[blue72beetle]

This is all just my opinion, but I think it's not just about motorcycles. It's "did you grow up with the internet". I'm 39, probably among the last generation of people that played outside, rode my bicycle all over town until the streetlights came on, etc. I didn't use the internet until college, around the turn of the century. Ever since then it's been a big part of my life but I have no problem turning off and going and doing my own thing in the real world.

I recently gained a step son, 17 years old. His whole life has been with the internet. And all he really cares about is online video games. I'm working hard to undo that.

I think the arrival of the internet has created a huge culture divide, probably bigger than most things in history. And this affects anything not internet related. Motorcycles, old cars, ham radios, etc.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I fully agree with the young people pissing the money away on different things. New phones every year, phone plan, fashion clothing, subscriptions to 5 different TV channels, frequent eat out or takeaways, coffee from places like Starbucks, etc. No wonder they don't have any left for motorcycles.
I believe that on top of the costs of bike and gear, the difficulties and expense in getting a license also plays a large part (there are places are not that bad, but others are way too difficult). And the perceived risk.

I 100% agree.

That said, in the US it is ridiculously easy to get a license. Insurance can be pretty high though.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I think part of the reason younger kids are not (yet) into motorcycles is the pretty strong jump in electric bikes and scooters. They are pretty cheap, no insurance, no gas, plug it into your mom's power, etc. Still two wheels and fun, but low economic impact. A large chunk of the population lives in cities where bikes and scooters make a lot of sense.

As for the forums dying, this has been a trend for some time. It is a shame too because forums are a lot easier to post and store information. I am pretty big into FB, but I get really tired of the same question being posted 2-3 times a day, and searching FB is a PITA. Forums are, IMHO, much better organized and useful.

 

[south east okie]

I started lurking on the gs boxer page on the "other site" about 2005. Got a ton of info about the '96 1100gs I had just bought, it was my 1st FI bike.

Reading what JVB,steptoe , GSAddict, Jim Moore ,Paul Burton, lewisjr1 and many more really helped me. I joined in 2020 and started asking those guys questions, and haven't stopped with the questions