Why dont Millennials buy motorcycles?

[fratzog lover]

Found this, thought it was funny.


Harley Davidson sales are in decline because Millenials are not buying them.
This could end up killing or diminishing Harley. This report spawned this "study based" list of reasons why millenials won't buy Harley. It has gone so viral I do not know where it came from. It is PERFECT.
The reasons for the slump in sales at HD are not President Trump's fault.


Apparently the Baby-Boomers all have motorcycles. Generation X is only buying a few, and the next generation isn't buying any at all.

A recent study was done to find out why Millennials don't ride motorcycles:

1. Pants won't pull up far enough for them to straddle the seat.

2. Can't get their phone to their ear with a helmet on.

3. Can't use 2 hands to eat while driving.

4. They don't get a trophy and a recognition plaque just for buying one.

5. Don't have enough muscle to hold the bike up when stopped.

6. Might have a bug hit them in the face and then they would need emergency care.

7. Motorcycles don't have air conditioning.

8. They can't afford one because they spent 12 years in college trying to get a degree in Humanities, Social Studies or Gender Studies for which no jobs are available.

9. They are allergic to fresh air.

10. Their pajamas get caught on the exhaust pipes.

11. They might get their hands dirty checking the oil.

12. The handle bars have buttons and levers and cannot be controlled by touch-screen.

13. You have to shift manually and use something called a clutch.

14. It's too hard to take selfies while riding.

15. They don't come with training wheels like their bicycles did.

16. Motorcycles don't have power steering or power brakes.

17. Their nose ring interferes with the face shield.

18. They would have to use leg muscle to back up.

19. When they stop, a light breeze might blow exhaust in their face.

20. It could rain on them and expose them to non-soft water.

21. It might scare their therapy dog, and then the dog would need therapy.

22. Can't get the motorcycle down the basement stairs of their parent's home.

 

[toolmanmike]

 

[SSVDP]

#1 Can’t text while riding

 

[R4Sedan]

That's good one

 

[George Jets]

Man is that ever Funny, Funny !

Unfortunately for Harley Davidson there is definitely a big change going on and it is not swinging in their favor. Not only are people not buying new motorcycles, a lot of people are not riding the ones they do have.

Was in Florida this Winter and there used to be a constant presence of bikes on the road especially during Bike Week pulling up next to the cars blipping their loud exhaust. Now this last Winter it has dropped off like 90% even during Bike Week. I find myself saying: where have all the motorcycles gone?

This seams really strange and have been trying to put my finger on the reason this is changing. Just thinking the older die hards are getting old enough that they just don't want to beat the elements anymore, and the millennial generation coming up just does not care about them.

I used to ride motorcycles between the age of 20 and 40 quite a bit, have ridden out to Sturgis SD on 3 separate occasions. It was such a good time, spending time with close friends socializing and riding, riding all the site seeing roads close to sturgis, meeting up with all kinds of people from all over the country, and that Huge Sturgis event in itself, cool built bikes and machines, the unique originals like the one they called the "Square Four". Then there was the local riding too around home. Never fit into the full blown biker category, but have done my share of riding.

Was such a good time . . Things change and Time changes things . . .

 

[furyus2]

Well, down here in Florida, they use bikes for target practice. It seems there's not a week that goes by, without someone getting killed on U.S. 19. Plus, a bike costs what a car used to. The bikes I see on the road now are those 2 wheeled Cadillacs with the stereo blasting some crappy oldies station. Also, there are alot of people riding 3 wheelers( converted bikes) ,or worse, 4 wheeled bikes. Yes, they are motorcycles with permanent training wheels. Sure takes the cool factor out of things.

 

[mbaird]

Ride mine every day between March and Nov.
Even to hockey 3 days a week.

 

[mbaird]

The reason young people arent riding Harleys is that they associate them with old guys and accountants/Dentists...
Just like Corvettes and Buicks...lol

 

[cosgig]

Not to mention that Dad’s are not teaching their kids how to ride motorcycles, Moms are afraid that Junior is going to get hurt, and so the problem compounds. At my house, we march to a different drum, my 15 year old son has been riding since he was a youngster, and was just sitting on the Harley, dreaming of riding it to school no doubt. He and I are doing the charity ride at Dragons Teeth next weekend, 303 turns in 11 miles. He’s stoked!

 

[mbaird]

I never wanted to ride a Harley until I rode one.

 

[abodyjoe]

The reason young people arent riding Harleys is that they associate them with old guys and accountants/Dentists...
Just like Corvettes and Buicks...lol

Bingo. Not to mention they are slow don’t handle and are too damn pricey.

 

[AJ/FormS]

Up here the cost of insuring one is the same as a cheap used car. So even if you can afford the buy in; first there's federal tax, then provincial, then insurance; and tell me again for what purpose did I buy this two-wheeled behemoth?
They used to be fun,cheap, and money-savers.
Now they're just expensive, moving targets. Toys for the richer than me, the more retired than me, and the wilder than me.

 

[cosgig]

True, Harley’s are expensive if you pay full retail and just walk in to the dealer and buy one. Everybody knows that Harley stuff is waaaay overpriced, however, great used bikes can be had for downright cheap prices. I paid $3800 out of pocket and did my Moms roof ( they bought the shingles) to buy my uncles Harley out of his estate. I ride because I love to ride, live in the country where riding is a pleasant experience, and the wife likes to ride with me. We don’t connect on Mopars, so finding something we can both enjoy together was worth every penny!

 

[cosgig]

Here’s a pic of my son riding one of his first solo trips on my mini bike “Old Blue”. Cutting his teeth for bigger things, I think he was 7 or 8 at the time!

 

[spl440]

True, Harley’s are expensive if you pay full retail and just walk in to the dealer and buy one. Everybody knows that Harley stuff is waaaay overpriced, however, great used bikes can be had for downright cheap prices. I paid $3800 out of pocket and did my Moms roof ( they bought the shingles) to buy my uncles Harley out of his estate. I ride because I love to ride, live in the country where riding is a pleasant experience, and the wife likes to ride with me. We don’t connect on Mopars, so finding something we can both enjoy together was worth every penny!

View attachment 1715332506

Hell, that bike matches my car!

 

[barbee6043]

My dad once told me, " Most all REAL men are DEAD, and he had not been feeling too well lately himself!"

I am 71 and bout every month I hear of one of my classmates that has died off.

 

[George Jets]

My dad once told me, " Most all REAL men are DEAD, and he had not been feeling too well lately himself!"

I am 71 and bout every month I hear of one of my classmates that has died off.

That's Funny

Yeah that age thing has us all on the run . . .

 

[cosgig]

Hell, that bike matches my car!

Of course, in true Uncle Donnie fashion, this is a 100th anniversary bike with a special 100th anniversary paint job that he probably paid waaay too much for. He was the king of chrome, and had to throw at least $5k extra at everything he owned to hoopty it up. He never rode this bike, don’t even know why he bought it. He hit a gator on his previous bike, lying in the middle of the road coming home from the casino late one night, and swore he’d never ride again. 6 months later he bought this bike.

 

[Princess Valiant]

Motorcycles are Male dominated like most motorsports.

Unlike cars they are not really friendly to a smaller female because unlike cars, you can't move a seat forward and add pedal extensions. They are heavy and hard to handle and dont come in downsized versions ( at least what I have seen)

Very fun but not very practical and pricey

 

[grimreaper]

I know a guy in Denver who had three Harleys he had accumulated over time. All three in immacualte condition. He rides one, his wife rides one and the other just sat and needed cleaning after he rode it about once a year so he decided to be a very nice grandfather and gave it to his grandson. The grandson sold it about three weeks after he got it and put the money down on a Tesla 3. Grandpa is NOT a happy biker!!! Before he gave it to hom they had gone on a few rides together and the kid told his grandpa how much fun he had. Then he gave him the bike and the first weekend they rode in the mounains together, the second weekend they rode in the foothills by Colo. Springs, the third weekend they rode to Estes Park, the fourth weekend it was gone,

 

[abodyjoe]

Motorcycles are Male dominated like most motorsports.

Unlike cars they are not really friendly to a smaller female because unlike cars, you can't move a seat forward and add pedal extensions. They are heavy and hard to handle and dont come in downsized versions ( at least what I have seen)

Very fun but not very practical and pricey

Tons of women around here on bikes. There’s all kinds of ways to make them lower and tons of different bars out there to make a bike fit about any size person. Most are pretty well balanced and are actually pretty light feeling when centered.

Hell Jamie has had Honda rebels, 1200 sportsters and now a 73 cb450. She is all of 5’3” tall. Lol

 

[AJ/FormS]

Ohhhhhhh, You said CB 450,lol
At least you didn't say Nighthawk.
I worked on a Rebel a couple of times
for a nice young lady. She was a 250, the bike I mean. Don't scratch the chrome. She did look good tho, and the girl wasn't half bad either.She was like a 9.5. But in a four and a half foot package.Those two were made for eachother.

 

[Unconventional]

Maxx the millenial

 

[Unconventional]

From just a wee bit of research. At the 700 & 750cc level HD's prices are very comparable to Honda. Even the little 883 Sportys are right in there $wise. Get up into the Soft Tails, things get pricey. I like their 750 Street models, sporty, not a lot of chrome. The only Glide that trips my trigger is the Sport Glide, same thing, little sporty and easy on the chrome and it's price is pretty reasonable in that category. The Kawasaki tourer that grabs me is $19K and that's close to Glide $. Yamaha has Sportsterlike bikes that are comparable to Sportster $. It's not just a $ thing. The used bike market is flooded with HDs. Polaris/Victory/Indian just made a major market shift also, eliminating Victory altogether and moving to Indian, and the Indians are very retro styled. They're all feeling the pinch.

 

[pishta]

They want Audi's now.