A motorcycle industry crisis? Your thoughts

[McFatty1000]

You could always flatten a CBD and start again.....

Tried that. Not sure I enjoyed it so much really...

[jafar]

As you say - it depends on the vehicles. I have a $7.5k bike and a $7.5k car and the bike wins easy.

It's part of the reason I like the KLR. I'm well over the $300 back tyre routine. $180 for the set and it does 400km on a tankful. Fear the awesomeness DR plebs :-)

I wonder how a Vespa compares. The 300GT is a barrel of laughs too.

I'm well over the $300+ rear tyre routine as well, but there are a lot that still pay this & get horrible economy from them. Having said that I doubt they are buying them for the mileage factor

Like we are going to see your sorry arse on a vespa

[jafar]

Motorcycles in New Zealand fall into three categories:

1. Farm bikes - 4 wheelers. This is a huge market.

2. Scooters and commuters. Very popular.

3. Larger sprots/cruiser/adventure bikes. Lusted after by bystanders but only a few of us buy them.

The only way this will change is if cages become very expensive to buy and run. Which is actually possible if for example, cars were tolled $5 every time they used a different city motorway but bikes trucks and buses were free.

Scooters & commuters aren't very popular, I see very few of these during the course of a day. It is an area that the bike dealers/distributors could be looking at but for some reason they don't seem to have much interest in this area. Many don't even offer models that are scooters or commuters...

With luck the LAMS list will help, but it won't do much until the motorcycle industry market the advantages of the smaller machines. This takes MONEY & they as a group aren't spending in this area.

Why should the motorist have to pay a toll to use roads they have already paid for & continue to pay for via their rates, registration, fuel levies etc???

[spanner spinner]

Scooters & commuters aren't very popular, I see very few of these during the course of a day. It is an area that the bike dealers/distributors could be looking at but for some reason they don't seem to have much interest in this area. Many don't even offer models that are scooters or commuters...

With luck the LAMS list will help, but it won't do much until the motorcycle industry market the advantages of the smaller machines. This takes MONEY & they as a group aren't spending in this area.

Why should the motorist have to pay a toll to use roads they have already paid for & continue to pay for via their rates, registration, fuel levies etc???

The reason the importers don't bother with scooters is because they don't sell. Counties that have good uptake of scooters is due to either licencing (Italian, able to get a scooter licence at 14 up to 50cc when 16 up to 125cc any other licence wait till your 18) or cheep rego or road toll exemptions, none of which apply here.
In my experience in the industry scooters are mostly bought by people who then expect them to do stuff there not designed for. They want a moped for the cheep rego but then want to keep up with the open road traffic. When you suggest that they really need to buy the 125 they not interested because it costs to much to rego and then they would have to get a motorcycle licence, to much hassle. the buy the 50cc get pissed off when it wont keep up with the traffic and buy a car first chance they get. From then on all bikes are shit because they made the wrong decision based on costs set by LTNZ, easy way for the government to keep people off motorcycles (me cynical, no not at all.....)


as for "the motorcycle industry market the advantages of the smaller machines"NZ's don't buy small bikes, only in the last couple of years has Suzuki made any head way with small bikes with the GN125. Most people want the biggest bike there HP payment will fund them into. Good old supply and demand if there's no demand your not going to stock or promote it as it dead money. The 600's are much better bikes for most NZ roads and more than fast enough but the 1000's still out sell them, we are still stuck in the bigger is better mentality.


Why should the motorist have to pay a toll to use roads they have already paid for & continue to pay for via their rates, registration, fuel levies etc??? because the powers to be can do it and most people will use the new/existing road whinge about the cost but at the end of the day just pay up. Look at the northern motorway extension why should we pay but most road users do. To keep up with the growth of car traffic we need more roads but the funds aren't there to fund the growth any more. The biggest issue is the growth of car ownership in NZ in the last 30 years, we have gone from 1 car per family to multiple cars per family. Dads got one mums got one and the kids either have the old car when they get old enough to learn to drive (good excuse for dad to buy that 4X4 he really needs to drive 10k's down the motorway to work) or quickly buy there own once there at work. Normal mum dad and 2 kids soon have 4 cars.

[Ender EnZed]

Wiki:
Baby Boomers control over 80% of personal financial assets and more than 50% of discretionary spending power., July 2011 They are responsible for more than half of all consumer spending, buy 77% of all prescription drugs, 61% of OTC medication and 80% of all leisure travel.

Now, what's left of your economy when this lot retire over the next couple of years? I'd say you're fuckt.

Baby boomers are full of money. Every other industry has realized this and I still think it's ridiculous the extent that the motorcycle industry doesn't.

My old man could've dropped $20-40k on a bike in the last 5 years and he's walked into 2 dozen dealerships with me in the last 5 years but no one has actually tried to "sell him a bike". If a middle aged man goes anywhere near near a BMW or Audi dealership they'll be offering him a blowjob and all the foot massages he can handle before they even think about how much money he actually has. Bike shops simply don't seem to do this.

Which is surprising given that the most expensive motorcycle you can can buy in NZ costs no more than a mid range family saloon.

Don't get me wrong. I believe that if you walk walk into a motorcycle dealership with the intention to buy you will get treated well but there are a significant number of older dudes who don't intend to buy who simply aren't taken as seriously as they should be.

Motorcycles in New Zealand fall into three categories:

1. Farm bikes - 4 wheelers. This is a huge market.

2. Scooters and commuters. Very popular.

3. Larger sprots/cruiser/adventure bikes. Lusted after by bystanders but only a few of us buy them.

The only way this will change is if cages become very expensive to buy and run. Which is actually possible if for example, cars were tolled $5 every time they used a different city motorway but bikes trucks and buses were free.

Dunno about elsewhere but here $800 can get you a WOF'd & Reg'd four-door dunger.

You can carry a shitload of RTD lolly-water, K2 and willing slappers in one - and be warm.

Can't do the same with a motorbike - and it would cost way more to buy, rego etc.

Plus there will always be a sector of 40+ dudes who have always wanted to get into riding and that will then have the money to do it.

Not so sure - often they'll be parents of those wanting to get into bikes, and will help out in certain things - my parents have bought me a number of bits and pieces of gear etc that I wouldn't have afforded by myself. So its not a hard push to see a number of bikes being bought by Mum and Dad for their kids.

Its a cash flow thing; this group tend to have paid off their mortgage, have less expenses etc.

Not so sure - often they'll be parents of those wanting to get into bikes, and will help out in certain things - my parents have bought me a number of bits and pieces of gear etc that I wouldn't have afforded by myself. So its not a hard push to see a number of bikes being bought by Mum and Dad for their kids.

Its a cash flow thing; this group tend to have paid off their mortgage, have less expenses etc.

[Ender EnZed]

Motorcycles in New Zealand fall into three categories:

3. Larger sprots/cruiser/adventure bikes. Lusted after by bystanders but only a few of us buy them.

This is the current boom market.

Dunno about elsewhere but here $800 can get you a WOF'd & Reg'd four-door dunger.

You can carry a shitload of RTD lolly-water, K2 and willing slappers in one - and be warm.

Can't do the same with a motorbike - and it would cost way more to buy, rego etc.

I agree. Motorcycling is not cheap. NZ simply does not have a market for money saving 2 wheelers in the next 10 years. It'd be better for motorcycling if it did, but it doesn't.

Plus there will always be a sector of 40+ dudes who have always wanted to get into riding and that will then have the money to do it.

That's what matter to any economy. Money. It's old dudes who have it that matter, not young dudes who care.

Not so sure - often they'll be parents of those wanting to get into bikes, and will help out in certain things - my parents have bought me a number of bits and pieces of gear etc that I wouldn't have afforded by myself. So its not a hard push to see a number of bikes being bought by Mum and Dad for their kids.

Absolutely. I've put ~$14k of my own money into the NZ motorcycle industry in the last 12 months (maybe $20k in 3 years) and I wouldn't/couldn't have done this without my Dad getting me into motorcycling.


Car dealerships invariably know how to treat everyone who walks in as a potential $100k+ plus customer; relative to this it just doesn't feel worth the afternoon to look at any bike unless you've already made your mind up.

[rocketman1]

Check out Stuff for an article in the motoring or tech section I read the other day. it basically said that young people weren't into cars as much as they were when we were young as social interaction now is centred around screens rather than using the car as a means of socialising. The main car manufacturers were trying to blend social interaction with their cars.

I posted a few years ago about the lack of young fellas on bikes. I can't see any simple motivation to get them back - unless they had a ride on their dads/ uncles/ brothers bikes & caught the bug.

Maybe some have-a-go days put together by motorcycle groups in carparks/ open spaces with 250s may perk interest?

I think you got some pretty good advise in the replies i have read.
just to say that a good motorcycle movie, like Easyrider in the 70's has ahuge impact on the young.
Never been such an influential movie since, except maybe the worlds fastest injun, but that wasnt the type of bike of young people aspire too.
As said before a huge number of youngsters ride trail bikes and motox , i think alot of these youngers will shift to road once they get older, ie too soft to ride offroad.
.

[scumdog]

...like Easyrider in the 70's has ahuge impact on the young.
.

It certainly influenced me and got me going!

[Motu]

there are a significant number of older dudes who don't intend to buy who simply aren't taken as seriously as they should be.

I'm an older guy and one thing I fucking HATE !!! is walking into a dealership and having sleezball salesmen follow me around. I won't go back if they do that.

Easyrider and On Any Sunday - put me on the path I've been on ever since. There were also no helmets, good music and chicks didn't wear bras...if the beer was as good as it is now life would've been perfect.

[blue rider]

correct me if i missed it, but maybe you are just focusing to much on one gender.

there are now more female riders than ever i would venture to say, so maybe the market is just ignoring a quite important customer segment?

i own a European beauty and a lovely old Honda.....these where quite easy buy, but female friendly gear and service.......aaaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

horrible, horrible horrible.

so i would suggest to not only look at the bloke, but also the girls. it might make for interesting reading.