Why were the 70s and 80s so good?

[crash harry]

We keep hearing from the motorcycle press that there is a real upturn in the market - new bike regos are way up on last year, and last year was way up on the year before. Great. Good. I'm glad to hear that. So I got to looking on the LTSA statistics page, (linky) and I was quite surprised to find that apparently the heyday of NZ motorcycling was during the period 1971 to 1989, if new bike regos are anything to go by.

I've grabbed the data off their site and graphed it, but seeing as how I'm too young to remember, any of the older site members (or more eduacted younger ones!) have any insights into why the numbers look like they do?

I mean, the bike industry thinks it's doing pretty well right now, and 7654 new regos in 2005 ain't bad, but that number was 29957 in 1980...

It doesnt really matter I guess, I'm just interested that's all.

[Steam]

I don't know why regos shot up in about 1970, but the boom times ended because imports of cheap Japanese used cars made car prices cheap enough so normal people could afford one instead of a motorcycle.

[crash harry]

You're probably right.

Damn, I was hoping there was a more interesting reason...

[Steam]

Don't give up on an interesting answer too soon, there's still the question of why it shot up in about 1970. Hey you old fellas!

[What?]

The economy was on a real high circa 1970. Jobs were plentiful and new bikes were easily available (whereas new cars were not, and cheap imports were 20 years into the future). Bikes were also fun-filled things back then; the humble 67 horsepower developed by the CB750 engine was more than its chassis or tyres could cope with. I doubt many people bought them for the inferior handling, but 67hp was pretty heady stuff 37 years ago.

[merv]

The Japs had a lot to do with it being able to bring good machines to the shops at reasonable prices and we were living in those free easy times where fun came first. I guess there had been hard times worrying about Britain joining the EEC in the 60's but by 1970 NZ seemed to be on a bit of a boom and it stayed like that for just a few years until the first oil crisis of '74. We were so horrified when a gallon of gas hit $1 in 1975.

The second oil crisis came in '79 and things were tough but that probably helped push bike sales because they drank less gas. By '89 it all fizzled because the country seemed to have more wealthy people, sharemarket crash included, the Jap import cars came in - a bit of PC stuff hit over drivers licences/motorbike licences making it hard to ride a bike compared to the '70's, so now a young guy with money wasn't drooling over a T250 Hustler, but a Turbo Skyline babe magnet, beer transport. Is that how it works?

Let alone cost of insurance, tough policing and all that stuff huh. The other thing for me in the '70's was the boom in trail bikes - we all wanted to try it - land was open access and it was fun. So back then all the dirt bikes just about were registered too adding to the high sales figures. For year on year there for a while in the 80's the XR200R was the top selling model like the SL125 etc had been before in the 70's. Now most dirt bikes don't even hit the rego figures and also the advent of four wheelers took over many sales of dirt bikes (and tractors too) which even the farm kid might have had registered to ride to school on - not these days.

[Oakie]

The reason for the upturn in the 70s would be the arrival on the market of Japanese bikes ... not so much the big bikes but the wee commuter types ...Honda 90s, Suzuki 50s, and Yamaha 50s. Of course many of those people went on to buy bigger bikes blah blah blah.The whole image of bikes softened with the advent of these 'friendly' bikes so it wasn't an anti-social thing to do anymore ... to ride a bike.
I guess there was also the petrol shock when the price of petrol skyrocketed (to probably about a third of what it is today) but I think that was closer to the 80s than 70s.

[degrom]

It's also interesting that bikes in that time period is still lasting and highly in demand. The ancient people living then must have known something we don't... (Return on investment's... Bikes!!! L.O.L.)

I think those days was still part of the pioneering days. Where people use to make there own improvements on bikes and could actually see a deference in performance or handling.

Today things are going to easy. People get rich for nothing other starve to death. Bikes go all the way up to 300km/h and when it brakes you get a new one.

I ask you,how many people borne in the 90's will still be able to fix a car/bike compared to the "ancient people"...

[imdying]

Oil crisis in the seventies?

[Dai]

Oil crisis in the seventies?

Early 70's. OPEC started playing with the price of crude oil.

US brought in the 55mph limit.

Petrol queues everywhere.

[terbang]

Japanese motorcycles arrived here causing the increase..! Changes to legislation stimulating a changing public perception brought upon the decrease..

[Dai]

In those days Symonds Street in Auckland was known as "motorcycle mile"

hundreds of bike of all sizes and styles parked there by uni students.

[FilthyLuka]

I ask you,how many people borne in the 90's will still be able to fix a car/bike compared to the "ancient people"...

i do all the maintanance and work on my bike and a couple cars... i was born in 1991 too

[rwh]

I mean, the bike industry thinks it's doing pretty well right now, and 7654 new regos in 2005 ain't bad, but that number was 29957 in 1980...

Did carless days apply to bikes?

Richard

[Bonez]

Japanese motorcycles..!

Reliable Japanese motocycles. Improvements in sales and support. And us baby boomers of obviously. Bought four spankers bikes in a five year period in the early 80s. Quite happy with other folks cast offs now.

I'd refer myself as being "post classic" than ancient btw. Has a nice ring to it........