Launching A Movement

[burlyjack]

I read an article published by Forbes I believe it was, I was doing a research paper for my marketing class. It was over Harley's current market and how they're struggling to reach the younger generations. It mentioned how younger people are altogether uninterested in motorcycling. I'd like to launch some sort of trendy hashtagery thing about getting out and riding. Thinking of calling it #goar (get out and ride) encouraging people to get interested in the motorcycle culture.

The benefits of it are more people pushing for motorcyclists rights, more people riding fuel efficient vehicles, and more young people getting involved in a healthy activity. The downside is, I suck at social media stuff lol. Plus, even though I'm 23 I'm definitely not a trendy person. Is this something that we, as a community, could get behind? If so, how would we make it work?

 

[lupin]

Well if your current president gets his way Harley's will be the only bikes worth buying in your country.

I think your idea could work however without some trendy famous person to get behind it your going to struggle.

So once you get it all setup up, it's time to get onto the most trendy hardcore biker there is for some help. Keanu Reeves.

 

[HippoDrone]

I think Harley are sooooo far behind the curve with motorcycle design that they are confusing younger folk not wanting overpriced and bad porforming heavy bikes with poor fuel efficiency for them not being interested in bikes at all.
Biking has changed over the years but Harley Davidson hasn't.

 

[burlyjack]

Well if your current president gets his way Harley's will be the only bikes worth buying in your country.

I think your idea could work however without some trendy famous person to get behind it your going to struggle.

So once you get it all setup up, it's time to get onto the most trendy hardcore biker there is for some help. Keanu Reeves.

Supposedly he's really on board for stuff like that. I would suppose there has to be quite a following already established before it even really catches his attention though.

 

[burlyjack]

I think Harley are sooooo far behind the curve with motorcycle design that they are confusing younger folk not wanting overpriced and bad porforming heavy bikes with poor fuel efficiency for them not being interested in bikes at all.
Biking has changed over the years but Harley Davidson hasn't.

Not a fan of Harley I take it? Lol. The market study for bike interest was independent from Harley. I wish I could find it again. The trend for Harley has stopped quite a bit, I suppose it's because Sons of Anarchy isn't airing anymore and people don't want to be "badass bikers" anymore. I've also noticed the custom built sporty frame is really making a huge comeback in the cruiser scene. I suppose these cool guys could get behind a movement like this. Cycle source magazine seems to follow trends like this.

 

[lupin]

What H-D needed to do was keep Roland Sands. Guy is huge with the hipster scene, and that's where the real money lies now.

 

[HippoDrone]

Not a fan of Harley I take it? Lol. The market study for bike interest was independent from Harley. I wish I could find it again. The trend for Harley has stopped quite a bit, I suppose it's because Sons of Anarchy isn't airing anymore and people don't want to be "badass bikers" anymore. I've also noticed the custom built sporty frame is really making a huge comeback in the cruiser scene. I suppose these cool guys could get behind a movement like this. Cycle source magazine seems to follow trends like this.

I actually really like some of the HD bikes but they don't comply to Euro4 so are unavailable as "new" bikes in the UK.... I very nearly got myself a Low Rider S recently and previously test rode a 48 which was a fantastic bike. But there is no denying they are all out dated overweight underpowered and badly sprung and braked bikes.... HD need to get into the decade we are now in, learn to make their bikes work and work well and be lighter and nimbler.

 

[burlyjack]

I actually really like some of the HD bikes but they don't comply to Euro4 so are unavailable as "new" bikes in the UK.... I very nearly got myself a Low Rider S recently and previously test rode a 48 which was a fantastic bike. But there is no denying they are all out dated overweight underpowered and badly sprung and braked bikes.... HD need to get into the decade we are now in, learn to make their bikes work and work well and be lighter and nimbler.

I've only ridden one HD, but you're right the suspension sucks. As far as the tech goes I could care less. Personally, I stray away from bikes that are all teched out with infotainment systems and blah blah blah.. To me the bikes like the heritage or the dyna have an old school hotrod vibe. Back in the day seeing the engine and all its glory was a cool thing to look at, whereas on new cars and some bikes it's all covered in plastic shrouds. Then under that is a nasty birdsnest of wires. I suppose it really just depends on what you're looking for. I rather like how simple the HD's are and eventually plan hope to get a Softail Classic, baby blue and pearly white .

As far as performance goes what are you comparing them too? I've really only been on Harley's and Honda's (what a mix huh) I can say I get my ass handed to me on my Honda by these newer Roadglides and wideglides.

 

[burlyjack]

Oh and I've been on an Indian Chieftain and geez you talk about a heavy bike. That thing almost needs power steering or something lol.

 

[HippoDrone]

Am comparing them to pretty much every other bike I have ridden in recent years. I get they are cruisers so top speed isn't a high priority but Ducati make large cc v-twins go pretty quick and Triumph made a fantastic cruiser.... the Rocket 3, which was comfy, fast and had good enough handling to be thrown around Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

 

[burlyjack]

Am comparing them to pretty much every other bike I have ridden in recent years. I get they are cruisers so top speed isn't a high priority but Ducati make large cc v-twins go pretty quick and Triumph made a fantastic cruiser.... the Rocket 3, which was comfy, fast and had good enough handling to be thrown around Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

Okay, I figured you weren't comparing them to 1000cc + racing bikes, that seems to be what most people like to compare them with lol. Haven't ridden a triumph although they have some sweet looking bikes. I really like the Victory bikes. It's a shame Polaris closed it down.

Anyhow, back on topic. How would one go about starting this? Just start adding pictures with that hashtag to Instagram and Twitter or whatnot? Obviously the pictures would have to be enticing to the younger generation. I've had a couple friends tell me they were inspired to get a bike from my Facebook posts on my personal page . These type of social media followings just seem to pop up overnight and magically have over 10k followers and I never see how they start up or where they started from. Obviously I can't doing it alone so I would need help from the awesome community here

 

[burlyjack]

What H-D needed to do was keep Roland Sands. Guy is huge with the hipster scene, and that's where the real money lies now.

I had to look him up, never heard of him. That guy definitely has hipster written all over him

 

[dandoolittle]

One issue is the market as such

Who's the audience? A biker or someone wanting to ride but doesn't have a licence?

In the UK, the younger riders are restricted on what bikes they can ride. One Harley can be ridden on that licence but I've forgotten which one that it, old flat mate had one..... hipster

It's like when you're on a 125 and planning to get a proper licence/bike.... you wouldn't spend loads of a first shitter bike so you wait it out

 

[burlyjack]

It's not really about getting people on a Harley, the way I see it is it doesn't matter what you ride, it's just that you ride. The article was just about Harley's declining trend in their market. The author of the article also wrote about the general decline in demand all across the board for motorcycles. Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, all of them are supposedly seeing a decline in sales in the US. The audience should be youth (18 and below in the states is considered youth).

Every state here has different Moto laws but in Oklahoma you can get the motorcycle endorsement as young as 15. However riders must be accompanied by a licensed rider over 21 and they can't be on anything larger than 300cc. Once they reach 16 they can ride on their own. You have to train them while they're young .

A benefit I was thinking about the other day is if the general market for motorcycles increases that should drive new R&D in all things motorcycle related. If you look at the trends, motorcycling had a huge trend surge about the time Sons of Anarchy got really popular. The two could be unrelated but I think it's just kind of ironic. As a result of this, a wave of new accessories and gear seemed to follow with that trend. The design of metric cruisers seemed to really change more into big comfy highway rollers (just look at how much the Goldwing changed ) and the more sporty cruisers took on a more high performance bit.

Keep in mind most of these points pertain to the US market. Other countries may be entirely different. I personally would like to change the perception in the US about motorcycles just being a toy instead of an actual mode of transportation. It truly boggles my mind about how many people don't believe me that my bike is my main mode of transportation. Rain, snow, or shine, I ride all the time.

It's not even about getting on a cruiser to me, that's just what I like and what I ride so that's what I think and read about. I mean there's a huge, diverse line up of bikes out there. We just have to encourage them to find what they like to do. Also, drive unity as a point. Someone on a cruiser can still ride with some on a sports bike and etc. We're all a community here to help each other grow and learn.

 

[scooterwuf]

I think the main problem H-D has isn't so much that their product is dated -- which it is, but it's an image problem. Harley riders have such a bad reputation to begin with. Add that to the cliché image that's associated with them -- the old and tired logo design, the denim sleeveless jacket look, and the anti-estaablsihemt vibe that translates (though this isn't true for all Harley riders) into no gear -- helmet-less, jacket-less, with loud pipes that piss more people off than impresses them. That's more of the perceived image than the reality of Harley riders.

I think this perception is a turn off to the new generation of potential riders. Sports bikes may have more of a lure, or a café racer for more of the hipster crowd. Cost, and sustainability are other factors. If a bike doesn't offer better gas milage than a car, and then has nothing more to offer -- cargo space, or ease of use, than it's going to be a hard 'no' for a potential buyer.

Overall riding has suffered from a HUGE lack of any kind of marketing campaign, one that would capture
the love, style and thrill of riding. A lot of people are amazed on how far one can go, how inexpensive (depending on your bike and brand) it is, and how convenient it is to ride, park and maneuver through traffic. We're also living in the internet/Youtube age where there are countless videos on crashes, both fatal and cringeworthy, that may serve to steer people away from riding than lure them in.

Regardless, I think there will always be those who will be attracted to riding and inspired to do so through different sources and means. I've never watched Sons of Anarchy, not because I don't have cable (I don't) but because that rebel/bad boy outlaw image never did anything for me. I never wanted to emulate it. It's not who I want to be associated with as a rider.

- Wuf

 

[lupin]

When like most of the population of the planet, and don't live in the USA, you see two types of riders over there.

1. Cruiser bro on a harley or something similar.
2. Street bike racer bro on a street bike stunt bike rising in a huge pack.

The real questions is how much are motorcycle sales down in the USA. Over here the sales people will have you believe it's terrible, yet there was a 6% growth in sales last year.

I think if you want a movement it doesn't need to be about getting new riders into it, it needs to be about getting old riders back into it and becoming more social.

 

[lupin]

Someone on a cruiser can still ride with some on a sports bike and etc.

Well till the first corner at least

 

[burlyjack]

Well till the first corner at least

True lol

 

[burlyjack]

When like most of the population of the planet, and don't live in the USA, you see two types of riders over there.

1. Cruiser bro on a harley or something similar.
2. Street bike racer bro on a street bike stunt bike rising in a huge pack.

The real questions is how much are motorcycle sales down in the USA. Over here the sales people will have you believe it's terrible, yet there was a 6% growth in sales last year.

I think if you want a movement it doesn't need to be about getting new riders into it, it needs to be about getting old riders back into it and becoming more social.

I'll have to look again when i get home. Im going to try and pull my research paper back up. I want to say they said general motorcycle sales declined by 3% over the past few years, which rahter significant given the recent surge in popularity. Also the forecast trend was declining, but then again, financial forecasts can always be wrong. I remember writing in the paper about how I believe the trend in the next 5 years will be people wanting to hand build their own bikes once again, and not necessarily buy a manufactured bike. At least in the "cool" hipster scene anyway

 

[lupin]

Sounds like you need to find out how many people are getting their licences as well.