Interesting Article on Motorcycle Sales in US

[CA Railwhale]

wisdom

Owning an RV isn't about saving money on hotel rooms. It's more about a lifestyle that either appeals to you or doesn't. People don't buy sailboats or touring motorcycles for that matter to solve a cost of transportation problem and if they do they are quickly abused of that notion.

Sailors say owning a sailboat is like standing in a cold shower throwing $100 bills out the window. nojoke

As a long-time sailor and racer, I can say that you have to be a masochist to own a boat. Boats are a hole in the water that you throw money into, in fact the acronym BOAT means Break Out Another Thousand. That doesn't mean that I don't love sailing and racing sailboats, but it's always nice to come home to a dry and warm house.

 

[johnsimion]

I have never owned an RV but many of my friends and family have or still are "roaders".
Besides the money end of it I find stress being the number one factor they dump their RVs. (lots of mechanical issues develop)
Yes they are fun but anything fun comes with a price tag.
I was looking into buying a small 8x12 trailer, putting in vents, windows and a cot.
I can haul my bike to an RV campground, push it out and ride then stay inside my "non-leaky" trailer.
Its cheap, lite to haul and solves many issues.

I live in a community that offers RV parking. I am sure there are people who use and enjoy them, but my neighbors all seem to have bought them as lawn ornaments. The next door neighbor has one that's 42' long. He bought it brand new three years ago and it's been out of his yard exactly eight (8) days since then. It hasn't moved at all in the last year. From walking around in the neighborhood, he's the rule, not the exception. There's one guy who has a nice long trailer RV and I see him take it out sometimes with motorcycles and ATVs. Otherwise, I never see any of the rest of them ever move! I have no idea why you'd pay big money for something like that and then not even use it.

 

[Docster]

Going to the big Timonium Bike Show in Baltimore next week. There's usually industry types there discussing trends and MC riding and its economic future. Hope to hear some interesting things.

 

[RinconRyder]

I live in a community that offers RV parking. I am sure there are people who use and enjoy them, but my neighbors all seem to have bought them as lawn ornaments. The next door neighbor has one that's 42' long. He bought it brand new three years ago and it's been out of his yard exactly eight (8) days since then. It hasn't moved at all in the last year. From walking around in the neighborhood, he's the rule, not the exception. There's one guy who has a nice long trailer RV and I see him take it out sometimes with motorcycles and ATVs. Otherwise, I never see any of the rest of them ever move! I have no idea why you'd pay big money for something like that and then not even use it.

That isn't uncommon. There are a few motor homes in my neighborhood that haven't ever moved either. They park under fancy big tents to keep the sun off. But I understand.....

RV's are not fun to drive even with all the plushiest accouterments. And especially in rural two-lane mountain highways. One or two trips and the thrill is gone. After that, the only thing they offer is a tax deduction for a 2nd home. That saves some of the pain but nothing compared to the cost of a new unit. They are also prone to continual maintenance because, at least in my experience, things break virtually every time out. People may also underestimate the cost of fuel as the typical MH gets between 5-8 MPG on gas and just a bit better on diesel. I probably know more people who rent a motor home out for the holidays when guests are in town.

 

[F650624]

Motorcycle Sales

Triumph's sales were UP 11.1% in 2017. Also, scooter and moped sales are up. Perhaps the next generation of riders has figured out that in order to tour, the motorcycle doesn't have to weigh so much that it either takes two people to get it away from the curb (or have reverse), and it doesn't have to out accelerate an F-16 on afterburner to have fun. Oh yeah; fun, for those of you a little north of Texas I did go for a ryde today. :yes:

 

[gnorthern]

The article kept referencing "heavyweight" motorcycles. I wonder how much of this down turn can be attributed to the Spyder? I would think the target market for heavyweight cruisers would be older people with extra discretionary money to spend. Using these big bikes for day trips and longer trips. The Spyder just makes sense for many of us older folks compared to the physical requirements of handling a heavy cruiser.

I would hope some of it. Since motorcycle sales have been slowly increasing since 2011, and Harley Davidson sales have been going down, other motorcycles have to be taking their place. But I suspect bulk of it is people are buying cheaper Japanese motorcycles.

 

[gnorthern]

That isn't uncommon. There are a few motor homes in my neighborhood that haven't ever moved either. They park under fancy big tents to keep the sun off. But I understand.....

RV's are not fun to drive even with all the plushiest accouterments. And especially in rural two-lane mountain highways. One or two trips and the thrill is gone. After that, the only thing they offer is a tax deduction for a 2nd home. That saves some of the pain but nothing compared to the cost of a new unit. They are also prone to continual maintenance because, at least in my experience, things break virtually every time out. People may also underestimate the cost of fuel as the typical MH gets between 5-8 MPG on gas and just a bit better on diesel. I probably know more people who rent a motor home out for the holidays when guests are in town.

I agree. I am so glad I rented an RV as an experiment. I thought they would be so cool. I was only out the cost of a trailer hitch and brake controller.