What is the future of Motorcycling we wonder
Is motorcycling declining? Figures are falling, are the riding public losing interest?
Lucy England
If you are paying attention to, and are involved in, the world of motorcycling, is the future looking dark to you? Dealers are closing down hand over fist, and unprecedented number in 2024 in fact. The price of new bikes is through the roof, insurance is sky high and the roads are pitted with potholes and resemble cart tracks. This is to name but a few hazards which are here already, or are coming down the road for today’s motorcyclists.
Overall, the UK Government doesn’t seem to particularly like motorcyclists, and does little to help them, not apparently noticing any of the benefits of motorcycling to the general traffic systems of this country. Motorcycles keep the traffic flowing by filtering and don’t contribute to traffic jams, thus helping air pollution and congestion. But councils historically haven’t helped them in return, and the proposal to open all bus lanes across the country to motorcyclists, for example, has been turned down, leaving it to the discretion of individual local councils. This has created a confusing picture which is increasingly difficult for motorcyclists, who never know if they are allowed in the bus lanes or not. Here, where we are in Brighton, the council now appears to have closed some of the bus lanes which were open to motorcyclists and made them only legal for taxis, buses and cyclists. Why? Delivery riders on motorcycles and scooters work very hard in dangerous traffic, why should they be excluded from bus lanes? Cyclists here are frequently recreational, while motorcyclists are often commuting to work or delivering goods through congested traffic. Bus lanes are designed to allow buses to travel when there are traffic jams in the normal traffic lanes. Motorcycles don't block bus lanes and are much safer in them so why shouldn't they use them? It seems discriminatory and prejudiced against motorcyclists and perhaps designed to make them feel like pariahs who are swimming against the tide. But perhaps it is in the nature of motorcyclists to be outliers.
By 2035 the combustion engine is now destined for the scrap heap and there are various measures in place to force the issue. There are moves afoot to reduce the size of fuel tanks, so that journeys made using petrol have to be shorter. How is this looking for motorcyclists and any potential move to electric machines? Well it seems that not many people really want electric motorcycles at the moment. Most of the major motorcycle manufacturers have made tentative forays into the world of electric motorcycles and then hastily reversed out of that particular minefield. It would seem that folks are not keen, for whatever reason, and don’t seem to want to buy them. Will this change in the future? Well who knows, time will tell.
However it is difficult to gain a real picture of the motorcycle market at the moment. The sale of new and used bikes was distorted by a glut of registrations in the UK and Europe at the end of 2024, and the wars around the world, plus Trump’s tariffs - or not - are totally confusing the market and weirding out the picture.
Granted motorcycling is not as big as it was in the 1980s and 1990s, the hey day of despatch riders and commuters and riders who just rode for the fun and freedom of it. But it is by no means dead, just perhaps less likely to arrive at main dealers. Most people now buy their motorcycles from Facebook or off Ebay and get their motorcycle parts and kit from online retailers like Wemoto, rather than main dealers.
However, despite appearances, motorcycle sales are only really a little bit down – it’s just that what is actually selling is changing. Smaller capacity bikes are now selling more than larger ones. 125 – 500 CC are flying off the shelves faster than 1000cc upwards machines. The question is why? Are the older riders, keen erstwhile motorcyclists now still riding, but deciding that it is easier to manage smaller bikes which are also cheaper to insure and run. There’s no denying that times are hard out there and most folks are having to tighten their belts, but dyed in the wool motorcyclists of yore don’t want to give up their fun on two wheels so are finding ways to compromise and keep riding, but just trying to do it more affordably? This could be one explanation?
There are some signs that, unlike Fraser’s predictions, we are not all doomed. It could perhaps be that the world is changing in its tracks. Chinese motorcycle companies who were dipping their toes in US waters will perhaps now have to do a volte face and head to Europe to find good new markets.
So we shall see – will new healthy motorcycle markets - even electric ones - grow up everywhere instead of US market dominance, and strengthen other countries motorcycle, and other industries?
The ironic, supposedly Chinese curse - ‘May you live in interesting times’ could certainly be said to apply to today, as it is supposed to be ironic and really means times of flux, trouble and strife. What will emerge from this crucible in the motorcycle world?
Let us know your thoughts about the current world and outlook for motorcycles, at [email protected] or on Facebook.
EN
TH
UK