Millenials CAN Save the Motorcycle Industry

...it may just take some massive realignment by the industry.

When I was in first or second grade, I saw an ad similar to the title photo and it changed my life. I don't think I knew a single person who owned a motorcycle, let alone a 'Kawaski' (the Polish pronunciation), but I knew I wanted one. That same summer, my next door neighbors (you know the ones- Alice Cooper turned up to 11, beads in their doorway, a KISS mirror on the wall, incense going all the time- it was the 70s, after all) had a friend stay with them for a few days who owned a Honda 400. I sat on the curb in front of their house every day that bike was there. Memorized the tire tread. Burned myself on the hot pipes. Studied the levers and cables and tried to understand how it all worked. As I grew up, the memory didn't turn to passion, but it didn't fade, either. Fast forward about 30 years...

Like many people with kids, I started having motorcycle dreams. I'd wake up with the exhilaration that comes with riding a curvy road. The feeling of complete freedom. The quiet and calm that comes from the focus required to be one with the machine. The temporary respite from responsibility for everything but one's self. Could real life be as amazing as the dreams? I stumbled on Melissa Holbrook Pierson's excellent book, "The Perfect Vehicle: What it is About Motorcycles" while I was at the library with my kids, and the murmur became a wail. Two months later, I took the motorcycle safety class, and a few weeks and $1,200 dollars later, I had a Kawaski Vulcan 500 and full riding gear. I've had many life-changing, amazing experiences on that and my current bike, and in a digital world loaded with noise and distraction, a motorcycle is the ultimate statement of personal responsibility and an insistence on living life to the fullest.

Motorcycling is amazing! Life changing! So... why isn't everyone doing it?

Texting drivers are trying to kill us at every intersection. Boomers are aging out of the market, and supposedly, millenials are risk-averse, tend to live the life of a house cat, and have no disposable income because of their student loan debt. I call b.s. on all claims. My hypothesis:

1. Lack of imagination on the part of manufacturers and marketers
2. Far too costly

BMW and Audi did an incredible job updating their advertising and outreach to make their cars THE aspirational brands. I think BMW has since lost the plot, but the point is, they support the arts, they have great product placement, they really work to tie in the image of a sophisticated, active lifestyle, and they look great in the parking lot. Harley and Honda just market to motorcyclists. Um, hello- we already know about you, we already have strong opinions, and while effort needs to go into keeping the motorcycling mags that shill for you in business, your target market is largely covered. And have motorcycles. And by the way, some of us are getting old. Like, this is our last motorcycle old. We appreciate the effort, but it's not us you're after! Conquest sales stir the pot, but we need a bigger tent. I feel like Harley makes a good effort, but they're beholden to this weird segment of the country that just wallows in tradition. I'd recommend recurring ads in Cosmo, Cooking Light, and Women's Health. Women are 50% of the country, riding a motorcycle is hugely empowering, and the large majority of them have not experienced the amazing freedom that comes with two wheels. By the way, porcine bikes that weigh 800 pounds may not be the way to their hearts. Who wants the potential embarrassment and liability of dropping a behemoth? Bigger was better back in the 50s and 60s. Lithe and manageable? Yes, please. Finally- dudes will generally want to make sure they're man enough for your newly empowered women, bringing more males into the fold.

For the past several years, motorcycle makers have been building some phenomenal bikes. Phenomenal! It's not a lack of good product- again, I think it's a lack of education. People love social, instagram-friendly experiences. Turn a rider safety class into a destination weekend. Make it less intimidating and accessible. Celebrate the greatness that motorcycling brings to one's life! The people, the places, the views, the curves, the melding of mind and machine, blah, blah, blah. Compared to sitting on the couch watching reality TV, we can experience the real world at its most raw and thrilling. Don't even get me started on track days or advanced skills classes. This is one area of life that's actually better than the commercials- even when it's raining (if you're dressed for it).
 
Finally, the fun per dollar ratio is ridiculously out of whack. Twenty-five and thirty thousand dollar motorcycles? Puh-leeze! Put down the motorcycle magazine, go on Craigslist, and start shopping. As boomers age out of motorcycling, they're rolling out the red carpet to a potential new generation of riders. Most Americans barely dust off their bikes, riding a few thousand miles per year, creating a market of gorgeous, reliable, like-new cycles for a fraction of the price (never you mind, Harley- your moment is coming). Buy a very mildly banged up starter bike, and you may end up spending more on safety gear while owning a perfectly reliable, practically throw-away machine on which to learn the art and start the adventure.

Millenials- ignore the fat, old guys and the shackles of tradition. Downshift a gear or two and live the adventure. Life's short; live it!