[NCDave]

Happened to be watching a bike show last night...that one with the stunters on it. They mentioned to emergence of sport bike riders as being the latest industry trend and the slow-down of cruisers. Basically implying that sporties are the next "cruiser" market that the industry is focused on.

Anyone with any industry knowledge have any thoughts as to where things are going?

 

[Thmastr]

I have a hard time believing that. while I did not see the show, i don't think that the sportbike sector will ever replace the cruiser sector as far as aftermarket products are concerned, or numbers of motorcycles on the road (they will not dominate like the cruisers have done in the past).

I think they are pretty close to being equal though. Atleast in this area, sportbikes and cruisers are quite even as far as numbers are concerned, and the aftermarket products available for sportbikes (although a bit limmited) is certainly quite broad, and I think quite a big piece of industry.

 

[fretbuzz]

The sport bike culture is exploding and will continue to grow. I can see it happening.

 

[A2rider]

I'm seeing here at the shop a high number of people 35 to 45 buying sprotbikes/sport tourers. The graying of the baby boomers, along with their cruisers, will be replaced with people whose need for speed will take them right past the cruiser section!

 

[NCDave]

Well, my interests tend to be making that transition, so I was just wondering. I've had my cruiser for over 6 years now, and it's starting to seem like everyone is just copying everyone else, and there's not a lot more the manufacturers can out-do each other with except to put more chrome on them.

 

[gonzosc1]

it comes and goes for each class. always has been that way. its the same for cars too, there will be a sports car explosion for a few year then the suv then the gas savers..
its just another cycle.........

 

[Tod]

it comes and goes for each class. always has been that way. its the same for cars too, there will be a sports car explosion for a few year then the suv then the gas savers..
its just another cycle.........

ba-dum-tissssh... :roll:

 

[A2rider]

Are ya bored, Tod?

 

[bross]

There sure seems to be a lot of custom sport bikes on Superbikes, and they're getting as bad as the choppers, mounting huge, and I mean huge rear tires on their busa's etc. Extended swingarms, tons of customization going on. I haven't seen any of that locally here though, not that I really know what's going on in the sport bike scene here though.

 

[trikebubble]

There sure seems to be a lot of custom sport bikes on Superbikes, and they're getting as bad as the choppers, mounting huge, and I mean huge rear tires on their busa's etc. Extended swingarms, tons of customization going on. I haven't seen any of that locally here though, not that I really know what's going on in the sport bike scene here though.

Here's an idea..............lets take a sportbike, a bike that is purpose built to hug corners.............and stick a 300 series rear tire on it.
Yeh, that will work great in the mountains.

Their's a 'Busa running around town with one of those extended swingarms and a massive rear tire on it. I'm just curious how he got it here, I mean their are no straight roads coming into town at all.

 

[elr658]

Here's where the industry is headed. The toilet.

 

[botz723]

Really? around here more guys are tradin in their sport bikes for cruisers. I guess theyre all figurin out there just aint enough open space around here to do stunts or ride faster than 75. My cuz has a ZX6R he wants to trade in. originally he wanted a 10R but none of us that ride have a sport bike, now he wants a cruiser. Hes 26. Anyways screw the trendy. Ive never followed the trends anyway. Unless a cruiser is trendy Hmmmmmmm oh well to each his own and to me cruise on!!

 

[RichLockyer]

Look at the Victory Vision to see what Victory thinks the future of cruisers will look like.

 

[BikerBeagle]

I read somewhere, someone reporting from a dealer show (last year, maybe?), that said a Kawasaki rep claimed the future of the industry is in sport and sport-touring bikes. Of course, they were introducing the Concours 14 at the time, too.

It may or may not be true in the metric market, but as long as the Harley Davidson marketing machine is still alive and well, there will always be a cruiser market.

 

[RichLockyer]

It may or may not be true in the metric market, but as long as the Harley Davidson marketing machine is still alive and well, there will always be a cruiser market.

Agreed, but with fuel prices and the credit crunch hurting the economy, they are slipping and have been for a year or two.
People can't go out and refi their homes and pull 20-40k out of them to buy toys like they have been able to for the last 6 years.
People are being forced to think more practically now, and have to consider if they really NEED that 25k full-dress bagger with cruise and stereo, or if they can get to work and back on a 500.


It scares me when "industry reps" start talking about what the future will be, because their vision of the future is represented by a very narrow mindset driven by personal feelings and corporate profit targets.
It's cheaper to slap a bunch of plastic on a frame and call it a touring bike than it is to slap on a bunch of chrome hard parts.

It scares me because for those of us with body shapes and sizes that do not fit within THEIR tightly defined "normal" (5'9, 170 pounds), we end up with products that are not comfortable.

 

[Woody61]

As long as fuel prices remain high there will always be growing numbers of riders and in this case there are probably more new young riders than older mature riders. Most young people want fast and flashy verus chrome and slow. Both of my teenage boys (16 & 19) want bikes but think all cruisers are ugly and think sportbikes are so cool. And lets face it, there are more young pups out there than old farts so the mfg's sell more sportbikes until the surviving ones realize that fast and flashy aint everything then it will switch back to cruiser or some hybrid style of bike.

 

[sdbrit68]

unfortunately..........I too think you will see more of this buck rogers looking crap and sport tours ( good bikes, just dont tickle my fancy)

The really scary part to me........and no one has mentioned it, there will be easier to ride bikes

things like automatic transmissions becoming the norm.
automatic adjustments of suspension
sensors to slow you down in turns

once things start becoming automatic, more people will ride without learning respect for the machine,and truly learning their bikes......so crappier riders

 

[antiq]

I'll keep my old "street " Bike. Made before the started labeling , sport, cruiser, tourer etc. I like the performance the industry can now get out of the smaller displacement engines but until they use it to advantage on a bike that is comfortable for me, I'm not interested.

 

[rldowns3]

unfortunately..........I too think you will see more of this buck rogers looking crap and sport tours ( good bikes, just dont tickle my fancy)

The really scary part to me........and no one has mentioned it, there will be easier to ride bikes

things like automatic transmissions becoming the norm.
automatic adjustments of suspension
sensors to slow you down in turns

once things start becoming automatic, more people will ride without learning respect for the machine,and truly learning their bikes......so crappier riders

That's what I used to love so much about my grandfathers old Indian scout. The suicide clutch, the hand shifter...it was truly an act of hand, eye and mental coordination to stop and go on a hill. Yet, he made it seem so...seemless....but then again, he had ridden that thing for 50 years.

He allowed me to ride it a few times and it was a fun old bike.

 

[elr658]

Motorcycling died when the Electra Glide came out. When ANYBODY could ride one.