(09-20-2017 06:37 PM)The ferret Wrote: To my suprise he said the motorhome business, was actually experiencing a boom these days.
As discussed boating and RVs can be expensive, but people still are willing to spend the money. I always see RVs while riding, and every lake I see is circled with boats parked at docks in front of cottages. And there are a lot of lakes in southeast Ontario. Cottages themselves are more like summer homes now and are very expensive, especially since they are only used on weekends during the summer. Motorcycles although somewhat less expensive, are far more dangerous than boating, RVs or cottages.
So why are people willing to spend the money or take the risk? To get out there! We spend most of our lives stuck in the house, school, office and weekday traffic. Boring! That's why most ads for bikes, SUVs and RVs talk about freedom and adventure. Yes most of these pastimes will not live up to the TV ads, but it's better than sitting at home month after month watching crappy TV on the boob tube.
Here in the 50s there was only 1 motorcycle shop. They sold Harley Davidsons to the Police, and Triumphs and BSAs to the public. Motorcycles were few and far between.
When I bought my first motorcycle in 1966 that shop was gone, but four more had taken their place. There were more motorcyclists, but most of us knew each other. A long time salesperson who worked in that defunct shop told me that motorcycles sales always peaked and waned. In the 60s and 70s the wave was 6 years on and 6 years off. I worked one year at one large shop that was not aware up and downs of the market. It was filled with bikes and merchandise, and also sold snowmobiles in the winter. It failed because could not sell the volume of bikes and merchandise when sales slumped.
In the 80s motorcycles were very popular and there was lots to chose from. My motorcycle touring club had 150 members. But our largest Honda dealer failed because of the massive amount of trade-ins they had taken in trying to move new inventory.
Now there is a far greater number of motorcyclists and motor cycle shops in this area. Despite the downturn in motorcycle sales, none of them have failed. Some of the cruiser clubs in the area are huge. Despite the slow sales there are lots of people riding expensive Harleys, Goldwings and BMWs.
So I don't think that motorcycling is doomed. It may be in a slump, but will probably rebound now that smaller and more affordable motorcycles are being made to encourage new comers to the sport. I probably would not have returned if a Triumph or Honda with a base price of $13,000 were my only choices. However a Honda CB500XA with an $6800 out the door price let me ride and get out there.