In contrast to other counties, the American motor vehicle experience is very different. Our rather large nation and high standard of living make for a large percentage of Americans who operate motor vehicles. Gas is relatively cheap and licensing requirements are lax. Generally speaking, most Americans look at driving to be a right and a cheap one at that. The greater democratization of the automobile has lead to an increased number of Americans behind the wheel in the past 30 years. The number of cars vs. motorcycles has increased exponentially. It’s not surprising really, the automobile is easier to operate and generally safer and more convenient. There can be some arguments to be had that the car has generally become cheaper to operate per mile than most motorcycles.
To that end, the motorcycle in America has been relegated to the status of recreational toy or intentional deathtrap to the non-motorcycling public at large. A large percentage of bikes will never see more than 10,000 miles or a few years of ownership before death or resale, or an early garage retirement. What does that say about our attitudes even among the people who ride them?
Is there something in our culture that causes us to place the motorcycle in the same light as the Jet Ski or Canoe? Why has bar hopping in your car fallen out of favor to most people, while doing the same in your motorcycle is a still a repeated past time?
Most would agree that Americans look at motorcycles in a different light than other parts of the world. In South East Asia, motorcycles and bicycles are beasts of burden; simple utilitarian transportation. Not coveted for speed, but for economy and transportation. In Europe, motorcycles, as well as cars are not a right, but a privilege that comes at great expense and responsibility. High fuel costs and expense of licensing and insurance cause motor vehicles in general to be less ubiquitous than here in the U.S. In addition to the high cost of entry, European safety regulations force a higher level of protective equipment requirement onto the rider.
Some would argue that this level of regulation is distinctly un-American and intrusive into personal freedom. The age old debate between personal liberty and government safety regulators rages on. 30 years ago, there wasn’t a national mandatory seat belt law. Most experts are in agreement that the most important safety feature in history still remains the 3-point safety restraint. Would the libertarians argue that the benefit of saved lives outweighs the freedom of choice in one’s own destiny?
A recent visit to a combined Japanese motorcycle dealer in Southern California resulted in an interesting conversation about the attitudes of new riders. I was out to kill some time before a flight when I wandered into a Japanese marquee dealer. I approached a gleaming new VFR1200 and stared at it. As usual, I was approached by a salesman. As we argued the virtues of the new VFR Interceptor, I came to learn that this guy wasn’t your average sales person in ‘big 4’ Japanese motorcycle dealership; he was an old pro. More often than not, I generally get greeted at a dealership with a hearty “hey bro, we go the new Gixxers”, or “what’s a DL650”?
More often than not, new riders in this county purchase the latest sport bike or cruiser; the sales figures support that. What was interesting to learn was that contrary to my opinion; the sales people weren’t necessarily steering them towards those models.
The salesman lamented to me as we perused his very prominently displayed lineup of “beginner” motorcycles - sporty standard bikes with what is considered ‘middleweight’ displacements of around 650cc. It turns out that despite his best efforts to steer new riders to sensible machines that were more forgiving and user friendly, they steadfastly refused purchase them. In his opinion, an almost ‘peer pressure’ culture existed with entry level riders that caused them to disregard the bikes that didn’t include ZX, GSX, YZF, or Ninja in their title.
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