I have been riding for 56 years. I do long rides whenever I can... this summer I was going to ride the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego to Seattle... and for the first time in my life I cut off the ride. On the first day in Utah a &(*^@)*&% tourist in an RV passed three trucks (apparently frustrated with road construction that had a 1 mile long pile of cars held up waiting for the other mile to clear the construction) and tried to kill me head on. I rode the white line on the road edge and managed to keep the bike upright and avoid the idiot. The second day I had to drop the bike due to a road condition in AZ where gravel coated with oil "looks like" paving. Throughout the ride road conditions on Interstates and State Roads, and bad drivers and traffic loads were a continual harassment. The wind was 25-35 with gusts to 55 and was continual every day. The West US was having "abnormal" spring weather every day but one. I gave up near L.A. and headed back to Provo in the same conditions. Even on the 2 days that the sun made an appearance the wind was borderline unsafe for riding directly into it (70 + 55 = 125 mph... a hurricane). On the way back to home I hit rain, sleet, and snow... and it was mid May!

I ride by myself and the ride is the enjoyment... it's a mental vacation. Unfortunately, these conditions eliminate this reason to ride... so chalking this up to a "riding experience" would be fine except it is an abnormal riding experience that seems to be getting worse every year. I don't know how you attract new riders when these are the more normal riding conditions rather than the exception. Maybe I will start taking climate change more seriously after this ride... nothing can be done about road conditions and traffic law violations I don't think.

 

New riders won't have that insight. I think there are bigger issues with why new blood are not as interested in buying bikes.

But......I do understand your observations:
Last summer we took a two week jaunt from my home (Minneapolis suburb), thru North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Iowa.

We encountered road construction everywhere. Even in the middle of Nowhere, MT. Ten miles of the most torn up asphalt I've ever had to ride.
Ever try riding thru Yellowstone on a busy day? Bumper to Bumper stop and go for hours on end. Thought my left hand was going to fall off.
But we did get up close and personal with a few bison......

We got very lucky on weather- only a few very isolated rain showers.

 

Perhaps it is time to buy a Winnebago.
You are lucky to be alive. Stop now and enjoy the comfort of traveling in a cage.

 

I do many 200~300+ mile day rides, and a couple overnights each year all around New England. I stay off highways for the most part, except to use them to skirt the cities I might need to pass by. Between crazy cell phone addicts, and wingnut drivers that think their "meeting they're late for" because they are the worlds most important sales guy or some such ****. Let's not forget Odessy driving soccer moms, they're as wacked out and beaned up on Dunkins as they can get.

Back roads all the way, no rides to Sturgis, or Myrtle Beach or anyplace I might need to take Interstates, and deal with a weeks worth of weather. That's just no fun.

I do know plenty of guys that sold their bikes due to the whacked out drivers that have almost killed them.

 

I encounter terrible riding conditions and trips that don’t go as planned but there’s been many more that were great rides and fun times. You just have to power through it!

 

Prices. From bike to parts to service$$$$. Younger folks don't make enough and if they do, have a different mindset.

 

I don't care for riding in heavy traffic, and avoid interstates all I can. I'm more of a back roads kind of guy.

 

Up until 2010 I had a group of 40 bikes that we did a dinner ride every Thurs night taking fun backroads anywhere from 50 to 100 miles to delicious hole in the wall restaurants. Everyone always had a great time and many laughs always were on the menu. Today only two of us still ride and of the two I'm the only one that actually rides regularly and on long trips even though I myself am battling a serious and very painful health problem. All the rest sold their bikes and gave it up completely because of cell phones, age, health, etc.

 

nothing can be done about traffic conditions. hell you dang sure can't do anything about the weather either. climate change. yep, been changing from the first day there was weather. Times have changed. can't do anything about that either. we adapt or not and go the way of the dinosaure .can't spell that word for some reason today. do the best you can sir and keep plugging along. I too have come back home when it seemed like the world was out to get me. I am sorry your ride was not fun. heres to you.
kroozeabout.

 

I'm in the middle of a trip right now from Washington to Colorado and back. Monday I couldn't make it over Vail Pass due to snow and ice. Left the bike in Vail at a new friend's garage, rented a car, drove through a blizzard, and visited the grand kids for 4 days. Picked up the bike today and heading back west. Close calls are no fun, thats why I added LED lights to my bike. Doesn't solve the problem, but helps. I think those that are complaining about Harley prices holding back new riders are completely missing the point. When I started riding as a16 year old in 1971 it was the height of the 'motorcycle craze'. Of the kids I knew, maybe 10% at most had and interest in motorcycles. Today, maybe 1 in 50 of those who had an interest still ride. Actually, me and a cousin are the only ones I know of. Back in 1971 they could of given Harleys away, I wouldn't of been seen dead on one then. Today its not a price issue at the core. Today if you are young and want to ride there are a lot of great fun bikes out there that are well under $10k. In fact, some good ones under $6k. The core issue is this- they are interested in other things. That's the deal. The world changed and we have to accept it. Now go ride and enjoy our secret.