Losing Riders
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 808
Likes: 1
From: so.jersey
loosing riders
i know the feeling we started with about 15-20 and now i'm lucky if i can get 3-4 people together
about 3 have died 1 has cancer the rest i'm not sure whats going on they got new bikes and were all
full of **** and vinegar now they are always doing other stuff. i just ride by myself until i run into a group and hang out with them or ride by myself .
about 3 have died 1 has cancer the rest i'm not sure whats going on they got new bikes and were all
full of **** and vinegar now they are always doing other stuff. i just ride by myself until i run into a group and hang out with them or ride by myself .
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,928
Likes: 285
From: Edmond Oklahoma
Beary
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 9,980
Likes: 5,218
From: Michigan
Fads and hobbies do tend to run in cycles (no pun intended
).
When I first started riding in '69 I didn't know anyone at that time who rode.
Little did I know that one of my cousins and her husband rode and they both worked where I worked and they only lived a few miles from me, and I didn't really meet them until the summer of '73.
Shortly thereafter, we had a small group of family members riding together.
In time however, that quickly changed as some moved out of state, one death, and couple of others deciding to stop riding.
These days I have one friend that I ride regularly with and occasionally take an end-of-the-season ride with a few guys at a local watering hole.
If you prefer "group riding" consider joining HOG or perhaps a MC in your area.
).When I first started riding in '69 I didn't know anyone at that time who rode.
Little did I know that one of my cousins and her husband rode and they both worked where I worked and they only lived a few miles from me, and I didn't really meet them until the summer of '73.
Shortly thereafter, we had a small group of family members riding together.
In time however, that quickly changed as some moved out of state, one death, and couple of others deciding to stop riding.
These days I have one friend that I ride regularly with and occasionally take an end-of-the-season ride with a few guys at a local watering hole.
If you prefer "group riding" consider joining HOG or perhaps a MC in your area.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,598
Likes: 421
From: Lansing mi
Hard to say for sure but I think it was down a little last Summer here in mid Mi, but it was cooler then normal with a lot of rain days. Now we are stuck in a colder then normal Winter. All Gore, KISS MY A$$.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,456
Likes: 2,860
From: Oklahoma
Just a guess, if you live in an area with a fairly stable population, many just lose interest. There is a great emotional lure to the IDEA of riding but a year or 2 of experience begins to separate the true enthusiasts from those just in love with the idea. I just turned 70 and my minimum riding temperature has risen steadily for the past 5 years from around 35 degrees to around 50 degrees. In the fair weather I ride all I can (around 10,000 miles each summer) but that is admittedly fair weather riding. I plan to keep going until" 1. I can't hold up the 2 wheeler any more or, 2. the arthritis in my hands gets to the point I can't work the controls any more. That would even knock me off a trike. The only new rider I knew locally sold his bike after about 2 years. He said too many of his friends were getting killed on their machines. Guess he was not a true enthusiast, just liked the idea but not the reality.
I was a professional pilot for 40 years and long ago came to terms with the idea it could be "game over" in an instant. I loved the flying and stuck with it. Riding motorcycles is no different. Either do what you love or dig a deep hole and never venture out of it. The choice is easy for me. Being a loner by choice, I never had a "regular group" to watch get bigger or smaller.
I was a professional pilot for 40 years and long ago came to terms with the idea it could be "game over" in an instant. I loved the flying and stuck with it. Riding motorcycles is no different. Either do what you love or dig a deep hole and never venture out of it. The choice is easy for me. Being a loner by choice, I never had a "regular group" to watch get bigger or smaller.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 8,039
Likes: 1,305
From: Jayhawk Country
Somewhat true I would say. But someone trading in an old bike for a new one still only counts as 1 registration, right?. An actual new rider with a newly registered bike would up the count, but a trade in shouldn't. But if you register your current bike and buy a new one in the same year maybe that counts as 2 registrations. I actually have no ****ing idea.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,928
Likes: 285
From: Edmond Oklahoma
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,264
Likes: 690
From: WESTERN CHICAGO AREA
I never understood the "I saw/heard about a motorcycle accident in which someone got killed so I'm not riding anymore" crowd. If they saw/heard about a car accident, would they stop driving too??? Ridiculous statement. What has what happens to someone else does have to do with you? I saw on the news about a pedestrian getting killed crossing the street - does that mean I'm going to stop walking across streets? Or terrorists killing people in stores and offices - should I stop leaving the house??
Maybe we're all better off with people like that off the streets if they are that unsure of their riding abilities.
btsom's last paragraph hit the nail on the head.
Maybe we're all better off with people like that off the streets if they are that unsure of their riding abilities.
btsom's last paragraph hit the nail on the head.
