Is It Time to Leave the Sport? Honestly… I’m Starting to Wonder.

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xrljoel said:
I'm afraid you have a case of Oldguyitis, and I think it's acute. Unfortunately the disease is incurable, but we can treat the symptoms.
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Look, I get what you’re saying about “Oldguyitis,” but let’s be honest—the issue is way bigger than a few of us being grumpy about technology or price tags. The sport isn’t just evolving… it’s shrinking, and the industry is doing very little to stop the bleed.

The sport is catering more and more to older riders—because that’s all that’s left.

Manufacturers have leaned so hard into the 45+ market that they’ve forgotten the basics: if you want a sport to survive, you need new blood. Instead, we’re getting machines targeted at riders trying to relive the bikes of their youth—except their youth was built on simple, affordable machines, not 30-grand rolling iPads.

Every year there are fewer young riders.

Why?
  • Cost is insane. Even the “entry bikes” aren’t entry-level anymore.
  • Lifestyle has changed. Everyone’s glued to TikTok, Reddit, Discord, YouTube—anywhere but outside.
  • Traffic is brutal, insurance is brutal, housing is brutal. Riding is becoming a luxury, not a gateway.
  • Manufacturers don’t market to youth—just to the guys with equity and knee braces.
Here’s proof: last year at the bike show I talked with the Canadian Triumph rep about the new 400. That bike was designed to attract younger riders. Who bought it? Old farts.

Why? Because it looked like the bike of their youth and sat at a price point that made an impulse buy easy. I almost bought one!

That says everything: the bikes meant for young riders are getting scooped up by the same aging demographic the industry keeps chasing.

DIY culture is dying for the same reason.

Yeah, some of us wrench. Oil changes, filters, pads—fine. But beyond that?

Manufacturers have locked the gates:
  • Dealer-only diagnostic tools
  • Dealer-only ECU access
  • Dealer-only service procedures
  • Manuals restricted or paywalled to death
So yes, used bikes are a lifeline—but only as long as parts and documentation stay available. And we all know that supply chains and distributor greed aren’t exactly helping. No parts, that $1500 bike just became garage queen, looks great, does not run, can not get parts and will not be able to sell it.

You say “we’re not the most important customers anymore.”

I’d argue we’re the only ones left.

The industry didn’t lose young riders because old riders exist— the industry lost young riders because it priced them out, ignored them, and then doubled down.

Now they’re stuck relying on the same aging clients until the well runs dry.

Is there still fun in the sport? Sure. But fun doesn’t negate the bigger trend.

You’ve found your pocket of good service and a decent deal—that’s great. Seriously. But that doesn’t change the reality that shops are closing, service quality is inconsistent, and the barrier to entry for new riders is higher than ever.

I’m not saying the sport is dead. I’m saying if nothing changes, we’re going to wake up one day and realize it’s been quietly drained from the inside out.

And at that point, no amount of nostalgia bikes or 30k luxo-adventures will save it.
 
Trackday said:


Look, I get what you’re saying about “Oldguyitis,” but let’s be honest—the issue is way bigger than a few of us being grumpy about technology or price tags. The sport isn’t just evolving… it’s shrinking, and the industry is doing very little to stop the bleed
I’m not saying the sport is dead. I’m saying if nothing changes, we’re going to wake up one day and realize it’s been quietly drained from the inside out.
And at that point, no amount of nostalgia bikes or 30k luxo-adventures will save it.
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There are plenty of entry level machines but now most of them are coming from China, India and S.E. Asia and aimed primarily at those markets. The ones that get sold here are just gravy to the bottom line. They are easy to work on, cheap(er) to insure and maintain and ARE attracting new riders. Yes, they are crappy little bikes in some instances, but no worse than some of the stuff the Japanese makers dumped on us way back when. Ask anyone who runs or instructs at one of the learn to ride schools, there is no shortage of new attendees. E-bikes have bled off a big chunk of the customer base, but if the gov had the nuggets to enforce existing laws and create new, more effective ones then a lot of those people would likely move up. Those of us that lived through the moped boom of the mid-seventies remember. Once legislation was changed making operators more accountable they disappeared. Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.
 
If you get on your bike and twist the throttle and feel no joy, then yes, perhaps it is time to leave the sport.

Life is too short to feel down doing something that doesn't put a smile on your face.

You've taken an informal poll on here asking if others feel the same, and most of the responses are - no, most of us still like to ride motorcycles.

That's okay. It's not written in stone that you or anybody has to love motorcycling till the bitter end, just because you once enjoyed it. Interests change, or small annoyances finally become too large to ignore. Getting in and out of hobbies is completely natural.

Just find something else that brings pleasure into your life.

(y)
 
These short days and deteriorating riding conditions do make it hard to be enthusiastic about motorcycling in general but wait till May comes around...
 
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Wow! That's a glass half empty view if ever there was one. If it bugs you that much (It must) then sure it's time to bail.

None of the items you mention seam to bother me. I buy used bikes and do most of my own wrenching. I have never felt beholden to a dealer.
 
Trackday said:
I love motorcycles. But the industry around them? It’s making it harder every year to stay in the game.

Anyone else feeling the same?
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Doesn't seem to be different from other industries. Have you tried buying a new car lately? Or how about just groceries? You can pretty much replace "bike shops" with any other hobby shop and see a lot of similarities. And yes, motorcyling in Canada is seen as a hobby, not transportation, even if you're daily riding all winter on Anlas Winter Grips.

That said, none of what you mentioned really affects me much. I don't buy new bikes, never use dealer service, and vote with my wallet - I always give the locals first dibs, but if their price is unreasonably high, I have no qualms ordering online.

The last time I bought "new" was back in 2000, and even then it was a heavily discounted demo. I came close to getting a new FTR earlier this year when some unsold 2024's were being blown out for just over $10k, or about 40% off. Gp has an unsold 2024 Hyper 698 for $13k - that's a 25% discount compared to $17k for a 2026, and the bikes is essentially unchanged. So there are deals to be had on new, just maybe not NEW.

I hear so many horror stories about long waits to book service or jobs done poorly. I wouldn't know (anymore), since I started doing everything myself, and I have no warranty to worry about. I'm a firm believer that every motorcyclist should learn enough technical skills to at least perform basic maintenance and identify when something looks or feels wrong before it becomes a serious safety issue. Bikes are dangerous enough without letting someone who gets paid plat rate forget or purposely not torque something to spec because "pro's don't use torque wrenches".

I try to buy my gear local and usually end up finding good deals when GP Bikes has their "No HST" coinciding with other sale prices. Pricing is a 2-way street - you can't try to gouge me and then shame me for not buying local. "F- you", I say.

I even find insurance reasonable for me - I still pay the same amount as I did in the 80's - about $1/cc/year, and if you consider inflation, I'm actually paying less now. But I do my research and luckily not interested in anything squid-popular with a lot of claims history.
 
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