I wish that here in Canada we had a constitution like in the U.S.A. where you have the right to defend yourself from an unruly tyrant government and to put them in their place. Yes Mike, the government is supposed to work for the people, not the other way around. Unfortunately it's not the case with these current governments on this side of the pond. We will see what the future brings after the American elections and possibly pre Canadian elections which I doubt will happen as Trudeau does not want to step down. In just two terms, Trudeau and his Liberal cronies have destroyed this wonderful country to unprecedented levels in all aspects of society. It's all part of the elite globalists, WEF and their cronies agenda by design.
I agree what you say the government these days are just actors they can't control things because they sold everything off to foreign investors who take their profits abroad!UK is sick!
Australian family moved to Russia not so long ago, settled if I recall in a settlement in Siberia. They have a YT channel. In one of them maybe 4 or 5 months ago I think they said you can buy more for your Ruble than you can with the OZ Dollar in Oz.
Britain is now a Third World country, where wages have not risen in real terms, since 2008, and our governments have been operating a policy of removing citizen's wealth via Covid and Net Zero, leaving the majority with nothing to spend. The roads are literally falling to pieces and are dangerous, plus speed limits are being reduced to speeds which make riding motorcycles pointless. Allied to this the majority of motorcyclists are old men, who are a dying breed, because government policy was to discourage young people from riding, by making the acquisition of a licence harder and harder. Wait until the EV mandate bites; it is not all doom and gloom though, look at the number of Deliveroo riders there are!
Deliveroo Uber JustEat are all foreigners immigrants on scooters CBT. Also they're not of our culture. The Old Guys Rule White men are dying out and we were the demographic that kept the British culture going. There's been no continuity because of immigration, Political Correctness and now Net Zero.
Weather manipulation? - More like the planet has been degraded by 8 billion humans busy cutting down all the rain forests and polluting the planet so much that it can't sustain life as we've known it for much longer. You only have to look at cars now, massive SUV's are the norm now, burning up the worlds resources at an even faster pace. Rant over!. Motorcycles at least create less damage.
@@beetleything1864 totally agree with your comment, an old fella I used to talk to years ago always said “they’re messing with the weather again” he was a bin man, worked outside all his life, I used to think he was a bit odd! but over the years I have studied the weather myself with work (construction) and pleasure (motorcycles, scuba diving & fishing I am now a believer in weather management & manipulation by an organisation to do with global warming, power & wealth
I buy my motorbikes and clothes, helmet etc from my local motorbike dealer. Maintenance is also done by this shop and I also order my accessories there. I can try on clothes there and I also get to test ride a new helmet first. I always try to postpone maintenance until the winter period when staff have little to do. Fortunately, there are many motorcyclists who do the same and thus we keep this great dealer in our area.
Yep, can only speak to beemers, but while my local dealer in Sacramento used to be my go-to biz for cycle supply, nowadays my closest dealer is over 90 miles away in Las Vegas, and they won't touch any BMW more than 10 years old!
@@Batman-m8r Here in the US there are a couple of outfits selling motorcycle gear. I, personally, use CycleGear as the place to buy riding gear as it's both less expensive and well made for their own in-house brands (Sedici, Bilt and Street and Steel brands). I haven't yet but eventually will buy from Speed Addicts. They have the Icon brand full line, unlike RevZilla or CycleGear. The staff at CycleGear make the trip there worth it and I get excellent service. I don't buy from my dealer because of limited inventory and sizes. They do get to maintain my bike as long as the warranty is in effect. I keep it clean, care for the chain and ride it. That's what it's for...
I’m 73 and ride a BMW GS 1250. I invested in the Rukka gear and the Keiss heated jacket and heated gloves. I can ride all day and never feel the cold. My bike is important to me as it keeps me motivated. I love it. 👍
I remember the 70's we had three motorcycle dealerships in the Walworth Rd (south east London) alone they were all over the place, if your parents had the money as a 16/17 year old you could hoof up to a dealership and ride away on a 250cc on an L plate. Barry Sheene posters were on your bedroom wall and going to Wimbledon speedway was popular and Crystal palace race track still had motorsports. A lot has changed in 50 years and not for the better.
@@ANationalAcrobat-qj2dl The earlier Suzuki X7 was as fast, with poorer handling than the LC 250. Government had over a decade to "fix" the problem of looney two-fifties, but picked on the Yam as a sign of the times.
@@borderlands6606 I was born in 1964 & started riding motorcycles at the age of 16 in 1980. I remember the era of the LC very well. The LC left the X7 standing as it did with ALL other 250s of the day. The X7 was, in fact, not even as fast as the GT250 that it replaced.
@@ANationalAcrobat-qj2dl The X7 was the first true 100 mph off the shelf 250, although many others had claimed a ton on the clock. The LC250 was also listed as a 100 mph bike, but was faster accelerating, better handling, more solidly built and usually modified, which brought about the downfall of the hot two-fifty. I had the air cooled RD and had a go on the RD400, which was very nippy indeed.
@@borderlands6606 What you say might be what manufacturers claimed BUT I knew lads who actually owned these bikes, mate, & in the real world the LC blew the X7 clean out of the water. The X7 was so shoddily made & generally so much worse than the old GT it became a bit of a joke, mate, at least around where I lived in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
I have a small business which has been going for 34 years and this year has been the worst I have ever experienced. TBH I don't expect to be going for much longer.
@@Crosshatch1212I think Labour will literally force people to people to sell everything they own. Council tax, electricity, price of running a car. gas, groceries. Rents, will all go up sky high,
Bikes have motors. The government want motors off the roads so are encouraging high insurance costs, high training entrance fees, letting the roads go to sh it, traffic cameras everywhere etc... At the same time you can buy an electric bike or scooter and need no tax, insurance, safety gear and need not bother with rules of the road.
And no number plate or any other means of identification as you move around. Though I don’t like them, it’s quite tempting to buy a used one, providing it can be stored away from her the house and workshop. I don’t trust them on fire safety grounds and won’t put them where, if it spontaneously caught fire, it could do serious damage.
You still have to peddle an electric bike. Also governed to 15mph. Anything else illegal. As a car, bike, motorcycle rider, I get more aggressive behaviour from car drivers when on my peddle or electric cycle, hence the need for cams, front and back.
Back in the 70-80 ies young people rode bikes and older people drove a Mercedes. Now young people drive a mercedes and old people ride bikes😢 It is not just they don’t have money for a bike. Main goal of many youngsters is the idea of becoming rich😢
These young people want to appear to be wealthy - flaunting designer brands and the obligatory Audi/Merc/BMW on PCP and showing off partying with booze and cocaine on Instagram. But this desperate illusion is only maintained by living month to month on credit. In reality they live with their parents or in an HMO, they have no financial net-worth, but just these completely twisted values of what life 'should' be like, because they believe that they deserve it and they're superior to others without those material posessions. Humility and hard work is an alien concept to them. I spent decades working in the luxury car industry. I saw the change in the customer profile. And these young aggressive wannabees at the bottom of the food chain were far worse to deal with than truly wealthy people who were at the top of it.
@@gaza1952 This is the problem, the world is under WEF/UN control, and the only chance of escape is a Trump Presidency, which is why he has a target on his back.
While you’re not wrong in your assessment, there’s nowhere you can do where the same evil people & their supranational organisations aren’t hard at work, intentionally destroying our way of life. Not in the Developed World, at least. You might see out retirement in relative peace only by emigrating to a country that we’d term Developing Economies aka what used to be called the Third World. My pick would be one of the former Soviet satellites deep in Eastern Europe, ideally without a border with an EU country.
Your are right about one big fact. Things are economically hard all over. I live in France next to Switzerland and restaurants , hotels, clothing shops, service industry are in a tough position. Less people are buying less of everything. People have less money, and if they do, the choice of what to do has drastically changed since covid.
Ktm 390 adventure bought a year ago new. Coming up to its 3rd service at at around 9500 miles. I have spent £400.00 on two services and now they want over £500.00 to do the next service to maintain warranty. This is my 14th new bike in 16 years, since getting back into biking, and the most expensive to service. Leaves me no option but to sell the Ktm and get a classic which I will service myself. I am sure others are doing the same.
As a current MC tech I can say that lots more of the older bikes are being readied for the road, which are far easier to work on, no need for Texa or the myriad of sensors and or authentication protocols now looming on the horizon, if you have an up to date machine you are going to need an entry code otherwise the tech will not be able to access the brains, this is not far away and why adopting the older tech will still give you some kind of freedom until they think of new ways of blocking them off of the roads as well, this is why they put the pay per mile avenue on the airways to see the publics reaction, watch out for a return on this front in the future.
I work in the industry still and have noticed an uptake on older machines coming out of the woodwork, partly due to the tech driving folks in this direction, once the disposable income has reached its ceiling and the tech prohibits self goverance in the servicing paradigm moods will change. One other aspect that the powers that be have done is to remove the wet ink service amnual with an online version, which certain makers only allow authorised dealers to access, otherwise warranties are void if the data is missing, the tech is once again rearing is clever but ugly head where servicing freedom is concerned.
I have been riding road bikes for over 40 years. What keeps me out of the dealerships is the bikes themselves - they no longer appeal to me. Styling is awful (apart from some retro models), prices are outrageous and too much tech makes them harder to maintain at home. I have a collection of bikes, mainly from the 70s and 80s which I can maintain cheaply and find parts relatively easily on line. These bikes have CHARACTER and are such a hoot to ride compared to modern offerings. Can't see myself ever buying a new bike again.
Four years ago I bought one of the last Bullet 500s ( in fact a Bullet 500 Trials). It's fuel injected but otherwise a really good, heavy flywheel single. Won't ever get rid of it. What a great bike it is! Characterful old world style single with added reliability.
Same. I’ve got an 81 R100 and 91 Harley softtail. New bikes are overly designed and have no rawness or character. Will never buy a bike newer than a 2008.
Absolutely agree. We don’t need phone connectivity on a motorcycle for goodness sake. I ride a 2007 Honda hornet I don’t even like abs, l learnt to ride properly and safely in the 70s. Prices are stupidly high, and who needs 150 hp in the real world. Best bike I have had over the years was a Yamaha xs650, basic twin didn’t leaked oil and plenty fast enough.
@@rogerelwynjones1366 had lots of bikes but enjoyed the bikes I had in the early years the most, real character, a simple joy, todays bikes are often just expensive unreliable gimmick clad money pits that lose too much money
I think your right about the dealerships are partly responsible for there demise, the servicing costs for a motorcycle is ridiculous just had a 1st year service done on my BMW at a cost of £280 one part of this cost was for a brake fluid change the bike is 1 year old with 3k miles on it when I questioned it they said it had to be done at year one then every two years after that. I normally take my bikes to a independent when they are out of warranty he tests the fluid and doesn’t replace it unnecessarily. My point is doing unnecessary work just increases the cost to us.
Don't forget liability, if they hadn't checked and changed the fluid, it could come back and bite them in the arse. So they're damned if they do, damned if they don't.
I get what your saying but surely a simple test would determine whether it needed replacing and im sure within a year and 3k milage it wouldn’t need it!
I worked for England's oldest honda dealer for several years, their demise was partly down to pressures from Honda themselves, to stock a showroom with new machines and have the spares to back them up was astronomical to say the least, now some dealerships rent the bikes in order of stocking their showrooms which is the last nail in the new sales coffin when the final sales bill is due.
Everything you raise can be said for the cost of living here in Australia. Politicians of all persuasions however don’t appear to be affected, amazing.
By sheer coincidence, few of them suffered from 91-divoc or the arm spears aka three dart finishes, because they never bought tickets to see Britney Spears & The Boosters.
And yes, dealers seem to be closing all over here. Either that, or dropping the lower cost, lower profit brands, and just sticking to the higher cost, higher profit European / American brands.
I have five bikes, all of them old enough to be carbureted. Will never buy a newer bike. I do all my own work on them, and buy parts online. I haven't been to a dealer for over a decade, and it's very unlikely I will ever go to one again. They have nothing I want, and parts are available elsewhere.
Agree completely that the Government is already worse than the terrible tory one. Outside that, youngsters not getting into biking and bikers getting older. Likewise the bike mechanics are getting older. Government has no interest in any petrol vehicles and electric motorcycles are expensive and naff
I notice that the roads you travel are very well made and without massive Wild Pigs, Emu's, or even a sole kangaroo in sight, or gravel like ball bearings washed onto the road at every bend in the roads, all problems for people like me who lives in the wheatbelt area of Western Australia. We also share roads with Road trains (with up to three big trailers) with drivers presumably hurrying to find the next public toilet.
I can assure you that our East Riding of Yorkshire's roads have potholes to compete with the very best. Only last week I thought I'd seen a helmet left on the ground in a puddle - turned out to be a Shoei being worn by a 6 ft bloke standing on the pegs of his GS . . .
@@keithpearson7539 Same in the mid East.Lincolnshire. UK. Two wheel’s and tyres destroyed so far. We don’t all drive 4X4’s Cobber. Deathly dangerous on two wheels now. Multiple deaths but who care’s None of the Political arseholes in the UK.And the drivers get right up your backside in the UK. Multiple traffic unlike OUTBACK. Have a good one.
Good morning Stu. Another good video. In my youth a weekend pastime of me and my biker friends would be to tour all the local motorcycle dealers and drawl over the bikes we couldn’t afford. If you wanted to do that now you’d probably have to go a hundred miles. I disagree with you about Labour not having a plan. I think their plan from the start was to rob us blind, pretend to give it away but secretly keep it for themselves. As for the net zero nitwits, surely they should be promoting the use of small motorcycles.
If Net Zero wasn’t only a scam to deprive us all of liquid fuel powered, privately owned transportation, thenyes, of course they would be encouraging use of extraordinarily high mpg small bikes. But Net Zero is utterly fraudulent in its foundations, as anyone with a modicum of the powers of reasoning can discover, if they’ve the courage to look. And it’s no fun, realising what they’re up to. Because it’s evil beyond belief.
Here in Spain is the same... Macroeconomics keep lying about per capita income and other shits, 3 banks and 2 great corporations can have half the money in the country, but the people in the street have barely enough to pay for food and house. Our 10% keep buying new cars and bikes, but our car pool is the oldest ever. Even workshops have problems, some old beaters only wants to die, no parts and no money to repair. Good thing is internet is cheap and people can stay at home, watching shorts...
I think that the motorcycle dealers closing is the warning for the overall economy. Motorcycles are luxury items for working people and no one is spending especially since the PM told us that the October budget will be painful for the majority of the population. Meanwhile the world economy bubble is about to burst.
Good video Stu. Re. The local stores closing down. As you know, I live in roughly the same area as you, so you might recognise the following story. 18 months ago, I was in the market for a new helmet and a Cardo Edge coms system. My budget was £700. I heard of a new shop opening up about 30 miles away and thought I'd pop over and give them my custom after work. I called and made sure they would be open, told them when I'd be there, all appeared fine.... I left work early and rode the 30 plus miles across the bridge only to find the shop in darkness and locked. When I rang their number to ask what happened, I was told 'That's tuff!' It seems that some retailers don't even help themselves. A week later. I bought not only a new helmet and Cardo system but a new pair of boots and jacket from a retailer who wanted my custom. As for the first shop, that has now gone out of business and no doubt they are blaming Brexit!
I don't know if its worth mentioning. Actually getting a motorcycle licence now costs £1000 If I remember correctly, my bike test was £17.50).. The reason I started on bikes at 17 (i'm 59 now) was it was much cheaper than a car.. How things have changed.
I know what you mean. Nearly 6 decades ago, I got into biking by accident… I was doing up a Messerschmidt 3 wheeler for transport at 16 (as you could back then) and after reaching 16 and getting a provisional licence, thought enrolling on the local RAC/ACU scheme would be useful road experience on a school bike (3 wheeler not quite finished). After the first two Sundays riding to the course on my push bike, the bike bug had bitten, and the bubble car was sold to buy my own bike (a twenty quid 10 year old 197cc Francis-Barnett). Financing my route to a full bike licence was all achieved from my 'Saturday job' earnings while still at school.
Motorcycle prices shot up with the advent of lease-purchase contracts. This financial innovation has allowed m/c manufacturers to hike up their prices to whatever they thick is affordable. This is a feasible retail model in a low interest rate economy. Lease plans and contract purchase plans do not work in a high interest rate economy. Also, a m/c has become a luxury commodity these days, compared to 4-wheel or public transport. These days, fewer and fewer people have the space a facility to store an maintain their own m/c. Then there is the egregiously high insurance costs and the abysmally low payouts when your m/c is stolen, which will happen irrespective of how well it is secured. And the police inaction does not help. So with all that going against motorcycling, there no wonder that the m/c retail industry is failing.
I honestly think that the perceived danger of motorbikes is the main reason young people in the west are not getting involved with them. Everyone they know tells them motorbikes are death traps, and when second hand cars can be had fairly cheaply there's just not enough drive for them to pursue motorcycling. In reality those people are probably right, motorbikes are very dangerous, especially on an increasingly busy road network where half of the drivers around them have the attention span of a goldfish and can't drive for 10 minutes without watching tiktok on their phone or playing with the 10" screen stuck in their dashboard. The danger of motorbiking in the city does limit how much I i do it, despite enjoying it.
Don't forget there has been ( for at least 20 years) foreign drivers over here on international licences, driving like they are in the third world. Do they take a UK test or do they go back home to renew the international licences .
One of the reasons is that in the past there were motorbike shops run by an single old bloke or a family and you could afford their services. Nowadays they are actualy commodity brokers and finance agents and you can't afford their services - like their labour charges etc.
That's a good point. My Father ran his own main dealership back in the seventies. He sold you the bike, not some clueless sales person only interested in the commission. He wrote all the HP paperwork out with the customer etc. I've bought a new enduro bike every other year until four years ago. One brand was hardly any different from the other, and very little changed on them. I just stick to my vintage bikes now.
Ah, the 1980s ..... I bought my first flat in late 1979. By Christmas the mortgage rate had gone from 11 to 15%, and BASIC rate of income tax was 33%. We never had it so good!!
@@flybobbie1449 And using the bank of england inflation calculator, that would be £4165 pound in todays money. How much does the average japanese 250cc cost these days?
I served my time in the motorcycle industry from the mid 70's to the rly 80's right at the very end of the British scene, saw the downturn in the mid 80's and then the slight upturn in the 90's, and still in the industry today, one thing that stood out is, our real life skills right across the board have been decimated; so as we are now unable to replace those left in the industry. It has been done by design and wholey due to global redistribution practices/free trade and corporate greed of our real life skills and the creativity that came with it. Today we have dealerships full of Easter Promise who are no longer in control of the end product, in this position there is only one "dircetion" to follow, the latter being the key word in where we are heading, only the ones who can do everything in house will be best positioned for long term survival, mobile mechanics with an engineering background being one avenue.
@DavidStevenson-gw2eo - Re your comment - "our real life skills right across the board have been decimated" - I did 12 years in the R.A.F. as a Halton trained (recognised in the aviation world as having high standards of enginering excellence!) Aircraft Engineering Technician.On getting demobbed I understood that doing 2nd line hangar work on Lightnings isn't the same as motorbikes, so I did a C&G course @ Merton College & got a distinction in all three subjects. When I got home & trying to find a job in a local bike shop. Trouble is I was married & had a mortgage to service, & what all of the shops wanted was NOT a skilled mechanic but rather some young kid they could pay peanuts to upgrade his pocket money. - So after a few months working in the "better" shop I had to face reality, give up a job I REALLY loved & get a job in a different industry where I @ least got a "living wage! Little wonder the motorcycle industry can't retain skilled maechanics - & it wasn't just the one shop with that greedy short sighted attitude !
@@jimlyon7276 I was in it from the very beginning of the Jap take over and since then trained several apprentices at other larger long term main dealers and got them up to a living wage before they were 21, this is not common for the smaller B dealerships who were in it purely for the money and not for educating the younger generation. Today we see very small bike repair shops who have done 2 years at college and think they know it all, when in reality they have only skimmed the very surface of the motorcycle engineering paradigm, the things I have seen some of them do are apppppauling and in need several more years to get up to scratch.
Great video Stuart, and as always on the money. The incompetence doesn’t just extend to the British government but to all western governments. The Fiat currency Ponzi scheme is to blame and starting to fall apart. Things will get a lot worse before they get better.
@@John_Wood_ I think that it was all going to happen eventually and those responsible knew this and realised that the scheme was going to collapse so started the managed decline to ensure that they can milk every last drop that they could before “the great reset”. When the move from gold was made, did they know? I don’t have any idea but there must have been some idea that backing currencies with debt as opposed to tangible assets would eventually become unsustainable.
BMF pressure for the government to make the licence easy now for young riders, CBT to Full A licence even tho the riding schools will lose money. Gotta make it as simple as a car licence for the industry to survive. Young people are the industry future.
In my opinion, all sizeable institutions have become utterly worthless and corrupt. Without having looked, I bet if I did look, I would find the oldest and largest nominally motorcycle friendly organisations are not defending our interests at all, but taking the globalist’s shilling & selling us down the river. Note that Western governments despise the kind of people who own & ride bikes. We are mostly middle aged to elderly, white men, working class or from working class stock when we were young, independent minded, who absolutely reject the moral relativism that is all the rage at the moment and inclined to be thoughtful about who we vote for. We haven’t fallen for the woke ideology, we know there are only two sexes & know that they’re different, that official policies towards children are truly appalling, that public “services” have been degraded and in some cases, actively dangerous and that the Net Zero nonsense is being got up for malign & worrying reasons. That the media is to be trusted about as much as the politicians. That the politicians are in bed with the corporations, etc. Worst of all, our machines represent the last vestiges of the idea of freedom and anonymity. Only the number plate identifies our bikes, but cameras are no use in identifying who’s actually riding it. They hate all of this. To them, we are The Enemy Within. I see it the other way around. My hunch is that we’re that bit less gullible about propaganda. We see what they’re up to and where they’re taking instructions from these days.
My post was immediately deleted by TH-cam. I’m censored everywhere because my training, work history in a certain industry and my deductions, spoken plainly and very plausibly, is akin to kryptonite to their criminal intentions.
Exactly. I'm youngish with the money for a new bike, but not willing to take a week off work and spend 1k getting a licence when I have been driving for 20 years..
riding schools are part of the problem...most in my area are scam artists, cbt needs to a one off test, mod 1 & 2 needs to combined into one test, remove age limits. anything less will have 0 effect.
Yep, the 26% green energy tariff/tax is passed passed on to customers and it doesn't show on our bills because it's charged by the government to the energy companies. We also pay 20% VAT on our bills which is shown on our bills. So, literally 46% of our gas and electricity bills is tax paid to the government. I've been telling people this, but it's like talking to brick walls.
Having been on the inside of a once huge dealership the millionaire owners decided to buy all the bike shops they could and at one point I think they had 20 ? Across the country. Never having to live in the real world the lady in charge allegedly wanted to make all the decisions so a lot of the dealerships managements had to refer to her ,which ment they had to phone her so she could yes /no .this was an annoying thing for someone who had never lived in the real world so on a whim she sold the lot .rich people playing with other people's living is the way of the world unfortunately. The way we are heading will push us back to the 1920s when only the rich could afford private transport, it's bicycles or buses (if you can access one ) where you live is where you are going to stay.
I'm in the US. Motorcycling here has been in decline for the last several years as the primary demographic (boomers and genX) ages out. I'm sure the dealers have very accurate figures on this, with Harley Davidson being in the worst shape. As to why younger generations haven't been getting into the hobby, variety of reasons there, mainly economic. Millenials and genZ have much higher debt/cost of living than we did, and bikes are considered to be a luxury item. Aside from initial purchase costs, they require upkeep, and a lot of kids nowadays don't know how to work on their own stuff. Vocational classes used to be a part of our primary schooling, not anymore, not in 20+ years. And when you consider newer bikes--with ECU's, EFI, CANBUS, ABS brakes (etc)--all have to go to a shop and get plugged into a computer, it's game over. My local Honda dealer charges +$120usd/hr labor for doing literally anything--I couldn't imagine owning a modern BMW. Not sure what your take is on this, but I assume your circumstances are similar. We just don't seem to have our government trying to shadow outlaw bikes with EV and ULEZ laws as yet. Enjoy your videos--ride safe!
Bikes are not a necessity, they are a luxury (for most people). When there is a recession people drop the luxury things. Add in the aging demographic of most 'bikers' and the fact plenty are giving up biking and it's no wonder dealers are struggling..
All true. But you try getting a ‘deal’ from a bike dealer. The amount of times I’ve asked for some kind of discount when I’ve bought a new bike and they just laugh at me. Also, Honda don’t do themselves any favours when I was placed on a waiting list for a particular bike. After 6 months I cancelled the order and bought a RE. Their loss.
Good morning Stuart, I will not discuss about politics, we have the same green planless situation here in Germany or Europe. According the dealership, there the situation is the same here. But very often it was/ is the fact the service work is a mess. Of course it costs money, but when you realize they do a bad job, you get angry. But nevertheless, we have to get out and ride.
I bought a benelli tnt125 as my fun toy for where I live in a congested town, my 1st service was nearly £120 plus had to travel 55 miles to get there , the parts I could've bought for £12 (1ltr oil and paper filter ) it took them 30mins . Will be doing all my own work going forward save for updates and warranty work if required. Feel very much taken advantage of by dealer. They reap what they sow
Young people are buying motorcycles, but not the sort that you have to have a licence for, put number plates on with the added cost of tax and insurance. Go for a ride through any big city and you will be see all manner of weird and wonderful electric contraptions. It does not surprise me at all that major dealerships are closing, most of the products they sell are only relevant to a diminishing number of middle aged old farts with bulging wallets, who have little time for anything that doesn’t comply with their idea of what a motorbike should be. If motorcycling has a future in the UK, it will be with less expensive or more innovative vehicles. Most of the big dealerships stock consists of irrelevant bikes for dinosaurs.
Well said Stuart…an excellent summary of the current fiasco. Also, when I started motorcycling in the 80’s it was a cheap form of transport for anyone, but now it’s a leisure pursuit so gets cut from the household budget when funds are tight.
Everything is Global Warming this Global Warming that in the UK,Jamaica now want 2 hundred million because of the slave trade 300 years ago ?????? One of the Countries some slaves went back to in Africa Sierra Leone the President declared rape a national emergency so they built themselves a wonderful Country ?????????????????
As a man in his 30s 2 years into my motorbike journey, there are a number of issues. Economic decline, wages can't keep up with cost so less people buying luxury items. High cost of entry. Cost me a good chunk on money to go from never had a bike to full bike licence. Bike insurance is insane. Poor quality road surfaces, car drivers getting so much worse as everyone is on their phone, bike theft, cost of gear, cost of servicing. That's a whole lot of negatives towards bikers with a very negative government view of bikers.
I have a list for you. 1. High insurance costs. 2. High road taxes. 3. Expensive testing to A A2 etc. 4. Expensive repair costs. 5. Dreadful roads . 6. Road congestion. 7. Dangers from vehicles not paying attention. 8 . Silly prices clothing. 9. Theft. But i ride anyway. R
Stuart, I have always enjoyed your video's over the years, I have a 2020 Triumph Bonneville T120 based on your reviews, and also purchased a Goose tent for the road! I think this video pretty much encapsulates how a small business operates, and how economies survive or fail. The economic analysis is spot on, and is what we are seeing here in the United States as far as the squeeze on profitability, and the ridership. I think market corrections teach us how to be more efficient, as well as finding new avenues to support the industry. My dealerships in the area do a pretty good job with respect to inventory, showroom, and accessories. You had mentioned the servicing of the motorcycle, and that has become more of a concern for me, as not only is the shop hour quite expensive, but the work performed is often questionable. That is the main reason I do my own maintenance, is that overfilled engine oil problems, as well as not re-assembling the body work correctly has me not going back. I did own a Honda that I had heated grips installed, the tech did a great job so I tipped him pretty good for getting it done right. Nonetheless, the people who have been around for a while in the motorcycle business are getting older, and they don't care about building the customer base as much as someone just getting started. Thanks for the video, enjoyed it and I believe you have a pretty good take on how economic policy affects business and opportunity!
Anyone else noticed we are not having kids anymore? Our fertility rates are on their arse. What youngsters we've got are glued to screens questioning their sexuality. Throw in our government that has made it so difficult and expensive for them to get a full licence this cannot be a shock.....
Stuart, you have to look at it in the round. I love my motorbike but the practicality of a motorbike is no good for say a young family you can buy a decent second hand car for the price of a good bike. A bike cold in winter, wet in the rain. As you say it is a niche market if as a young person you haven't achieved a motorbike licence which is expensive and time consuming there are other calls on your available cash. Later in life when you have more cash it's a big decision to pursue a motorbike hobby something you would have enjoyed when you where young.
Agrre with most of your points Stuart. But also adding to these issues are, pi55 poor after sales, poor p/x offers and an unbelievable attitude to potential customers. For instance I visited the local Triumph dealer near me, walked around for 45 mins, still no one asked me whether I needed help or not. When I finally found someone, he was too busy playing with his phone to be ar5ed dealing with me. Needless to say, this dealer has gone pop recently. So the factors you have discussed are a part of the problem, but dealers have a lot to answer for too.
I literally picked up my 'new t me' bike from Completely Motorbikes 3 weeks ago so my warranty is now useless. Nonetheless I feel sorry for the excellent staff who have lost their livelihood just as Christmas approaches.
So to hear but as I said to the dealer when I bought a 1999 Harley the warranty isn't worth the paper it's written on. I levered front discs out of them because they insisted on giving it a clean mot with discs that had been damaged by seized caliper pins. Fluctuation doesn't describe the effect of putting the brake on. I said you supply them and I'll walk away, and if the engine grenades tomorrow I'll own it. It's tough out there.
I was at the end of my career in 2017, having started a small business in 2012 after being made redundant in 2011. I was very lucky to receive a good offer to buy my company outright. The senior financiers & management were pleased to accept. I made sure that a good amount of the proceeds were used to pay generous bonuses to staff who’d not been founders (the latter all became wealthy) because they all lost their jobs within a one year handover new, foreign owners. I left on the closing. I was honestly proud to pay around £1.5M in capital gains tax the next year. When we’d started, I worked for around a year for no pay. It’s called “sweat equity” and you’re essentially creating value by the sweat of your efforts to get all the pieces to line up. Seed finance. A business plan. Staff. Suppliers. Premises. Patent, lawyers, trial balloon visits to potential future buyers. Negotiations with previous employer (I spun out something they had abandoned, in which I saw a new path & new use, if I was correct in my thinking, all at my risk). I was at a perfect point in my life to do this, just once. I had great people I hand picked as Co-founders and workaholic experts in their fields, both of whom were also ready to do this risky mission. It was the most exciting, exhausting, worrying thing I’ve ever done. The investors were incredible to take a chance on me, who’d never run a whelk stall, but they were persuaded by my obvious commitment and reputation for honesty and creativity. They do due diligence on you and you’ll never know what people are going to say about you in a closed room. We had several occasions when it looked like it had all gone wrong, with an equal number of light bulb rescues by one of us. It was the kind of business that’s called “build to sell”. It all comes down to whether the original idea proved correct or not (it did) and whether you could get a bidding war going (we did). A few days before Christmas 2016, we signed an agreement to sell, subject to various regulatory clearances which took a couple of months to complete. Then one day, it was finalised and I was no longer working. An odd feeling, which took a couple of years to get used to. I created the value which was taxed. I am still proud to have done it. It would have been far less stressful & uncertain just to have accepted a job offer and gone & worked for another large corporation (offers from USA and Sweden) but I was sick and tired of big companies by then. If some government thinks it can just help itself to my life savings, I’m not going to just sit there. I’m an Englishman to my core but recent governments have been a horrifying blend of incompetence and corruption. Mrs 380 & I would emigrate if there’s a smash & grab tax raid. Note that if they try something retroactive and succeed, they will do it again.
The whole biking scene has changed over the last few decades. To clarify, when I started work as an apprentice 47 years ago, we were a manufacturing country employing millions of people making things, mostly for low wages. As such, people looked for the cheapest form of transport which would be some sort of 2 wheeled transport. Millions of Honda cubs were the staple of the manufacturing employees transport. A lot of these people were bitten by the bug (like me), and progressed onto bigger machines. With the demise of manufacturing , we have had the steady decline in people introduced into biking. It isn't so much about that now, but more to do with the ridiculous prices being attached to modern machines. Then, look at the disparity of the machines price in different parts of the World, and you very quickly come to the conclusion that if you are in a supposed 'affluent' area of the World, you will be ripped off accordingly. Have a look at the price of a KTM 390 in India (where its made), and have a look at what it costs here! As previously stated, the average wages of a UK worker compared to that of a of someone in the USA, is now $20,000 less! That's how far we have slipped behind due to 'Austerity'! So, we are not so well off anymore but still the manufacturers over price machines due to that incorrect perception. The biking manufacturers are the same as the Energy company's, who are the same as the food providers who are the same as the building material providers, they are obsessed with greed and ever increasing profits. They are reaping what they sow, and deserve it. The dealers don't, they are in most cases the victim of greed!
Ice engine bike dealerships will close, Electric bike dealers will open this government is ruthless in its net zero drive hence our 15 minute cities no range power stations to recharge few and far between
Electric vehicles will never be adopted. The lithium batteries keep spontaneously bursting into flames & people are getting wise to this fact. Volvo has just reversed its decision to build electric-only vehicles & are once again making ICE vehicles. Other manufacturers will follow suit given time.
The Electric motorcycle industry is dying Energica just went under so that leaves 2 brands left, Live Wire and Zero..... not counting those crap moped scooter Chinese junk.....
Modern motorcycles are so complicated it is almost impossible to carry out one's own maintenance. They are so huge, heavy, and ugly.that they appear to have already been in a smash up. During the 60s and early 70s motorcycles, especially Japanese bikes were so pretty, chrome plated, light weight and easy to work on and maintain and repair. We need to go back to smaller simpler machines 250cc and under.
I would have thought the cost of business rents in cities (where dealerships tend to be located) would also be a contribution to their overheads increases. I don't really understand why people were buying bikes in the pandemic but I don't currently live in UK. I thought there were travel restrictions in force so where did people go on these bikes? Even in my working life (I started work in 1976) I have seen a move away from commuter biking on things like the Honda CD175 to motorcycles mainly only being bought for leisure. I was 22 before I got my first car and that was not unusual at the time.
Many people were paid via a purely American term, “furlough”, to not work for months. People’s costs fell & yet most of their income remained (if you worked a big employer or for the state). The weather in 2020 was the best spring and summer we’ve had for many years. I think the idea of a bike & the sudden affordability were the catalysts. Formal restrictions didn’t last long and most bikers did a circular route with a stop off for ice cream. Lose the stop and nobody would even notice.
True and very sad… the fifth cycle of this lunacy since 1945! Today I visited a large dealership in Colchester- half the shop is mothballed and there’s less stock than I’ve ever seem there by a large factor…I fear the writing is on the wall. I wonder what will be left if we ever get to have another General Election….. maybe I should stockpile spares for the Enfields. 😐
Hi Stuart. Some good points made. I used to live in York which had major Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki dealers, with a Yamaha dealer hidden in suburbia in Heworth. Pretty sure they're all gone now, Honda and Kwacker definitely gone. I understand why some bikers are giving up, but I cannot. Living in Yorkshire helps (as you know, being a Cod'ead ) as I can access the Dales or North York Moors easily and (don't tell anyone) also the Wolds, which are usually pretty much deserted. My K1300S is still my class A drug of choice but I also ride a 1200 Tiger XRx in an attempt to keep my licence - and my teeth, given the pothole situation. Yes, it's expensive but I don't resent money spent on my bikes, as I do money spent on the car. Riding since 1976 (RD250) I'll be 70 in March - but they'll have to prise my cold, dead hands off the 'bars one day . . .
Im a new biker, saved up and bought a mid size adventure bike im just starting to think how long can i keep it for due to the financial outlay all the time versus the reward. Im gutted at the thought.
Hello from Brazil Stuart! In a third world country the motorcycle market is mostly around 160cc, about 90%. So, your next bike will be one of these chinese small bikes.
I guess voting Reform (as I did in the last election) is our only hope. I'm sure they will be constrained & won't be able to deliver half of what they say, but I suspect they will be more tuned in to personal freedoms, personal choice - which is what motorcycling is all about. Who knows, perhaps Starmer & Miliband will impose punitive taxes on all cars & offer massive incentives for moving to 2 wheels so we could be like Vietnam. And then I woke up.........
Well done Stuart. I have a small business here in my country. The last four years, particularly the last two have been extremely difficult. The current administration immediately set about destroying our energy production upon “taking” office. Every single thing in our lives has gone up around 40 percent. The powers that be have been quite clear they want to end personal transportation. And that includes motorcycles. They will not rest until they do. The same in your country. And yet…. they continue to be voted in.
Liking your content more and more Stuart. It's good to hear things that the MM don't discuss in your videos. Several dealers about to go bust in Scotland, can't say who but it's been a challenging year for the trade and in 14 days, the masses are going to be fleeced again, harming more and more people, businesses. I've bought 3 bikes this year from local dealers to try to support them and all my gear where I can.
Totally agree with what you’re saying, I think this Labour government is going drive the country into a depression, they have not got a clue about running an economy. It’s sad to see a lot of good motorcycle dealers having to close and good business’s as well. The British 🇬🇧 people are very accepting and tolerant of all this at the moment, I wonder what would happen in France 🇫🇷 ??
We need to stop all this nonsense about a biking !season’ There is no such thing Ride whenever you want Sell the bloody car if you can and be a biker Stop treating motorcycles as overpriced toys for old men who ride five times a year Stop buying over priced heavy motorcycles that are full of electronic gadgets that no one needs and have more power than anyone can ever use Buy smaller cheaper more economical motorcycles with power that can be used on the roads we actually have and bloody well ride them Look to many other countries in the world and you can see that this is happening and motorbikes and scooters are everywhere The manufacturers clearly do not need the UK market and will manage just fine without it We will be the losers if we carry on with the madness that has become the norm in motorcycling
Try telling a dealer there is no such thing as a biking season. It's over right now. Most will be very quiet between now and the end of January. Biking season certainly does exist in the UK.
It pisses down all year in England and it's just autumn all year round in England with the occasional frosty few days and the occasional few sunny days. There's no fun riding in the rain none what so ever
At least you can buy 125s from the likes of AJS, Voge, Zontes, & others, all are cheap to buy & run, I’ve seen a Voge 125 for £2600 otr! with a 14.7 HP 4 valve water cooled engine! the Zontes range all have 14.7 HP 4 valves & again return upto 130 MPG! & some of the Voge range have the same & are capable of upto 130 MPG, you can’t have everything, at least on these 125s your unlikely to get a speeding ticket!
Of course there is a season. Is what it is. There is a boating season too. No one is buying either right now hence out of season. Local dealers here are now all selling snow mobiles and the bikes have been put away.
A well thought out and educated talk, i commented on an MCN/Yamaha video yesterday on the newly launched R9 priced at £12500, an american guy came back to me and stated he was amazed at the stealth tax's on vehicle car/m,bike purhase costs in uk,.Google states its 20% vat and 6% duty that we have to pay on top of the actual bare bones price of the vehicle i know its been going on for years but we have become blind to it,. I "rather cheekily" when i was vat regd in 1995 and running a transport company where as i could claim vat back on company purchases i included "motor cycle courier" as part of my services, it happened to coincide with me buying a brand new 1995 Yzf 750r for £8550, so i claimed the vat back and saved a significant amount of money, thankfully it never came under question,!......
This is why Main dealerships are struggling! Just for context i was trying to get a PX valuation my bike it was fully main dealer serviced it was coming up to the time for next service (January 2025) but you dont get your bike serviced then sell it especially if trading in to a main dealer! This was one of the reply’s from the dealership. With regard to the service history, it would have been due an annual service in November 23 and again now or soon. Also brake fluid renewal last year and coolant this year. As I mentioned, our part exchange valuation is based on all of these being up to date. If the 2024 annual service is due that would reduce the part exchange valuation by £250 and another £65 each for brake fluid and coolant. In a nut shell they want to knock off another £380 from the valuation, It wouldn’t cost anything like £380 to service the bike in house at a main dealership and shouldn’t they do a service on a bike before selling in there dealership? The only word i can think off is GREED and thats another reason for dealerships going out of business.
All the reasons given by yourself and others are valid but as the last three years have seen day after day of rain i’m not surprised. Cycles are having the same problem.
The weather is being manipulated almost all the time in Southeast England at least. You’d need to be astonishingly unobservant to not have noticed the dramatic change over the last year or so especially. At first when I heard about this, I assumed it was nonsense. But then I learned about how long such manipulation has been going on and recognised that what was happening where I live matched very well the images, policies, practices etc that have been deployed during wartime for many decades.
@@GT380man In earnest through winter the last three years, winter 2020 was the last normal one. It came to me in a flash as I was walking out of work November two years ago that this is not by chance. This summer I have watched a net work of contrails form over my home town and in thirty minutes the sun was gone and we had plunged 5 degrees. I have photo’s of it. My sister has photoed the same where she lives 350 miles away. I am placing bets on which month the sun finally breaks through next year, for a while at least.
good comprehensive summary Stu - you mentioned the most profit is in used bikes and I have read in several places that the second hand bike market is pretty stagnant with most people buying new - so that will be another squeeze on profits for dealers
There used to be a marvelous dealership in Portsmouth UK called Rafferty Newman, their parts service for all makes of bikes was second to none, a minimal deposit paid and parts obtained within a couple of weeks at most,, they also had a huge showroom full of used bikes from every make going, don't know what happened to them but it was a sad loss when they closed down.
Agree - Pidcock Triumph in Nottingham whereI have bought my last two Triumph biikes from closed down 2 weeks ago and they have been there for 25 years and really good guys there as well. It's pretty sad!
Well, there you go then! Thanks for those insights. I was looking forward to visiting a local dealer (3 hours travel away) to see the new BSA, for whom they have the dealership, but when I looked at their website this week - they had closed down!
When they have driven all the high street and retail park stores to close. Then they will tax the online retailers… but most will be HQ’d overseas and will have accountants working out how to avoid the taxation.
Stu, can you remember the days of the ‘pile them high, sell them cheap’ dealers such as Carnell. I purchased my Honda GL1100 from their Doncaster branch in the early 80’s. The prices were very competitive but the purchase experience and after sales service were extremely poor. Last time I visited a dealership it was to a BMW specialist when I was looking at a new GS1250. Not too bad an experience to be perfectly honest, but I had a feeling that they perceive customers as getting in the way of the smooth running of the establishment. Just my opinion.
Bike shops closed down south africa past 10, 15 years ago. Bike shops that still here look empty. Suzuki branch 20 bikes included repaired ones😢. There no new bikes on show room maybe 1 or 2. You order and drive off. No test rides unless second hand Bike. Yamaha, honda, suzuki, bmw, ktm, harley and kawazaki. I fix old vespa scoots. I have 2 scoots in my shop at moment. The biggest motorcycle gang checkers 60/60. 100s of little Chinese 125cc running around with box at the back all times of day and night. I ride for my sanity and my anxiety. I like to test and tease and enjoy anxiety in me. The mentality says car better durban. We have weather where you can wear shorts and t shirt entire year. We died when temp went below 10 degrees c. Our winter 3 weeks.
Personally I'm holding off from buying both bikes and cars due to the onset of electric vehicles. I'm making do with what i have for now, as i believe Miliband is a lunatic and will likely tax us all off the road!
You touched on the impact of weather on m/c sales. The key issue is that if annual miles ridden by the average rider drops from say three thousand miles to two, the average cost of actual miles ridden will probably been at the highest level this year when you take into account insurance and servicing costs. With the economic impact on discretionary income, the marginal cost of riding what is essentially a premium product turns it into a luxury. The demographic shift and ageing of the population is another factor in this with very few young riders. No wonder that dealerships are closing.
Dealers are in the wrong country. In UK sales are in 10.000 motorcycles per year. To achieve the full licence is confusing, time consuming and expensive. So even if you have the money and intention the goverment and system do all they have in power to Not allow to step forward. Even the CBT in the last years is like a bad joke. Insurance is just not fair in a single second.
My insurance for a Riyal Enfield Super Meteor this time last year was £219 Renewal quote was £139.75. I paid £120.75. Same company as last year. I just phoned them up gace them the details of my cheapest quote (£109.94) and let them sort it out. My other bike was £82 at Renewal. Both policies fully comp with 6000 miles.
I have'nt a clue, my Burgman 400 is also £55 a year but my Peugeot diesel 2008 is only £20 ! (at the moment) It seems the Gov departments are not speaking to each other !
Price isn’t the only factor in me not buying from the dealer. Range and/or size and delivery is probably a bigger factor. When i bought my last Shoei helmet i hunted for weeks at every dealer in town. None had the right size or colour i wanted. I finally found the helmet i wanted, but was told delivery would be about 4 months! A new pair of gloves also took 3 months, and my local RE dealer had no spare parts, so i ended up buying from overseas, delivery was less than 2 weeks!
Bikes have become expensive toys for the older biker thats got a decent job and can afford one or even two. Wherever you go to a bike meet, how old are the bikers ? 40 50 years and older. The scooters sell well because of the 'just eat' delivery crowd. It breaks my heart to see whats happened to biking over the last 40 years.its just simply too expensive for the majority of young people to take up. ( like mortgages) when i go to a bike meet nowadays, its more like a old mans meet up to see who can afford the most expensive bike to totter about the car park on. P.s. ive been riding bikes and going to meets for 50 years now. Give it another 10/15 years the bike scene will be tiny.
I actually went for finance on a new bike it was just over 3 grand and I offered to put a grand deposit but was turned down for the finance never happened before close brothers did my finance for my last bike and it was more very strange if the dealership arnt doing well.
I’ve been riding/owning bikes for 52 years, and I stopped going to dealerships when they all suddenly stopped keeping anything in stock and wanted to “order” everything for you. I can “order” anything I need from my own easy chair at home. For the premium prices they charge, dealerships are supposed to have it in stock.
I just saw your video and as a subscriber I'm always impressed with your professionalism and unbiased views. I support what your saying as I value your opinions. I've recently bought a RE 350 Classic Desert and I love it, after watching you riding around on yours and your comments I had to try one, and I'm not disappointed. David Australia
In my area a large group bought out all the local family run dealerships which was the start of the end of going into a fair and honest dealership, on one occasion I broke down and went into my local dealership and he arranged to collect my motorcycle off the road side when passing and let me know what the fault was which he did without even charging me, and to top this off I hadn’t bought the motorcycle from him, that’s what we have lost the big groups have helped to ruin our motorcycling
The internet effecting retail is damaging all ,"high street" shopping, especially as charges for rents/business rates is still high. The authorities neef to tackle from either end ie. Lowrr rates or charge internet sellers more tax, orherwise the modern highstreet will he a think of the past
I agree what you say about servicing costs of motorcycle's, little difference than a car I find at a dealer.£5k for a small new bike when I remember when they were £2k or less! People who pay more than £18k must have more money than sense! Don't think Labour are worse than the Conservatives it's just things have been terrible for years it's going to take a very long time for any improvement in the economy.
Motorcycling is dead, its going fade away over the next 10 years, killed by a combination of net zero austerity, & apathy, we the Motorcycling fraternity ( I include you tube influencer's ) have done nothing to save it, no real push back against net zero, no meaningful protests to speak of, I have attended a couple of events & been staggered about the lack of numbers in attendance. I have emailed Triumph & asked them why they haven't done more, the answer was they didn't see their roll as trying to influence government policy, talk about turkeys voting for Xmas ! Make the most of the next couple of years, after that to quote Private Fraser " we're all doomed "
Agree with your assessment! Very sad! Some triumph dealers closed down and my local triumph dealer just still going with the sales of the Triumph 400s ! Younger riders have it hard? Price of bikes license and insurance the same or more expensive then them getting a car! We got bike as teenagers because it was the cheapest form on transport! You couldn’t afford a car! Now it the same or even harder, why would teenagers want a bike?
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I left UK back in 2007 to live in the Balkans, best thing i ever did. Gov is supposed to work for the people not against them.
I wish that here in Canada we had a constitution like in the U.S.A. where you have the right to defend yourself from an unruly tyrant government and to put them in their place. Yes Mike, the government is supposed to work for the people, not the other way around. Unfortunately it's not the case with these current governments on this side of the pond. We will see what the future brings after the American elections and possibly pre Canadian elections which I doubt will happen as Trudeau does not want to step down. In just two terms, Trudeau and his Liberal cronies have destroyed this wonderful country to unprecedented levels in all aspects of society. It's all part of the elite globalists, WEF and their cronies agenda by design.
I agree what you say the government these days are just actors they can't control things because they sold everything off to foreign investors who take their profits abroad!UK is sick!
Hey, which country did you move to. Balkans are great for living thou it's very diferent from place to place
Where corruption never happens. Ever.
Australian family moved to Russia not so long ago, settled if I recall in a settlement in Siberia. They have a YT channel. In one of them maybe 4 or 5 months ago I think they said you can buy more for your Ruble than you can with the OZ Dollar in Oz.
Britain is now a Third World country, where wages have not risen in real terms, since 2008, and our governments have been operating a policy of removing citizen's wealth via Covid and Net Zero, leaving the majority with nothing to spend. The roads are literally falling to pieces and are dangerous, plus speed limits are being reduced to speeds which make riding motorcycles pointless. Allied to this the majority of motorcyclists are old men, who are a dying breed, because government policy was to discourage young people from riding, by making the acquisition of a licence harder and harder.
Wait until the EV mandate bites; it is not all doom and gloom though, look at the number of Deliveroo riders there are!
Agree. Weather manipulation also. Constantly raining. My son 21 now has ridden a bike aince he was 17 but i think he’s not the standard
Deliveroo Uber JustEat are all foreigners immigrants on scooters CBT.
Also they're not of our culture.
The Old Guys Rule White men are dying out and we were the demographic that kept the British culture going.
There's been no continuity because of immigration, Political Correctness and now Net Zero.
Weather manipulation? - More like the planet has been degraded by 8 billion humans busy cutting down all the rain forests and polluting the planet so much that it can't sustain life as we've known it for much longer. You only have to look at cars now, massive SUV's are the norm now, burning up the worlds resources at an even faster pace. Rant over!. Motorcycles at least create less damage.
@@beetleything1864 totally agree with your comment, an old fella I used to talk to years ago always said “they’re messing with the weather again” he was a bin man, worked outside all his life, I used to think he was a bit odd! but over the years I have studied the weather myself with work (construction) and pleasure (motorcycles, scuba diving & fishing I am now a believer in weather management & manipulation by an organisation to do with global warming, power & wealth
When one has to spend the whole income for rent, food and basic expenses - it's nothing else than slavery.
I buy my motorbikes and clothes, helmet etc from my local motorbike dealer. Maintenance is also done by this shop and I also order my accessories there. I can try on clothes there and I also get to test ride a new helmet first. I always try to postpone maintenance until the winter period when staff have little to do. Fortunately, there are many motorcyclists who do the same and thus we keep this great dealer in our area.
I agree and i tell my kids use local places you like ir lose them
Yep, can only speak to beemers, but while my local dealer in Sacramento used to be my go-to biz for cycle supply, nowadays my closest dealer is over 90 miles away in Las Vegas, and they won't touch any BMW more than 10 years old!
@@Batman-m8r Here in the US there are a couple of outfits selling motorcycle gear. I, personally, use CycleGear as the place to buy riding gear as it's both less expensive and well made for their own in-house brands (Sedici, Bilt and Street and Steel brands). I haven't yet but eventually will buy from Speed Addicts. They have the Icon brand full line, unlike RevZilla or CycleGear.
The staff at CycleGear make the trip there worth it and I get excellent service. I don't buy from my dealer because of limited inventory and sizes. They do get to maintain my bike as long as the warranty is in effect. I keep it clean, care for the chain and ride it. That's what it's for...
I’m 73 and ride a BMW GS 1250. I invested in the Rukka gear and the Keiss heated jacket and heated gloves. I can ride all day and never feel the cold. My bike is important to me as it keeps me motivated. I love it. 👍
I remember the 70's we had three motorcycle dealerships in the Walworth Rd (south east London) alone they were all over the place, if your parents had the money as a 16/17 year old you could hoof up to a dealership and ride away on a 250cc on an L plate. Barry Sheene posters were on your bedroom wall and going to Wimbledon speedway was popular and Crystal palace race track still had motorsports. A lot has changed in 50 years and not for the better.
The Yamaha RD250LC was THE reason that learner machines were dropped to 125cc so thanks for that, Yamaha
:-/
@@ANationalAcrobat-qj2dl The earlier Suzuki X7 was as fast, with poorer handling than the LC 250. Government had over a decade to "fix" the problem of looney two-fifties, but picked on the Yam as a sign of the times.
@@borderlands6606 I was born in 1964 & started riding motorcycles at the age of 16 in 1980. I remember the era of the LC very well. The LC left the X7 standing as it did with ALL other 250s of the day. The X7 was, in fact, not even as fast as the GT250 that it replaced.
@@ANationalAcrobat-qj2dl The X7 was the first true 100 mph off the shelf 250, although many others had claimed a ton on the clock. The LC250 was also listed as a 100 mph bike, but was faster accelerating, better handling, more solidly built and usually modified, which brought about the downfall of the hot two-fifty. I had the air cooled RD and had a go on the RD400, which was very nippy indeed.
@@borderlands6606 What you say might be what manufacturers claimed BUT I knew lads who actually owned these bikes, mate, & in the real world the LC blew the X7 clean out of the water. The X7 was so shoddily made & generally so much worse than the old GT it became a bit of a joke, mate, at least around where I lived in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
I have a small business which has been going for 34 years and this year has been the worst I have ever experienced.
TBH I don't expect to be going for much longer.
Best to knuckle down if you can, in 14 days they will hammer small business, just keep what you have if you can.
I’ve been telling people that it feels like we’ve been in a recession for the past 6 to 12 months and people think I’m insane.
@@Paulie44we've been in a recession since the crash in 2007 and its never recovered its just all the covid spending really pushed it to the front
I’m a tradesman and this year has been the worst I can remember.
@@Crosshatch1212I think Labour will literally force people to people to sell everything they own. Council tax, electricity, price of running a car. gas, groceries. Rents, will all go up sky high,
Bikes have motors. The government want motors off the roads so are encouraging high insurance costs, high training entrance fees, letting the roads go to sh it, traffic cameras everywhere etc... At the same time you can buy an electric bike or scooter and need no tax, insurance, safety gear and need not bother with rules of the road.
And no number plate or any other means of identification as you move around. Though I don’t like them, it’s quite tempting to buy a used one, providing it can be stored away from her the house and workshop. I don’t trust them on fire safety grounds and won’t put them where, if it spontaneously caught fire, it could do serious damage.
They've taken the fun out of everything
You still have to peddle an electric bike. Also governed to 15mph. Anything else illegal. As a car, bike, motorcycle rider, I get more aggressive behaviour from car drivers when on my peddle or electric cycle, hence the need for cams, front and back.
Do anything you can to keep your motor on the road...
Resistance is duty
Have sales fallen??. Does the difficulties of getting a full license put people of??.. is it the economy??. Or all these reasons. Its a shame.
Back in the 70-80 ies young people rode bikes and older people drove a Mercedes.
Now young people drive a mercedes and old people ride bikes😢
It is not just they don’t have money for a bike.
Main goal of many youngsters is the idea of becoming rich😢
The Richest man, is the one riding the Honda Wave/Innova to The Gym not the HPI Merc or BMW 👍
@@jakespeed6515do you mean Wealthy. The merc or bmw is probably on pch not hpi
These young people want to appear to be wealthy - flaunting designer brands and the obligatory Audi/Merc/BMW on PCP and showing off partying with booze and cocaine on Instagram. But this desperate illusion is only maintained by living month to month on credit. In reality they live with their parents or in an HMO, they have no financial net-worth, but just these completely twisted values of what life 'should' be like, because they believe that they deserve it and they're superior to others without those material posessions. Humility and hard work is an alien concept to them.
I spent decades working in the luxury car industry. I saw the change in the customer profile. And these young aggressive wannabees at the bottom of the food chain were far worse to deal with than truly wealthy people who were at the top of it.
Nailed it. As an entrepreneur, I'm leaving as soon as possible and have stopped all UK investment.
So you ride a Chinese bike then
@@jameshunter2993 No, a Royal Enfield, BMW, Triumph and I buy parts and bikes locally. What's your point?
Where are you going to go Steve ? Same thing is happening in New Zealand Australia Canada, USA, it's called 'THE GREAT RESET'.
@@gaza1952 This is the problem, the world is under WEF/UN control, and the only chance of escape is a Trump Presidency, which is why he has a target on his back.
While you’re not wrong in your assessment, there’s nowhere you can do where the same evil people & their supranational organisations aren’t hard at work, intentionally destroying our way of life. Not in the Developed World, at least. You might see out retirement in relative peace only by emigrating to a country that we’d term Developing Economies aka what used to be called the Third World. My pick would be one of the former Soviet satellites deep in Eastern Europe, ideally without a border with an EU country.
Your are right about one big fact. Things are economically hard all over. I live in France next to Switzerland and restaurants , hotels, clothing shops, service industry are in a tough position. Less people are buying less of everything. People have less money, and if they do, the choice of what to do has drastically changed since covid.
Ktm 390 adventure bought a year ago new. Coming up to its 3rd service at at around 9500 miles. I have spent £400.00 on two services and now they want over £500.00 to do the next service to maintain warranty. This is my 14th new bike in 16 years, since getting back into biking, and the most expensive to service. Leaves me no option but to sell the Ktm and get a classic which I will service myself. I am sure others are doing the same.
Boris Johnson would say: "Build back better".
As a current MC tech I can say that lots more of the older bikes are being readied for the road, which are far easier to work on, no need for Texa or the myriad of sensors and or authentication protocols now looming on the horizon, if you have an up to date machine you are going to need an entry code otherwise the tech will not be able to access the brains, this is not far away and why adopting the older tech will still give you some kind of freedom until they think of new ways of blocking them off of the roads as well, this is why they put the pay per mile avenue on the airways to see the publics reaction, watch out for a return on this front in the future.
I've spent the same £400.00 on two services, and it's only done three thousand miles in three years.
I work in the industry still and have noticed an uptake on older machines coming out of the woodwork, partly due to the tech driving folks in this direction, once the disposable income has reached its ceiling and the tech prohibits self goverance in the servicing paradigm moods will change.
One other aspect that the powers that be have done is to remove the wet ink service amnual with an online version, which certain makers only allow authorised dealers to access, otherwise warranties are void if the data is missing, the tech is once again rearing is clever but ugly head where servicing freedom is concerned.
I have been riding road bikes for over 40 years. What keeps me out of the dealerships is the bikes themselves - they no longer appeal to me. Styling is awful (apart from some retro models), prices are outrageous and too much tech makes them harder to maintain at home. I have a collection of bikes, mainly from the 70s and 80s which I can maintain cheaply and find parts relatively easily on line. These bikes have CHARACTER and are such a hoot to ride compared to modern offerings. Can't see myself ever buying a new bike again.
They had to add tech otherwise nothing would have changed. The styling leaves a lot to be desired on anything after 2000 really.
Four years ago I bought one of the last Bullet 500s ( in fact a Bullet 500 Trials). It's fuel injected but otherwise a really good, heavy flywheel single. Won't ever get rid of it. What a great bike it is! Characterful old world style single with added reliability.
Same. I’ve got an 81 R100 and 91 Harley softtail. New bikes are overly designed and have no rawness or character. Will never buy a bike newer than a 2008.
Absolutely agree. We don’t need phone connectivity on a motorcycle for goodness sake. I ride a 2007 Honda hornet I don’t even like abs, l learnt to ride properly and safely in the 70s. Prices are stupidly high, and who needs 150 hp in the real world. Best bike I have had over the years was a Yamaha xs650, basic twin didn’t leaked oil and plenty fast enough.
@@rogerelwynjones1366 had lots of bikes but enjoyed the bikes I had in the early years the most, real character, a simple joy, todays bikes are often just expensive unreliable gimmick clad money pits that lose too much money
I think your right about the dealerships are partly responsible for there demise, the servicing costs for a motorcycle is ridiculous just had a 1st year service done on my BMW at a cost of £280 one part of this cost was for a brake fluid change the bike is 1 year old with 3k miles on it when I questioned it they said it had to be done at year one then every two years after that.
I normally take my bikes to a independent when they are out of warranty he tests the fluid and doesn’t replace it unnecessarily. My point is doing unnecessary work just increases the cost to us.
Don't forget liability, if they hadn't checked and changed the fluid, it could come back and bite them in the arse. So they're damned if they do, damned if they don't.
I've had brake fluid in a bike and never changed it, same for a car.
I get what your saying but surely a simple test would determine whether it needed replacing and im sure within a year and 3k milage it wouldn’t need it!
@@Jack_Warner Well you need to change it as its hydroscopic. It isnt hard to do yourself.
I worked for England's oldest honda dealer for several years, their demise was partly down to pressures from Honda themselves, to stock a showroom with new machines and have the spares to back them up was astronomical to say the least, now some dealerships rent the bikes in order of stocking their showrooms which is the last nail in the new sales coffin when the final sales bill is due.
I watch a lot of 'economics' TH-cam videos and this video explains the state of things in a clearer and more succinct way than many of them.
agree, many of those other channels have an agenda.
Everything you raise can be said for the cost of living here in Australia. Politicians of all persuasions however don’t appear to be affected, amazing.
By sheer coincidence, few of them suffered from 91-divoc or the arm spears aka three dart finishes, because they never bought tickets to see Britney Spears & The Boosters.
And yes, dealers seem to be closing all over here. Either that, or dropping the lower cost, lower profit brands, and just sticking to the higher cost, higher profit European / American brands.
I have five bikes, all of them old enough to be carbureted. Will never buy a newer bike. I do all my own work on them, and buy parts online. I haven't been to a dealer for over a decade, and it's very unlikely I will ever go to one again. They have nothing I want, and parts are available elsewhere.
You are the sensible one!
Same for me, 7 bikes and I do all the work myself , I won’t miss the shiney showrooms with their fancy coffee 😂
And if you are in Hull….the slimy smarmy sales people.
Agree completely that the Government is already worse than the terrible tory one. Outside that, youngsters not getting into biking and bikers getting older. Likewise the bike mechanics are getting older. Government has no interest in any petrol vehicles and electric motorcycles are expensive and naff
I notice that the roads you travel are very well made and without massive Wild Pigs, Emu's, or even a sole kangaroo in sight, or gravel like ball bearings washed onto the road at every bend in the roads, all problems for people like me who lives in the wheatbelt area of Western Australia. We also share roads with Road trains (with up to three big trailers) with drivers presumably hurrying to find the next public toilet.
I can assure you that our East Riding of Yorkshire's roads have potholes to compete with the very best. Only last week I thought I'd seen a helmet left on the ground in a puddle - turned out to be a Shoei being worn by a 6 ft bloke standing on the pegs of his GS . . .
@Davidmcmillan8408 ...Ditto over here in the North West.
@@keithpearson7539 Same in the mid East.Lincolnshire. UK. Two wheel’s and tyres destroyed so far. We don’t all drive 4X4’s Cobber. Deathly dangerous on two wheels now. Multiple deaths but who care’s None of the Political arseholes in the UK.And the drivers get right up your backside in the UK. Multiple traffic unlike OUTBACK. Have a good one.
Good morning Stu. Another good video. In my youth a weekend pastime of me and my biker friends would be to tour all the local motorcycle dealers and drawl over the bikes we couldn’t afford. If you wanted to do that now you’d probably have to go a hundred miles. I disagree with you about Labour not having a plan. I think their plan from the start was to rob us blind, pretend to give it away but secretly keep it for themselves. As for the net zero nitwits, surely they should be promoting the use of small motorcycles.
If Net Zero wasn’t only a scam to deprive us all of liquid fuel powered, privately owned transportation, thenyes, of course they would be encouraging use of extraordinarily high mpg small bikes.
But Net Zero is utterly fraudulent in its foundations, as anyone with a modicum of the powers of reasoning can discover, if they’ve the courage to look. And it’s no fun, realising what they’re up to. Because it’s evil beyond belief.
Here in Spain is the same... Macroeconomics keep lying about per capita income and other shits, 3 banks and 2 great corporations can have half the money in the country, but the people in the street have barely enough to pay for food and house. Our 10% keep buying new cars and bikes, but our car pool is the oldest ever. Even workshops have problems, some old beaters only wants to die, no parts and no money to repair. Good thing is internet is cheap and people can stay at home, watching shorts...
I think that the motorcycle dealers closing is the warning for the overall economy. Motorcycles are luxury items for working people and no one is spending especially since the PM told us that the October budget will be painful for the majority of the population. Meanwhile the world economy bubble is about to burst.
Good video Stu. Re. The local stores closing down. As you know, I live in roughly the same area as you, so you might recognise the following story.
18 months ago, I was in the market for a new helmet and a Cardo Edge coms system. My budget was £700. I heard of a new shop opening up about 30 miles away and thought I'd pop over and give them my custom after work. I called and made sure they would be open, told them when I'd be there, all appeared fine....
I left work early and rode the 30 plus miles across the bridge only to find the shop in darkness and locked. When I rang their number to ask what happened, I was told 'That's tuff!'
It seems that some retailers don't even help themselves.
A week later. I bought not only a new helmet and Cardo system but a new pair of boots and jacket from a retailer who wanted my custom.
As for the first shop, that has now gone out of business and no doubt they are blaming Brexit!
I don't know if its worth mentioning. Actually getting a motorcycle licence now costs £1000 If I remember correctly, my bike test was £17.50).. The reason I started on bikes at 17 (i'm 59 now) was it was much cheaper than a car.. How things have changed.
I know what you mean. Nearly 6 decades ago, I got into biking by accident… I was doing up a Messerschmidt 3 wheeler for transport at 16 (as you could back then) and after reaching 16 and getting a provisional licence, thought enrolling on the local RAC/ACU scheme would be useful road experience on a school bike (3 wheeler not quite finished). After the first two Sundays riding to the course on my push bike, the bike bug had bitten, and the bubble car was sold to buy my own bike (a twenty quid 10 year old 197cc Francis-Barnett).
Financing my route to a full bike licence was all achieved from my 'Saturday job' earnings while still at school.
Hard for people with learning disabilities and anxiety
Motorcycle prices shot up with the advent of lease-purchase contracts. This financial innovation has allowed m/c manufacturers to hike up their prices to whatever they thick is affordable. This is a feasible retail model in a low interest rate economy. Lease plans and contract purchase plans do not work in a high interest rate economy.
Also, a m/c has become a luxury commodity these days, compared to 4-wheel or public transport.
These days, fewer and fewer people have the space a facility to store an maintain their own m/c.
Then there is the egregiously high insurance costs and the abysmally low payouts when your m/c is stolen, which will happen irrespective of how well it is secured. And the police inaction does not help.
So with all that going against motorcycling, there no wonder that the m/c retail industry is failing.
I honestly think that the perceived danger of motorbikes is the main reason young people in the west are not getting involved with them. Everyone they know tells them motorbikes are death traps, and when second hand cars can be had fairly cheaply there's just not enough drive for them to pursue motorcycling. In reality those people are probably right, motorbikes are very dangerous, especially on an increasingly busy road network where half of the drivers around them have the attention span of a goldfish and can't drive for 10 minutes without watching tiktok on their phone or playing with the 10" screen stuck in their dashboard. The danger of motorbiking in the city does limit how much I i do it, despite enjoying it.
Don't forget there has been ( for at least 20 years) foreign drivers over here on international licences, driving like they are in the third world. Do they take a UK test or do they go back home to renew the international licences .
One of the reasons is that in the past there were motorbike shops run by an single old bloke or a family and you could afford their services. Nowadays they are actualy commodity brokers and finance agents and you can't afford their services - like their labour charges etc.
That's a good point. My Father ran his own main dealership back in the seventies. He sold you the bike, not some clueless sales person only interested in the commission. He wrote all the HP paperwork out with the customer etc. I've bought a new enduro bike every other year until four years ago. One brand was hardly any different from the other, and very little changed on them. I just stick to my vintage bikes now.
Ah, the 1980s ..... I bought my first flat in late 1979. By Christmas the mortgage rate had gone from 11 to 15%, and BASIC rate of income tax was 33%. We never had it so good!!
Bought a brand new Honda Superdream in 1980. £999 on the road.
@@flybobbie1449
And using the bank of england inflation calculator, that would be £4165 pound in todays money.
How much does the average japanese 250cc cost these days?
I served my time in the motorcycle industry from the mid 70's to the rly 80's right at the very end of the British scene, saw the downturn in the mid 80's and then the slight upturn in the 90's, and still in the industry today, one thing that stood out is, our real life skills right across the board have been decimated; so as we are now unable to replace those left in the industry.
It has been done by design and wholey due to global redistribution practices/free trade and corporate greed of our real life skills and the creativity that came with it.
Today we have dealerships full of Easter Promise who are no longer in control of the end product, in this position there is only one "dircetion" to follow, the latter being the key word in where we are heading, only the ones who can do everything in house will be best positioned for long term survival, mobile mechanics with an engineering background being one avenue.
@DavidStevenson-gw2eo - Re your comment - "our real life skills right across the board have been decimated" - I did 12 years in the R.A.F. as a Halton trained (recognised in the aviation world as having high standards of enginering excellence!) Aircraft Engineering Technician.On getting demobbed I understood that doing 2nd line hangar work on Lightnings isn't the same as motorbikes, so I did a C&G course @ Merton College & got a distinction in all three subjects. When I got home & trying to find a job in a local bike shop. Trouble is I was married & had a mortgage to service, & what all of the shops wanted was NOT a skilled mechanic but rather some young kid they could pay peanuts to upgrade his pocket money. - So after a few months working in the "better" shop I had to face reality, give up a job I REALLY loved & get a job in a different industry where I @ least got a "living wage! Little wonder the motorcycle industry can't retain skilled maechanics - & it wasn't just the one shop with that greedy short sighted attitude !
@@jimlyon7276 I was in it from the very beginning of the Jap take over and since then trained several apprentices at other larger long term main dealers and got them up to a living wage before they were 21, this is not common for the smaller B dealerships who were in it purely for the money and not for educating the younger generation.
Today we see very small bike repair shops who have done 2 years at college and think they know it all, when in reality they have only skimmed the very surface of the motorcycle engineering paradigm, the things I have seen some of them do are apppppauling and in need several more years to get up to scratch.
Great video Stuart, and as always on the money. The incompetence doesn’t just extend to the British government but to all western governments. The Fiat currency Ponzi scheme is to blame and starting to fall apart. Things will get a lot worse before they get better.
did you ever consider it is by design?
@@John_Wood_ I think that it was all going to happen eventually and those responsible knew this and realised that the scheme was going to collapse so started the managed decline to ensure that they can milk every last drop that they could before “the great reset”. When the move from gold was made, did they know? I don’t have any idea but there must have been some idea that backing currencies with debt as opposed to tangible assets would eventually become unsustainable.
BMF pressure for the government to make the licence easy now for young riders, CBT to Full A licence even tho the riding schools will lose money. Gotta make it as simple as a car licence for the industry to survive.
Young people are the industry future.
In my opinion, all sizeable institutions have become utterly worthless and corrupt.
Without having looked, I bet if I did look, I would find the oldest and largest nominally motorcycle friendly organisations are not defending our interests at all, but taking the globalist’s shilling & selling us down the river.
Note that Western governments despise the kind of people who own & ride bikes. We are mostly middle aged to elderly, white men, working class or from working class stock when we were young, independent minded, who absolutely reject the moral relativism that is all the rage at the moment and inclined to be thoughtful about who we vote for. We haven’t fallen for the woke ideology, we know there are only two sexes & know that they’re different, that official policies towards children are truly appalling, that public “services” have been degraded and in some cases, actively dangerous and that the Net Zero nonsense is being got up for malign & worrying reasons. That the media is to be trusted about as much as the politicians. That the politicians are in bed with the corporations, etc.
Worst of all, our machines represent the last vestiges of the idea of freedom and anonymity. Only the number plate identifies our bikes, but cameras are no use in identifying who’s actually riding it. They hate all of this. To them, we are The Enemy Within.
I see it the other way around. My hunch is that we’re that bit less gullible about propaganda. We see what they’re up to and where they’re taking instructions from these days.
My post was immediately deleted by TH-cam.
I’m censored everywhere because my training, work history in a certain industry and my deductions, spoken plainly and very plausibly, is akin to kryptonite to their criminal intentions.
Exactly. I'm youngish with the money for a new bike, but not willing to take a week off work and spend 1k getting a licence when I have been driving for 20 years..
riding schools are part of the problem...most in my area are scam artists, cbt needs to a one off test, mod 1 & 2 needs to combined into one test, remove age limits. anything less will have 0 effect.
@@kass9722 dont forget your bike theory as u need to do theory for car test too
Yep, the 26% green energy tariff/tax is passed passed on to customers and it doesn't show on our bills because it's charged by the government to the energy companies.
We also pay 20% VAT on our bills which is shown on our bills.
So, literally 46% of our gas and electricity bills is tax paid to the government.
I've been telling people this, but it's like talking to brick walls.
The green tax on domestic energy is 8% and VAT on domestic energy is 5%. Do facts, not conspiracies.
Having been on the inside of a once huge dealership the millionaire owners decided to buy all the bike shops they could and at one point I think they had 20 ? Across the country. Never having to live in the real world the lady in charge allegedly wanted to make all the decisions so a lot of the dealerships managements had to refer to her ,which ment they had to phone her so she could yes /no .this was an annoying thing for someone who had never lived in the real world so on a whim she sold the lot .rich people playing with other people's living is the way of the world unfortunately. The way we are heading will push us back to the 1920s when only the rich could afford private transport, it's bicycles or buses (if you can access one ) where you live is where you are going to stay.
Hence the " 15 minute cities " plot ......
My local bike dealer, used to charge £225 for a first service, which is an oil and filter and bolt, this had risen to over £400.
Outrageous.
I agree with you motorcycle servicing is one big riff off and they wonder why young people won't buy motorcycles anymore!
Meant rip off!
Daylight Robery
Most of the motorcycle manufacturers are offering all singing dancing and very expensive bikes that are rich man play things
I'm in the US. Motorcycling here has been in decline for the last several years as the primary demographic (boomers and genX) ages out. I'm sure the dealers have very accurate figures on this, with Harley Davidson being in the worst shape.
As to why younger generations haven't been getting into the hobby, variety of reasons there, mainly economic.
Millenials and genZ have much higher debt/cost of living than we did, and bikes are considered to be a luxury item. Aside from initial purchase costs, they require upkeep, and a lot of kids nowadays don't know how to work on their own stuff. Vocational classes used to be a part of our primary schooling, not anymore, not in 20+ years. And when you consider newer bikes--with ECU's, EFI, CANBUS, ABS brakes (etc)--all have to go to a shop and get plugged into a computer, it's game over. My local Honda dealer charges +$120usd/hr labor for doing literally anything--I couldn't imagine owning a modern BMW.
Not sure what your take is on this, but I assume your circumstances are similar. We just don't seem to have our government trying to shadow outlaw bikes with EV and ULEZ laws as yet.
Enjoy your videos--ride safe!
Bikes are not a necessity, they are a luxury (for most people). When there is a recession people drop the luxury things. Add in the aging demographic of most 'bikers' and the fact plenty are giving up biking and it's no wonder dealers are struggling..
With the congestion on British roads, bikes are hardly a luxury
Motorcycle isnt a luxury or toy for me
Yes, all is true
@@joeking1019 what is the bike culture in Germany like?
All true. But you try getting a ‘deal’ from a bike dealer.
The amount of times I’ve asked for some kind of discount when I’ve bought a new bike and they just laugh at me. Also, Honda don’t do themselves any favours when I was placed on a waiting list for a particular bike.
After 6 months I cancelled the order and bought a RE.
Their loss.
Good morning Stuart, I will not discuss about politics, we have the same green planless situation here in Germany or Europe. According the dealership, there the situation is the same here. But very often it was/ is the fact the service work is a mess. Of course it costs money, but when you realize they do a bad job, you get angry. But nevertheless, we have to get out and ride.
Pidcock’s in Long Eaton are in receivership
I bought a benelli tnt125 as my fun toy for where I live in a congested town, my 1st service was nearly £120 plus had to travel 55 miles to get there , the parts I could've bought for £12 (1ltr oil and paper filter ) it took them 30mins . Will be doing all my own work going forward save for updates and warranty work if required. Feel very much taken advantage of by dealer. They reap what they sow
Young people are buying motorcycles, but not the sort that you have to have a licence for, put number plates on with the added cost of tax and insurance. Go for a ride through any big city and you will be see all manner of weird and wonderful electric contraptions.
It does not surprise me at all that major dealerships are closing, most of the products they sell are only relevant to a diminishing number of middle aged old farts with bulging wallets, who have little time for anything that doesn’t comply with their idea of what a motorbike should be.
If motorcycling has a future in the UK, it will be with less expensive or more innovative vehicles. Most of the big dealerships stock consists of irrelevant bikes for dinosaurs.
Well said Stuart…an excellent summary of the current fiasco. Also, when I started motorcycling in the 80’s it was a cheap form of transport for anyone, but now it’s a leisure pursuit so gets cut from the household budget when funds are tight.
interesting that you say its been a cold summer over in the UK. I bet the BBC gaslight everyone and state it's been one of the hottest ever
I’m sweating as l type 😂
I guess, someone wants to sell us a climate crisis.
UK weather is a moot point in global warming. We will get more cold and rain while half the world turns to desert.
@@stephanguitar9778 Wow, you really drank every drop of the Kool-Aid, didn't you? "Attaboy" from the "non existing" globalists (according to you).
Everything is Global Warming this Global Warming that in the UK,Jamaica now want 2 hundred million because of the slave trade 300 years ago ?????? One of the Countries some slaves went back to in Africa Sierra Leone the President declared rape a national emergency so they built themselves a wonderful Country ?????????????????
As a man in his 30s 2 years into my motorbike journey, there are a number of issues. Economic decline, wages can't keep up with cost so less people buying luxury items. High cost of entry. Cost me a good chunk on money to go from never had a bike to full bike licence. Bike insurance is insane. Poor quality road surfaces, car drivers getting so much worse as everyone is on their phone, bike theft, cost of gear, cost of servicing. That's a whole lot of negatives towards bikers with a very negative government view of bikers.
Absolutely spot on Stuart 👍 I totally agree with your analysis.
I have a list for you.
1. High insurance costs.
2. High road taxes.
3. Expensive testing to A A2 etc.
4. Expensive repair costs.
5. Dreadful roads .
6. Road congestion.
7. Dangers from vehicles not paying
attention.
8 . Silly prices clothing.
9. Theft.
But i ride anyway. R
Depressing as hell!! They're all getting old, and no one is replacing them.
Stuart, I have always enjoyed your video's over the years, I have a 2020 Triumph Bonneville T120 based on your reviews, and also purchased a Goose tent for the road! I think this video pretty much encapsulates how a small business operates, and how economies survive or fail. The economic analysis is spot on, and is what we are seeing here in the United States as far as the squeeze on profitability, and the ridership. I think market corrections teach us how to be more efficient, as well as finding new avenues to support the industry. My dealerships in the area do a pretty good job with respect to inventory, showroom, and accessories. You had mentioned the servicing of the motorcycle, and that has become more of a concern for me, as not only is the shop hour quite expensive, but the work performed is often questionable. That is the main reason I do my own maintenance, is that overfilled engine oil problems, as well as not re-assembling the body work correctly has me not going back. I did own a Honda that I had heated grips installed, the tech did a great job so I tipped him pretty good for getting it done right. Nonetheless, the people who have been around for a while in the motorcycle business are getting older, and they don't care about building the customer base as much as someone just getting started. Thanks for the video, enjoyed it and I believe you have a pretty good take on how economic policy affects business and opportunity!
Anyone else noticed we are not having kids anymore? Our fertility rates are on their arse. What youngsters we've got are glued to screens questioning their sexuality. Throw in our government that has made it so difficult and expensive for them to get a full licence this cannot be a shock.....
🤣
Stuart, you have to look at it in the round. I love my motorbike but the practicality of a motorbike is no good for say a young family you can buy a decent second hand car for the price of a good bike. A bike cold in winter, wet in the rain. As you say it is a niche market if as a young person you haven't achieved a motorbike licence which is expensive and time consuming there are other calls on your available cash. Later in life when you have more cash it's a big decision to pursue a motorbike hobby something you would have enjoyed when you where young.
Agrre with most of your points Stuart. But also adding to these issues are, pi55 poor after sales, poor p/x offers and an unbelievable attitude to potential customers. For instance I visited the local Triumph dealer near me, walked around for 45 mins, still no one asked me whether I needed help or not. When I finally found someone, he was too busy playing with his phone to be ar5ed dealing with me. Needless to say, this dealer has gone pop recently. So the factors you have discussed are a part of the problem, but dealers have a lot to answer for too.
well if it was the one in the west mids, the staff knew it was closing...so weren't really bothered about customers
I literally picked up my 'new t me' bike from Completely Motorbikes 3 weeks ago so my warranty is now useless. Nonetheless I feel sorry for the excellent staff who have lost their livelihood just as Christmas approaches.
Your manufacturers warranty will not be affected. Just get in touch with the manufacturer and ensure that the warranty was activated.
@@stuartfillingham It's a used bike, 2011.
So to hear but as I said to the dealer when I bought a 1999 Harley the warranty isn't worth the paper it's written on.
I levered front discs out of them because they insisted on giving it a clean mot with discs that had been damaged by seized caliper pins.
Fluctuation doesn't describe the effect of putting the brake on.
I said you supply them and I'll walk away, and if the engine grenades tomorrow I'll own it.
It's tough out there.
@@theodavies8754 If I need new discs Completely Motorbikes won't be replacing them will they.
I was at the end of my career in 2017, having started a small business in 2012 after being made redundant in 2011.
I was very lucky to receive a good offer to buy my company outright. The senior financiers & management were pleased to accept. I made sure that a good amount of the proceeds were used to pay generous bonuses to staff who’d not been founders (the latter all became wealthy) because they all lost their jobs within a one year handover new, foreign owners. I left on the closing.
I was honestly proud to pay around £1.5M in capital gains tax the next year. When we’d started, I worked for around a year for no pay. It’s called “sweat equity” and you’re essentially creating value by the sweat of your efforts to get all the pieces to line up. Seed finance. A business plan. Staff. Suppliers. Premises. Patent, lawyers, trial balloon visits to potential future buyers. Negotiations with previous employer (I spun out something they had abandoned, in which I saw a new path & new use, if I was correct in my thinking, all at my risk). I was at a perfect point in my life to do this, just once. I had great people I hand picked as Co-founders and workaholic experts in their fields, both of whom were also ready to do this risky mission. It was the most exciting, exhausting, worrying thing I’ve ever done. The investors were incredible to take a chance on me, who’d never run a whelk stall, but they were persuaded by my obvious commitment and reputation for honesty and creativity. They do due diligence on you and you’ll never know what people are going to say about you in a closed room. We had several occasions when it looked like it had all gone wrong, with an equal number of light bulb rescues by one of us. It was the kind of business that’s called “build to sell”. It all comes down to whether the original idea proved correct or not (it did) and whether you could get a bidding war going (we did). A few days before Christmas 2016, we signed an agreement to sell, subject to various regulatory clearances which took a couple of months to complete. Then one day, it was finalised and I was no longer working. An odd feeling, which took a couple of years to get used to. I created the value which was taxed. I am still proud to have done it. It would have been far less stressful & uncertain just to have accepted a job offer and gone & worked for another large corporation (offers from USA and Sweden) but I was sick and tired of big companies by then.
If some government thinks it can just help itself to my life savings, I’m not going to just sit there. I’m an Englishman to my core but recent governments have been a horrifying blend of incompetence and corruption. Mrs 380 & I would emigrate if there’s a smash & grab tax raid. Note that if they try something retroactive and succeed, they will do it again.
The whole biking scene has changed over the last few decades. To clarify, when I started work as an apprentice 47 years ago, we were a manufacturing country employing millions of people making things, mostly for low wages. As such, people looked for the cheapest form of transport which would be some sort of 2 wheeled transport. Millions of Honda cubs were the staple of the manufacturing employees transport. A lot of these people were bitten by the bug (like me), and progressed onto bigger machines. With the demise of manufacturing , we have had the steady decline in people introduced into biking. It isn't so much about that now, but more to do with the ridiculous prices being attached to modern machines. Then, look at the disparity of the machines price in different parts of the World, and you very quickly come to the conclusion that if you are in a supposed 'affluent' area of the World, you will be ripped off accordingly. Have a look at the price of a KTM 390 in India (where its made), and have a look at what it costs here! As previously stated, the average wages of a UK worker compared to that of a of someone in the USA, is now $20,000 less! That's how far we have slipped behind due to 'Austerity'! So, we are not so well off anymore but still the manufacturers over price machines due to that incorrect perception. The biking manufacturers are the same as the Energy company's, who are the same as the food providers who are the same as the building material providers, they are obsessed with greed and ever increasing profits. They are reaping what they sow, and deserve it. The dealers don't, they are in most cases the victim of greed!
Ice engine bike dealerships will close, Electric bike dealers will open this government is ruthless in its net zero drive hence our 15 minute cities no range power stations to recharge few and far between
Electric vehicles will never be adopted. The lithium batteries keep spontaneously bursting into flames & people are getting wise to this fact. Volvo has just reversed its decision to build electric-only vehicles & are once again making ICE vehicles. Other manufacturers will follow suit given time.
The Electric motorcycle industry is dying Energica just went under so that leaves 2 brands left, Live Wire and Zero..... not counting those crap moped scooter Chinese junk.....
Modern motorcycles are so complicated it is almost impossible to carry out one's own maintenance. They are so huge, heavy, and ugly.that they appear to have already been in a smash up. During the 60s and early 70s motorcycles, especially Japanese bikes were so pretty, chrome plated, light weight and easy to work on and maintain and repair. We need to go back to smaller simpler machines 250cc and under.
I would have thought the cost of business rents in cities (where dealerships tend to be located) would also be a contribution to their overheads increases. I don't really understand why people were buying bikes in the pandemic but I don't currently live in UK. I thought there were travel restrictions in force so where did people go on these bikes? Even in my working life (I started work in 1976) I have seen a move away from commuter biking on things like the Honda CD175 to motorcycles mainly only being bought for leisure. I was 22 before I got my first car and that was not unusual at the time.
Many people were paid via a purely American term, “furlough”, to not work for months. People’s costs fell & yet most of their income remained (if you worked a big employer or for the state).
The weather in 2020 was the best spring and summer we’ve had for many years. I think the idea of a bike & the sudden affordability were the catalysts. Formal restrictions didn’t last long and most bikers did a circular route with a stop off for ice cream. Lose the stop and nobody would even notice.
True and very sad… the fifth cycle of this lunacy since 1945! Today I visited a large dealership in Colchester- half the shop is mothballed and there’s less stock than I’ve ever seem there by a large factor…I fear the writing is on the wall. I wonder what will be left if we ever get to have another General Election….. maybe I should stockpile spares for the Enfields. 😐
Spot on we are heading for dark times in this cloud seeded world
Thank you dear Stuart, for not shying away from controversial subjects. Much appreciated.
Hi Stuart. Some good points made. I used to live in York which had major Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki dealers, with a Yamaha dealer hidden in suburbia in Heworth. Pretty sure they're all gone now, Honda and Kwacker definitely gone. I understand why some bikers are giving up, but I cannot. Living in Yorkshire helps (as you know, being a Cod'ead ) as I can access the Dales or North York Moors easily and (don't tell anyone) also the Wolds, which are usually pretty much deserted. My K1300S is still my class A drug of choice but I also ride a 1200 Tiger XRx in an attempt to keep my licence - and my teeth, given the pothole situation. Yes, it's expensive but I don't resent money spent on my bikes, as I do money spent on the car. Riding since 1976 (RD250) I'll be 70 in March - but they'll have to prise my cold, dead hands off the 'bars one day . . .
The motorcycle dealership where I live exists to sell nothing but 4-wheelers, dune buggies and watercraft.
Im a new biker, saved up and bought a mid size adventure bike im just starting to think how long can i keep it for due to the financial outlay all the time versus the reward. Im gutted at the thought.
Hello from Brazil Stuart!
In a third world country the motorcycle market is mostly around 160cc, about 90%. So, your next bike will be one of these chinese small bikes.
I guess voting Reform (as I did in the last election) is our only hope. I'm sure they will be constrained & won't be able to deliver half of what they say, but I suspect they will be more tuned in to personal freedoms, personal choice - which is what motorcycling is all about. Who knows, perhaps Starmer & Miliband will impose punitive taxes on all cars & offer massive incentives for moving to 2 wheels so we could be like Vietnam. And then I woke up.........
If the past 100 years has taught us anything, it's that you can't 'unfukk' the Government by Voting.
Well done Stuart.
I have a small business here in my country.
The last four years, particularly the last two have been extremely difficult.
The current administration immediately set about destroying our energy production upon “taking” office.
Every single thing in our lives has gone up around 40 percent.
The powers that be have been quite clear they want to end personal transportation.
And that includes motorcycles.
They will not rest until they do.
The same in your country.
And yet…. they continue to be voted in.
Liking your content more and more Stuart. It's good to hear things that the MM don't discuss in your videos. Several dealers about to go bust in Scotland, can't say who but it's been a challenging year for the trade and in 14 days, the masses are going to be fleeced again, harming more and more people, businesses. I've bought 3 bikes this year from local dealers to try to support them and all my gear where I can.
Budget friendly brands are still a lot more expensive than buying used .
Totally agree with what you’re saying, I think this Labour government is going drive the country into a depression, they have not got a clue about running an economy. It’s sad to see a lot of good motorcycle dealers having to close and good business’s as well. The British 🇬🇧 people are very accepting and tolerant of all this at the moment, I wonder what would happen in France 🇫🇷 ??
Idiot! Labour have only been in government for 100 days. Fool.
Very clearly and correctly stated, you are leaning on an open door with me on all it.
We need to stop all this nonsense about a biking !season’
There is no such thing
Ride whenever you want
Sell the bloody car if you can and be a biker
Stop treating motorcycles as overpriced toys for old men who ride five times a year
Stop buying over priced heavy motorcycles that are full of electronic gadgets that no one needs and have more power than anyone can ever use
Buy smaller cheaper more economical motorcycles with power that can be used on the roads we actually have and bloody well ride them
Look to many other countries in the world and you can see that this is happening and motorbikes and scooters are everywhere
The manufacturers clearly do not need the UK market and will manage just fine without it
We will be the losers if we carry on with the madness that has become the norm in motorcycling
its not nonsense
Try telling a dealer there is no such thing as a biking season. It's over right now. Most will be very quiet between now and the end of January. Biking season certainly does exist in the UK.
It pisses down all year in England and it's just autumn all year round in England with the occasional frosty few days and the occasional few sunny days. There's no fun riding in the rain none what so ever
At least you can buy 125s from the likes of AJS, Voge, Zontes, & others, all are cheap to buy & run, I’ve seen a Voge 125 for £2600 otr! with a 14.7 HP 4 valve water cooled engine! the Zontes range all have 14.7 HP 4 valves & again return upto 130 MPG! & some of the Voge range have the same & are capable of upto 130 MPG, you can’t have everything, at least on these 125s your unlikely to get a speeding ticket!
Of course there is a season. Is what it is. There is a boating season too. No one is buying either right now hence out of season. Local dealers here are now all selling snow mobiles and the bikes have been put away.
A well thought out and educated talk, i commented on an MCN/Yamaha video yesterday on the newly launched R9 priced at £12500, an american guy came back to me and stated he was amazed at the stealth tax's on vehicle car/m,bike purhase costs in uk,.Google states its 20% vat and 6% duty that we have to pay on top of the actual bare bones price of the vehicle i know its been going on for years but we have become blind to it,. I "rather cheekily" when i was vat regd in 1995 and running a transport company where as i could claim vat back on company purchases i included "motor cycle courier" as part of my services, it happened to coincide with me buying a brand new 1995 Yzf 750r for £8550, so i claimed the vat back and saved a significant amount of money, thankfully it never came under question,!......
This is why Main dealerships are struggling! Just for context i was trying to get a PX valuation my bike it was fully main dealer serviced it was coming up to the time for next service (January 2025) but you dont get your bike serviced then sell it especially if trading in to a main dealer!
This was one of the reply’s from the dealership.
With regard to the service history, it would have been due an annual service in November 23 and again now or soon. Also brake fluid renewal last year and coolant this year. As I mentioned, our part exchange valuation is based on all of these being up to date. If the 2024 annual service is due that would reduce the part exchange valuation by £250 and another £65 each for brake fluid and coolant.
In a nut shell they want to knock off another £380 from the valuation, It wouldn’t cost anything like £380 to service the bike in house at a main dealership and shouldn’t they do a service on a bike before selling in there dealership? The only word i can think off is GREED and thats another reason for dealerships going out of business.
that is interesting! watch fridays video!
'You will own nothing but you are supposed to be happy.'
All the reasons given by yourself and others are valid but as the last three years have seen day after day of rain i’m not surprised. Cycles are having the same problem.
The weather is being manipulated almost all the time in Southeast England at least.
You’d need to be astonishingly unobservant to not have noticed the dramatic change over the last year or so especially.
At first when I heard about this, I assumed it was nonsense. But then I learned about how long such manipulation has been going on and recognised that what was happening where I live matched very well the images, policies, practices etc that have been deployed during wartime for many decades.
@@GT380man In earnest through winter the last three years, winter 2020 was the last normal one. It came to me in a flash as I was walking out of work November two years ago that this is not by chance. This summer I have watched a net work of contrails form over my home town and in thirty minutes the sun was gone and we had plunged 5 degrees. I have photo’s of it. My sister has photoed the same where she lives 350 miles away. I am placing bets on which month the sun finally breaks through next year, for a while at least.
good comprehensive summary Stu - you mentioned the most profit is in used bikes and I have read in several places that the second hand bike market is pretty stagnant with most people buying new - so that will be another squeeze on profits for dealers
I had a house key cut yesterday at a well-known supermarket for £9 the whole process was less than a minute
There used to be a marvelous dealership in Portsmouth UK called Rafferty Newman, their parts service for all makes of bikes was second to none, a minimal deposit paid and parts obtained within a couple of weeks at most,, they also had a huge showroom full of used bikes from every make going, don't know what happened to them but it was a sad loss when they closed down.
Agree - Pidcock Triumph in Nottingham whereI have bought my last two Triumph biikes from closed down 2 weeks ago and they have been there for 25 years and really good guys there as well. It's pretty sad!
Well, there you go then! Thanks for those insights. I was looking forward to visiting a local dealer (3 hours travel away) to see the new BSA, for whom they have the dealership, but when I looked at their website this week - they had closed down!
I wonder when the politicians decide to put a large levy onto online sales (and delivery) over and above our ridiculous rate of VAT ?
When they have driven all the high street and retail park stores to close. Then they will tax the online retailers… but most will be HQ’d overseas and will have accountants working out how to avoid the taxation.
Also, the business (and domestic) rates are constantly being pushed up.
Hence, boarded up shops
Stu, can you remember the days of the ‘pile them high, sell them cheap’ dealers such as Carnell. I purchased my Honda GL1100 from their Doncaster branch in the early 80’s. The prices were very competitive but the purchase experience and after sales service were extremely poor. Last time I visited a dealership it was to a BMW specialist when I was looking at a new GS1250. Not too bad an experience to be perfectly honest, but I had a feeling that they perceive customers as getting in the way of the smooth running of the establishment. Just my opinion.
Bike shops closed down south africa past 10, 15 years ago. Bike shops that still here look empty. Suzuki branch 20 bikes included repaired ones😢. There no new bikes on show room maybe 1 or 2. You order and drive off. No test rides unless second hand Bike. Yamaha, honda, suzuki, bmw, ktm, harley and kawazaki. I fix old vespa scoots. I have 2 scoots in my shop at moment.
The biggest motorcycle gang checkers 60/60. 100s of little Chinese 125cc running around with box at the back all times of day and night. I ride for my sanity and my anxiety. I like to test and tease and enjoy anxiety in me. The mentality says car better durban. We have weather where you can wear shorts and t shirt entire year. We died when temp went below 10 degrees c. Our winter 3 weeks.
Personally I'm holding off from buying both bikes and cars due to the onset of electric vehicles. I'm making do with what i have for now, as i believe Miliband is a lunatic and will likely tax us all off the road!
I couldn't agree more with your analysis . Spot on well done Stuart .
Keep up the great video.
You touched on the impact of weather on m/c sales. The key issue is that if annual miles ridden by the average rider drops from say three thousand miles to two, the average cost of actual miles ridden will probably been at the highest level this year when you take into account insurance and servicing costs. With the economic impact on discretionary income, the marginal cost of riding what is essentially a premium product turns it into a luxury. The demographic shift and ageing of the population is another factor in this with very few young riders. No wonder that dealerships are closing.
Dealers are in the wrong country. In UK sales are in 10.000 motorcycles per year. To achieve the full licence is confusing, time consuming and expensive. So even if you have the money and intention the goverment and system do all they have in power to Not allow to step forward. Even the CBT in the last years is like a bad joke. Insurance is just not fair in a single second.
My insurance for a Riyal Enfield Super Meteor this time last year was £219
Renewal quote was £139.75.
I paid £120.75. Same company as last year.
I just phoned them up gace them the details of my cheapest quote (£109.94) and let them sort it out.
My other bike was £82 at Renewal.
Both policies fully comp with 6000 miles.
Can anyone explain why my 350 RE costs £55 a year to tax and my BMW 320D cost £35 a year?
I have'nt a clue, my Burgman 400 is also £55 a year but my Peugeot diesel 2008 is only £20 ! (at the moment) It seems the Gov departments are not speaking to each other !
Price isn’t the only factor in me not buying from the dealer. Range and/or size and delivery is probably a bigger factor. When i bought my last Shoei helmet i hunted for weeks at every dealer in town. None had the right size or colour i wanted. I finally found the helmet i wanted, but was told delivery would be about 4 months! A new pair of gloves also took 3 months, and my local RE dealer had no spare parts, so i ended up buying from overseas, delivery was less than 2 weeks!
Bikes have become expensive toys for the older biker thats got a decent job and can afford one or even two. Wherever you go to a bike meet, how old are the bikers ? 40 50 years and older. The scooters sell well because of the 'just eat' delivery crowd. It breaks my heart to see whats happened to biking over the last 40 years.its just simply too expensive for the majority of young people to take up. ( like mortgages) when i go to a bike meet nowadays, its more like a old mans meet up to see who can afford the most expensive bike to totter about the car park on. P.s. ive been riding bikes and going to meets for 50 years now. Give it another 10/15 years the bike scene will be tiny.
I actually went for finance on a new bike it was just over 3 grand and I offered to put a grand deposit but was turned down for the finance never happened before close brothers did my finance for my last bike and it was more very strange if the dealership arnt doing well.
Another factor is you just cant park a decent bike anywhere without fear of it being stolen or vandalised ...hardly any bikes around my area
I’ve been riding/owning bikes for 52 years, and I stopped going to dealerships when they all suddenly stopped keeping anything in stock and wanted to “order” everything for you. I can “order” anything I need from my own easy chair at home. For the premium prices they charge, dealerships are supposed to have it in stock.
💯 %, spot on Stuart.
I just saw your video and as a subscriber I'm always impressed with your professionalism and unbiased views.
I support what your saying as I value your opinions.
I've recently bought a RE 350 Classic Desert and I love it, after watching you riding around on yours and your comments I had to try one, and I'm not disappointed.
David Australia
In my area a large group bought out all the local family run dealerships which was the start of the end of going into a fair and honest dealership, on one occasion I broke down and went into my local dealership and he arranged to collect my motorcycle off the road side when passing and let me know what the fault was which he did without even charging me, and to top this off I hadn’t bought the motorcycle from him, that’s what we have lost the big groups have helped to ruin our motorcycling
The internet effecting retail is damaging all ,"high street" shopping, especially as charges for rents/business rates is still high. The authorities neef to tackle from either end ie. Lowrr rates or charge internet sellers more tax, orherwise the modern highstreet will he a think of the past
I agree what you say about servicing costs of motorcycle's, little difference than a car I find at a dealer.£5k for a small new bike when I remember when they were £2k or less! People who pay more than £18k must have more money than sense! Don't think Labour are worse than the Conservatives it's just things have been terrible for years it's going to take a very long time for any improvement in the economy.
Motorcycling is dead, its going fade away over the next 10 years, killed by a combination of net zero austerity, & apathy, we the Motorcycling fraternity ( I include you tube influencer's ) have done nothing to save it, no real push back against net zero, no meaningful protests to speak of, I have attended a couple of events & been staggered about the lack of numbers in attendance.
I have emailed Triumph & asked them why they haven't done more, the answer was they didn't see their roll as trying to influence government policy, talk about turkeys voting for Xmas !
Make the most of the next couple of years, after that to quote Private Fraser " we're all doomed "
Like car manufacturers never try to influence government policy 😂
Relax. You're witnessing a cyclical change in the economy like back in 2007, but like it always does, it bounces back eventually. Rinse and repeat.
Agree with your assessment! Very sad! Some triumph dealers closed down and my local triumph dealer just still going with the sales of the Triumph 400s ! Younger riders have it hard? Price of bikes license and insurance the same or more expensive then them getting a car! We got bike as teenagers because it was the cheapest form on transport! You couldn’t afford a car! Now it the same or even harder, why would teenagers want a bike?