I travel to Europe quite often and I agree with your observation. Scooters, mopeds and tiny cars are the norm for daily transportation since there is very limited parking space in the major cities, they virtually park on top of each other.
I have friends that are part of very large Goldwing Clubs in France, Belgium, Spain, Germany and Italy. My guess is that they ride the scooter during the week and the GoldWings on the weekends Gasoline prices in Europe at $11 - $12 per Gallon will discourage many from using the Big Bikes for a daily rider.