sT - Let me get a can of refried beans and I'll sit next to you and be an old fart too....Originally Posted by SimonTemplar
Things do change - and adapting & overcoming adversity at the individual level has always made Americans great.
Time to change a bit more towards that mentality, IMH(AWI)O.
2WFM - Mike, having met you and broken bread with you, I'd say that any kid you willingly associate with has their act together. My guess is that you mentor those you know and guide them down a great path. Well done by you.
Just like motorcycling all too often contains metaphors for life, are Harley's financial situation and the lack of interest in motorcycling telling us that the Inner Spirit of a majority of Americans is shying away from adventure and exploration?
Is "taking a risk" now synonymous with outlaws?
Another point of view to ponder: from a "motorcycle rider generator" perspective, I'm seeing more and more middle aged (35-55 yo) people in the classroom, wanting to learn to ride.
Usually a new, middle aged rider is going through another mid-life crisis, job change, spouse change, whatever.
The are no longer being 'restricted' by whatever and want to live life a bit louder.
Also, for most people, the motorcycle is a secondary form of transportation - a toy, if you will.
Have Americans stopped acquiring and playing with toys? Because of lack of money? I don't think so. It's an inner change.
Yes, for some riders, it is their only owned source of transportation, but in my experience, new riders are looking at riding as recreational, not as an option to get from A to B.
Of course, with Uber, Lyft, public transport, taxi, etc, that's very understandable - they don't NEED wheels to get around, they are content to 'rent on demand'.
Hmmm. "On demand" services. I don't like the word "demand." How about "Immediately Rentable"? "Conveniently Available"?
The word 'demand' implies so much more is going on. People who demand things are often seen as egotistical rat ba$tards.
Yet we have "on demand" entertainment, "on demand" transportation, "on demand communication" and a slew of other things in the "instant gratification" category.
I think it's the "instant" thing that's effectively driving young people away.
They cannot get a Driver's License instantly - it requires some prep.
They cannot get a Motorcycle endorsement instantly - unless you live in Alabama, but I digress - for most states it requires you actually sit in a class and demonstrate proficiency, mentally and physically.
They cannot use their iPhone to get your bike out of the garage, T-CLOCK itself, warm up, get your proper gear on, and get in the right frame of mind to ride - it requires some prep and time management.
They cannot drive through the local coffee house and get a to-go cup - must make coffee at home - more prep time.
They cannot have a physical conversation, that takes mental prep time and it's just easier to type a text, review it (minimizing initial mental prep time), and then launch it.
A more basic example: too many people do not know how to prepare food from scratch. It requires some learning, a few tools, and prep to go shopping to get the right ingredients. Oh, and take the time to actually cook, although in reality actual cooking time is less than 30 minutes...
The younger generation seems to put more value on saving time by opting to contract-out tasks for which previous generations didn't have the technological opportunity.
And for this, they NEED their iPhones.
I know that in the long term, for me, it's not as cost-effective to contract out most services (especially coffee making).
You can use an "app" to have you ride waiting, your coffee waiting, your haircut waiting, your prepared food waiting, and even your groceries waiting for pickup.
So what is all that telling us as a society?
As "old farts" we know that time is money. And you cannot buy time. We wish we had more time.
Young adults are using technology to save themselves time. Did we inadvertently teach them that?
How can Harley (and other motorcycle manufacturers) appeal to this mindset?
I don't have the answers, but I know what works for me.
Maybe they don't have the answers either, but they know what works for them.
And us old farts enabled their workarounds, actively & passively.
Time to go to my very expensive Jura E-8 coffee machine and get another gourmet cup of coffee - but I will have to empty the grounds all by myself.
Cheers,
Steve
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