This year particularly ive noticed (despite the wet weather) an increasing number of young people getting into bikes, today I was at a huge gathering in Essex & although the interest in my early machine was from people 50+ yrs old, there were a huge number of younger riders, has it suddenly become trendy again? Im regularly seeing more than ive seen at any time in 20yrs, is it just me?
Has there been an explosion in motorcycling uptake ?

That's good if it is happening Fred. I've just got home from the Wednesday Bikers Nite. Hundreds of people, the average age must be 40-50+. Not many people under that age unfortunately. People seem to be getting bikes again later in life (born again bikers)or just getting into it for the first time. No gangs of rowdy teenagers on bikes "like what I was"
I hope you're right and maybe it will spread West

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

Well I noticed in the spring a huge increase in illegal bike use by kids in the back lanes & scrubland & ive had to stop a few times in my van to put them straight (ie help them get the things running/quick lessons in basic mechanics) but that early interest must be leading to uptake when old enough, I do live in an area of high motorcycle ownership anyway, but yes im pleased to see it too.

I just returned from the Mid Ohio Vintage Bike meet and historic bike races, one of the largest of its kind in the USA. The theme was Mods and Rockers, with a display of tasty cafe racers in the paddock. Our group, Bribike.com, has a small informal show and we were attended by a dozen or more young men and women riding Triumphs and sporting the rocker look, down to the hairstyles and boots. They were full of questions for the geezers, and definitely admired our bikes.

Jeff

email (option): jjbandoo@aol.com

I took my son and 3 of his friends to Normandy this year each on a WD bike and they are all 23 years old. They had a great time and do the maintenance on their bikes. John

Hi Fred,
I am 36 years old (or young..) and I am a vintage motorcycle enthusiast for 20 years now. I must admit that at most events I am still the youngest, but I'm putting more than 200% of my energy in trying to make people enthusiastic about this fantastic hobby. Most of my 'motorcycle loving' friends are working on classic Japanese ones. Who can't blame them as these bikes are part of their own life history.
I think one of the big benefits of internet is that a lot of information is visible and can be shared to make this hobby more accessable and interesting, especially WW2 allied bikes as their history is well documented.
Regards,
Sven

email (option): snvosselman@hotmail.com

Large events are a great help..Members of the public both young and old enjoy the spectacle and of those looking a percentage think...'I love that..I'm going to get involved'....The Government (idiots) might not be able to see beyond thier predjudice, but bikes have given me a lifetimes interest and some good friends..They've also kept me poor for years (like most addictions) but do currently earn me a living as well (just)...What's not to like? ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

I write for a motorcycle trade magazine, and I can tell you that the number of newcomers into biking is DECREASING. The reasons include general unemployment, complex bike test regime, health and safety issues, lack of storage, other social preoccupations (internet and online gaming), high cost of insurance (albeit cheaper than cars), cheaper price of cars these days, lack of access to finance, and the increase in cheap cycles and growth of cycling lanes.

Young people simply aren't getting into biking the way they used to. Not by a long way. There might well be a few more kids at bike events (although I haven't seen that for myself), but on the showroom floor, youngsters are an endangered species.

The only real area of growth is scooters, and largely in metropolitan areas. But the scooter buyers are from "across the board"; usually people simply looking for cheaper commuter transport.

One final point: plenty of dealers are simply shutting up shop due to rising costs, and that's made access to motorcycles just that little bit harder for many, especially in rural areas.

email (option): dannydefazio@sumpmagazine.com

If the Government take a consistently 'anti' policy on anything they will ultimately stifle it with the twin strategies of making it more and more expensive and more and more complicated (difficult) to achieve.
High unemployment, a low wage economy for many with less disposable income than in the past and the worst recession since they put the 'clever people' in charge don't help much either..Sadly Danny, you are right...Welcome to life in an Authoritarian society as opposed to a Democracy..Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

I'm 24 and have owned classic motorcycles since I was 18.

I personally can't say here in Australia we have many younger people interested in older motorcycles but there is definitely a selection of young men in particular whom, like myself, are disillusioned with the way some modern technology complicates our lives unnecessarily, and that some older ways of doing things are not necessarily bad ways of doing things, I firmly believe a better life for myself and our civilisation would be had if we adopted the can do spirit of our resourceful forefathers to employ smarter more sustainable & resourceful principles to the way we design, define and maintain everything in our lives.

Through old bikes I can imagine what it would have been like to have lived in an era when men were men and bikes were bikes, I admire the resourcefulness and practicality of the men and women or eras now long gone, people were frugal then, they didn't waste much, they lived simpler lives and were more involved with more aspects of their every day lives.

I find little more in live more rewarding then coming to terms with every mechanical facet of my old bikes and repairing, modifying, engineering and reassembling these mechanical systems to correct working order. it's a simple pleasure really.

Huge youth unemployment can seriously affect attitudes to transport choice.
I started the thread as a question. But as far as my own opinion I predict a motorcycling uptake surge similar to the early 1980's .....
You read it here first

You may well be right Fred..a cheap 'whizzer' is still the most cost effective way to get on the road (unaccompanied), isn't too pricey to run...and crucially some of those people will acquire a taste for the experience..
The recession may yet turn out to have a silver lining...That and the collapse of the EEC before we are entirely engulfed by it (or anyone deigns to ask us if we want to be) ..Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

I hereby unanimously accept the collapse of the EEC proposal.

Dont know about a youth revival regarding bikes ,but out for a ride the other day and saw two lads pushing their track bike back home both covered in mud, took me back to my own youth riding down disused railway lines etc, old bikes were cheap and some people even gave them to you . I had to push the things home as well on the road and sometimes the local police would stop and give you a ear bashing. Happy days Dave