I tend to agree that an ATV, snowmobile, 4 wheel golf cart, even a boat is a great local toy and can consume all your free time and focus. Just as a dirt bike can. Even a vintage bike or cruiser can fall into this category of use. But if you tour, whether on a hard tail, a soft tail, a touring bike, and adventure touring or a gold wing, it’s a different experience. The focus because less about the activity or performance of your machine and more about the experience. Not better or worse, but different.

Only one other activity restores my soul like a long ride. Solo or two up, or with our best friends. Now I love these other activities, enjoy the performance of good equipment, whether hauling out an elk in deep snow, catching bass, flying through the woods on two, of even hitting a small white ball with a bent stick. Just that a long ride, days is a restorative activity for me.

Last post, as I’m out of here in a few for the better part of two weeks. Still deciding whether I’ll bring my eyepad. Be nice to be totally off line for a journey. Oh, I have a phone, credit card, tools and knowledge if I break down. I’m not stupid about technology! Just don’t need it.

Im on the black touring Harley, I’ll wave if I see you, unless you are riding with 10,000 other bikes. My arm gets tired after 50 or so.

 

You have zero clue.

People put hundreds of miles on. Travel all over,ho touring. Bar to bar.

They have changed from aggressive off road tires to aggressive trail tires so they can put those miles on. I still got off road.. wouldnt mind a set of trail tires or another machine for it.

Myself I went to a couple bars yesterday.

I would say it's replacing snowmobiling for some. People trailer them from city to country and spend weekend or week riding.

I still say as rule of thumb anyone giving up their bike for this, was probably going to give up bike no matter what. It's more family oriented with 4 seaters.

Myself I am not a big trail rider I like being in the woods. I don't do a lot of bar hopping. Few times a year. Being somewhere no one has been for decades since last logged, maybe over 100 years or more is a certain feeling.

Most people are just on the trail network, town to town, ect. Similar to snowmobiling. But not always same trails due to farming, wet, different land use in summer.

 

Snowmobiling last 20 years has gotten to be more touring with luggage too. Where myself, even when took it somewhere, I went back there at night.

Reminds me I got to put my trail stickers on mine

 

I live in Arkansas there is literally thousands of miles of trails and back roads to take them . The Pig Trail Hiway 23 is a famous ride in my area. The last time I went up it there were more SxS on it than bikes alot more . Row after row of them cutting in and out of the trails off the Pig Trail . It's far from taking them in your back yard . Like I said go to a bike dealer in my area and see what their selling it's not motorcycles with the exception of Harleys .

 

I guess a better question is are metric bike sales down. Or has the way or places buy them changed?

I can see off road being huge part of sales at power sport dealers. I know more people with sleds and ATVs. Always have. Never thought about,but not sure bigger selection of off-road than street bike is new. Obviously depending on area.

Power sports have grown to large showrooms last 20-30 years. Though so have Harley, I suppose


When Harley starts selling sxs I will take note

 

This is what I went to a couple of years ago as fun as any rally I've been too . I don't know about other areas but in mine SXS are what's killing motorcycle sales . Even the salesman at the Harley dealers know it , ones exact words were everyone is spending there money on SXS instead of bikes . We have 3 local biker hangouts 5 years ago we would pull in anyone of them and there would be several bikes in the parking lot . Now you will be lucky to see one or two . I'm 62 and I can tell the biker crowd is getting smaller every year.

 

Where I am from smaller town rural area, there was not Harleys growing up. Now you see them more. Not as much as other areas, maybe income maybe short sessions.

But flip side a lot of people have off road vehicles. But most of them never had a bike anyways not even Harley dealers around. Maybe see more indians

Sure if you only have so much money,you have to choose. Maybe this is cutting into Harley for yuppie sales. Wives like sxs more, can take kids and not all women ride

I think cutting into snowmobiles,which for some is hobby you trailer and get motels for too. But don't always have snow. Plus sleds have gotten expensive.

I just don't see them as same group. I didn't grow up wanting an ATV. Granted they were rare then.

I think some people can't afford both, and you could disect that. But I stand by, the typical guy selling his bike,was going to say I don't ride enough, summers to short,wife doesn't like it, ect

 

I guess I stand by what I saw friends selling their bikes to try something different and these were long time Harley riders . We have the perfect set up in Arkansas for both great riding for a motorcycle and tons of off roading for the SxS . As far as metric dealers go there are several in my area with 90% of their inventory ATVs . And then there's the huge Polaris dealer that puts them all to shame .

 

I'm in the Southwest and sxs are all over the place.
Unlike a motorcycle sxs are great for getting families together. They'll load up the toy hauler or just tents and toys and go to Glamis, Moab, or just put down stakes in the thousands of acres of BLM ground.
Families, cousins, friends, old and young play all day then sit around a campfire at night. About the best social gatherings out there anymore.
.

 

Up here perfect too. Lots of public land, Forest roads, logging roads, in the north. I would say most of the toy people I know have sleds, sxs, and seadoos. With a shorter riding season.

The rural areas in general have smaller motorcycle community. I think it has gone up last 20 years

Southern part of the state they are letting sxs on roads. I don't have any interest in that. This area has lots of bikers. Now they don't have the extensive trail network as north does.

Not a direct comparison for many reasons. The trips I have made to the south, there were was more metric. I attribute that due to money. Everything was cheaper when I went there 15-20 years ago. Maybe income and cost of Harleys have changed. Maybe more jobs moving down there, not as poor as it used to be.


I have also in my life seen many people stop riding. Most of the people I rode with 20 years ago sold them, or dead.

People I ride with now, I just don't see selling their bikes for an ATV. Some do own them.