I worked in the motorcycle trade for 48 years as a mechanic and yes it's right that manufactures do dictate to their dealers what they can and cannot do. In the 1970's the firm I worked for fancied adding Kawasaki to their multi franchise dealeship, Kawasaki at that time wanted solus dealers only, hence the Kawasaki Centers. I remember the Honda 5 star dealership days and the workshop being painted out in red and white, until Suzuki found out and they wanted the wall with their tool boards on painted in their colors. It's all gone too far now with the price of machines anyway and leasing is a crap idea. It's the small shops with second hand machines, low overheads and no manufactures to doff their caps to that will survive these times.
It is a portfolio of events, an aging market demographic, complicated and expensive to even get on a bike, lack of interest from younger demographic, expensive new bikes, I could go on but it would just depress me even more.
The technological crap foisted upon us (I'm 61) p1sses me right off and as such I am reluctant to buy most modern bikes. Furthermore, the cost of a decent new bike is now so high I would rather buy a used Bentley.
@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne I agree, bikes overloaded with electronic crap I didn't, don't or won't want or need. With bikes over £ 30k, they can park em where the sun don't shine. I'm 65, my sports bike days are over, last year I bought the bike I quite liked in 2000's but for later life. An 04 orange Tiger 955i with hard luggage. Happy days.
I used to always have 5 or so bikes, in the garage from the 70s; usually one that was new, or nearly so, the rest vintage or second hand and a project or two. Now they are all old and vintage and thus my visits to the dealers diminished to the point now where its MOTs only for a couple of them. Servicing, I do. Parts I get online. About to retire and I might splash out on a new machine for once. Dealers though could not survive with occasional customers like me unfortunately. & Not forgetting the Labour party doing their level best to make sure you will never have any spare cash ever again.
We’ve lost a local BMW dealer and two Harley Davidson dealerships, in a matter of months. I can remember my first bike, it was a KH250, loved it, it was my daily workhorse, then progressed to the Suzuki Katana, now I own a Harley. It’s extremely sad, to see these dealers closing shop, I remember going to my local dealer, who had an array of different brands and models, always fancied the Z1300, but couldn’t afford it, The younger generation these days, are not interested.
Competing with what a government can afford to pay is driving the cost of everything beyond what an honest wage can keep up with. That and having to subsidise everything that goes out the door without being paid for.
Motorcycles are seen and marketed as luxury items and the ones we see here in UK are so complex, that it is quite dificult for Joe Public to mend his own bike. So we buy a bike for the same price as a small car, we pay somebody to look after it, we dont really ever use it for anything except for when we want to dress in leather and follow each other around being world champion on weekends. So instead of the motorbike being something we use to get to work and back, its now something we treat like a season ticket for a football club. A motorcycle has become a luxury which we dispose of very quickly when the family gets bigger, electricity goes up, we dont get a pay rise etc.
In the 60s it was fighting rockers that was to decline motor cycling, in the 70s oil crisis, in the 80s not bad, 90s 100 bhp limits proposed, very high Japanese prices (circa 98) noughties, eu type approval,leaded fuel ban , moving on, e10 anti- tampering etc etc etc etc.. non of it as ever affected my 50 love affair with riding a bike, so ill just carry on regardless 😊😊
Same happened in the late 80s and 90s. It's definitely a lack of disposable income for most. Maybe that's why buying and repairing Cat N bikes off eBay is so popular? On a side note, it's great to see more women getting into bikes. Looks like it's the latest thing for young women on social media. Perhaps the smaller middle weight bikes are perfect for that demographic and for older riders. Ride safe
Everything is against us, after riding nearly 35 years I often think maybe it’s time to forget it. On the right day, once in a while it all comes together though and I know why I stick with it, but it is getting harder. No end of dealers I’ve used over the years have gone, long gone.
40 years ago nearly all bikes could be fettled at home or on your front pavement. Not now ….. horrendous workshop fees force me to only ride carb bikes now. If riders could service their own bikes they wouldn’t need to buy new ones.
I used to work in a main dealer in sales. I'm really not sure where people get the idea about "greedy dealers". Many of them are simply just making enough to survive. Who are the "greedy dealers?" It costs a fortune to run, heat, furnish, insure and staff a showroom and workshop. I just don't know where the basis for the criticism even comes from.
The very recent finance ruling for vehicles has seen a number of finance companies suspend new business. I know it's hitting the car world hard and assume the same for bikes. I don't know how it will pan out but higher charges and tighter criteria would seem locgical. Whatever happens there will be less money available to go round.
Just look at those attending, for example, the NEC bike show... paying over £30 (plus a ridiculous car parking charge!) to see what manufacturers are shoving in the showrooms a few months later! There's no deals there, the clothing and accessories etc. are available for less online. I have a few bikes, I was recently quoted over £400 for a service and MOT on one... they only will top up the oil... environmental reasons... people wonder why they're closing. I'm not surprised, the UK market for sales and service was bonkers years ago.
I visited the NEC bike show last year specifically to get some decent cheap gear as well as view the bikes. I actually enjoyed seeing the bikes but could not find anything cheap in the clothing sections etc. Meanwhile I find the price of decent new bikes so mind-blowingly expensive I would rather put the money towards a Bentley.
I've not noticed a problem. I bought a new RE Classic350 and pimped it all for less than £5k, some on v.low % finance. Loads of good, used bikes going cheap, and the bottom's dropping out of the 'vintage' bike market as only us older bikers will tinker with them and enjoy doing so. My 13yo granddaughter already has my first leather biker jacket from when I was 20yoa, and I'm teaching her basic bike servicing.....a chip off the ol' block.
you only have to look on companies house at the profit margins to give a massive clue - my kawasaki dealer is part of the wheels group - 22/23 they made £350K profit from a £16M turnover - 23/24 they only made £58K from a similar turnover, now that's a big drop - I do hope they stay afloat
the licence is the main issue got my a2 at 22 paid near 1k to do it and left it there as not paying again to get full entitlement and then the thievs you loose faith when your garage gets ransacked and the police couldent care less just get a crime number to pass onto insurence then insurence near doubled for me just not worth the cost as much as i loved it ill stick to offroad riding
I got my 2 most recent bikes thinking with them being Suzuki and Yamaha, that I'd have good dealership support... seems like now my Aprilia has the best support as I no longer have a local dealership for the Japanese bikes. The manufacturers need to do more to protect and support the dealership network, people will just not buy a new bike if there is no where local that they can get them serviced and maintain the warranty.
Always pay a deposit on a credit card, IIRC if the dealer goes bust you're covered for up to £30k. It's a number of factors, all negative that are responsible. As you've said a declining ageing customer base, higher interest rates for the PCP boys, bike prices going up since covid, insurance going up, thefts being a constant problem and crap weather doesn't help either. We're all dooooomed
Sorry if my comment came across as sarcastic it wasn’t meant that way! It’s just I hear that comment a lot about people only buying second hand because they would loose to much if they buy new, buying new I find saves me money if you buy at the right time, I do buy used sometimes if it’s a little exotic bike but for daily ride I tend towards new👍
You're gonna wear that bike out mate‼️😲😁 I think the 15-20k latest bikes are ridiculous price. I mean, ABS, Fine, traction control, maybe but who the hell needs launch control, anti wheelie etc etc on the road 🤔 As for the youngsters on scooters, most of them just steal bikes , rag them then burn them🤬 I like to support my local bike shop. Not always the cheapest but they always do good by me so i spend my money there👍
DCT, ABS, QS, TC, Blipper, crappy-bitch exhaust, power modes, heated seats, heated grips, USD forks. FFS I want a BIKE not a technological masterpiece. Hence I stick with my 1991 Kawasaki Voyager xii
Your vlog hits the nail on the head regarding the demographics. It’s now cheaper & easier for youngsters to pass their car test & pick up a decent old car for a few thousand. Why would they spend thousands trying to pass a bike test with a cbt then a full bike test which then only allows a restricted bike. If government don’t encourage motorcycling with youngsters, by making it cheaper for them to access then it’s going to be a one way decline as we older riders disappear. It’s good to see the Chinese bikes shaking up the market with some decent bikes at much more sensible prices.
the bikes are TOO EXPENSIVE.. and big dealerships have lost that cozy feel like they are on YOUR side trying to help you keep rolling.. they are just franchises looking at £ targets.. i only go in main dealerships to look at the bikes.. i wont ever let main dealer touch my bike.. too expensive and we have suffered 2 incidents of complete mugging off.. ive learnt my lesson.. i now have royal enfield 650 for weekends .. i can fix it myself... and 300 scooter for commuting.. i can fix it myself...
Too many bikes chasing too few buyers, fiscal uncertainty, cost, a bit of everything isn't it! Especially when most bikes seem to come up at 30% or more off at a year old with a few hundred miles on. Look at those BSA's
In 1976 I bought a GT750 water cooled for about £1100. the average wage at this tine was about £70 a week or £3,600 a year. Therefore I could buy 3 super bikes per year or 2 BMWs, back then they WERE a premium product . And the average wage now is about £27,000 ....... Hmmmmmmm
@@funkygrib1 Blimey you had a good job 👍 back in 1976 I was earning £30 per week as an apprentice electrician 🙄 I think bike are so expensive now because of all the electronics they have now.
@@BikeMates Internet example ! I was an apprentice on about £21 a week also 🙁, I don't really accept all this Tech is expensive ? 2 analogue clocks plus bits and bobs will cost more than a TFT just look at the Aiomi or summat system, GPS, car play, 2 camaras, tyre pressure monitors , 5" TFT for £130 Tech isn't just for consumers it reduces manufacturing costs (BMW pressed steel frame, stronger, better, longer lasting and BMW do know how to press chassis out ! ) In the 2000s the Japanese went to Stainless Steal exhaust pipes. Cost ? £2 more for materials ? Massive improvement for very little cost. Things do move on but it still 2 wheels a frame and an engine. The Honda auto system Tech. on the new 650 cost a premium of only £150. Manufacturing is still down to labour, materials and energy costs as it always has been. Mind, 20% tax for the pleasure of purchasing does not help ! 20% of 5k is 1k but 20% of 20k is 4k it mounts up like.
@@funkygrib1 you can get a more powerful, lighter and better handling bike to the GT750 now for around £9k so prices are similar yet the bikes are better. If they were to try and make an exotic superbike that had the same performance as a current Fireblade in 1976 it would cost far far more than it does now in equivalent money terms.
@@HippoDrones Thats a fair point BUT the GT was a super bike at the time ! Gt750, CB750, Z1, Jota, Ducati 860 these were the super bikes, as for a 9k bike now ? I would expect a 500 to be better than all the above with nigh on 1/2 a centaury of technological advancement ! we flew piston engine spitfires in the late 40s, we were on the moon in the late 60s performance improves but a bike is still a frame an engine and 2 wheels. The Indians and Chinese are kicking and they still turn a profit. makes you think. The CF moto 800 IS a KTM but fully kitted out, if you spec the KTM to be equivalent it is X2 the price. BTW this is NOT only a cycle thing check car prices out over the last 40 years. I bought a car in 2020 it is 50% more this summer when I looked at trading it !(That's what started all this for me)
@@funkygrib1 I absolutely agree... and I think if all the Euro 4 / 5 / 5.5 / 6 were to do one, then our bikes would be a world cheaper and ride better and be lighter. The Chinese turn a profit because they are state sponsored and they have the advantage of shere numbers they can sell to their own people. They have also had no issues in stealing other manufacturers ideas and making them their own to cut down on R&D costs. The new Honda Hornet 1000 SP is a seriously good bike for the money at under £10k, I'd have one in a snap if I liked inline 4 engines more.
pretty much nailed it, I have saved the money for a new bike but with the way the economy is right now where I live, its very risky to spend that money on a toy. I am just keeping my current bike
It isn’t all doom and gloom. Manufacturers such as Royal Enfield, Voge, CF Moto, are seemingly doing well. The market needs more budget friendly bikes, with less electronics, and reduced servicing costs. The demand for lower capacity bikes also appears to be on the rise. I guess that our crowded roads, and high insurance costs, are meaning that to many, big bore bikes just aren't worth looking at.
The UK is the worst (even tho I love riding in rain) economic country for motorcycles. In America its the best conditions. There is also alot more young americans getting into motorcycles over there. Unlike in the UK hardly any young riders are entering the market. The uk average rider age 54.
Well I must admit when my local Honda dealer closed I laughed a great deal….they did not treat me well, to say the very least, when I bought a new machine from them. I will never buy from a main dealer ever again. They only have themselves to blame, poor management, poor customer care. I have no sympathy for them. Buy a secondhand and find a reputable bike shop to service it (if you can’t do it yourself)
Don’t forget the crappier roads and the general standard of driving making it less pleasurable. Luckily I’m not far away from that ferry across the channel.
Motorcycling was a man’s of transport, cheap bikes, cheap repairs. Demographic of youth making it too hard and too expensive to succeed old codgers like me. Bikes are now computers. We dont need it as it adds£££ and awful repair bills. Uk is a minor market in the world. Thanks uk govt
Because many have become too greedy, in my opinion. Adim fee £95? Delivery £200? This that and the other! I only buy my bikes off of the small business. I get to know them personally, have a chat, have a coffee. It's part of the motorcycling world and family. I definitely wouldn't buy anything from a young sales guy who knows very little about anything these days frankly. No,no. I only buy honda, yamaha, and suzuki anyway for the last 45 years. I wouldn't ever go near a company selling cheap makes that's for sure. I research anything motorcycle related, and stories are not good about these cheap Japanese bikes coming through now.
It’s a good job there are people like me who do buy new otherwise people like you would have nothing to buy! Maybe it’s time for the “never buy new brigade” to step up to the table for once “ then maybe motorcycling would have a chance to carry on!
Or do a Cuba and start backstreet industries completely restoring old bikes, but with upgrades to brakes and suspension. Consumption is not necessarily good.
You just said it yourself at the start of your video, the season is nearly over. The U.K just doesn’t have the favourable climate. I’m also one of those ones like you that only rides 6 months of the year. So combine that with the economic factors it’s a nail in the coffin. You go to Asia and bike business is booming year in year out, it’s their no 1 mode of transport especially in south east asia. The U.K. bike scene isn’t anywhere near the vibe like in Asia. You can literally step outside of your hotel and next door hire a Motorcycle with ease, some places you don’t even need a license. The U.K is just shit.
@@BikeMatesit's to blame for everything. But don't mention the 30k+ new people in the country so far this year. And the fact Europe isn't doing great either. Plus the labour government are intent on turning the UK into the 3rd world
Poor old dealers ? My local dealer offered me five grand for my 1098s against eleven and a half for a gsxr 1000. I I sold the 1098 privately for seven grand, and bought the same model gsxr for nine and a half privately. Theyre taking advantage of peoples need for finance to make massive profits. Maybe these dealers are victims of their own greed.
I worked in the motorcycle trade for 48 years as a mechanic and yes it's right that manufactures do dictate to their dealers what they can and cannot do. In the 1970's the firm I worked for fancied adding Kawasaki to their multi franchise dealeship, Kawasaki at that time wanted solus dealers only, hence the Kawasaki Centers. I remember the Honda 5 star dealership days and the workshop being painted out in red and white, until Suzuki found out and they wanted the wall with their tool boards on painted in their colors. It's all gone too far now with the price of machines anyway and leasing is a crap idea. It's the small shops with second hand machines, low overheads and no manufactures to doff their caps to that will survive these times.
It is a portfolio of events, an aging market demographic, complicated and expensive to even get on a bike, lack of interest from younger demographic, expensive new bikes, I could go on but it would just depress me even more.
The technological crap foisted upon us (I'm 61) p1sses me right off and as such I am reluctant to buy most modern bikes. Furthermore, the cost of a decent new bike is now so high I would rather buy a used Bentley.
@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne I agree, bikes overloaded with electronic crap I didn't, don't or won't want or need. With bikes over £ 30k, they can park em where the sun don't shine. I'm 65, my sports bike days are over, last year I bought the bike I quite liked in 2000's but for later life. An 04 orange Tiger 955i with hard luggage. Happy days.
I used to always have 5 or so bikes, in the garage from the 70s; usually one that was new, or nearly so, the rest vintage or second hand and a project or two. Now they are all old and vintage and thus my visits to the dealers diminished to the point now where its MOTs only for a couple of them. Servicing, I do. Parts I get online. About to retire and I might splash out on a new machine for once. Dealers though could not survive with occasional customers like me unfortunately.
& Not forgetting the Labour party doing their level best to make sure you will never have any spare cash ever again.
We’ve lost a local BMW dealer and two Harley Davidson dealerships, in a matter of months.
I can remember my first bike, it was a KH250, loved it, it was my daily workhorse, then progressed to the Suzuki Katana, now I own a Harley.
It’s extremely sad, to see these dealers closing shop, I remember going to my local dealer, who had an array of different brands and models, always fancied the Z1300, but couldn’t afford it,
The younger generation these days, are not interested.
Competing with what a government can afford to pay is driving the cost of everything beyond what an honest wage can keep up with.
That and having to subsidise everything that goes out the door without being paid for.
Everything to do with bikes is too expensive.
Motorcycles are seen and marketed as luxury items and the ones we see here in UK are so complex, that it is quite dificult for Joe Public to mend his own bike. So we buy a bike for the same price as a small car, we pay somebody to look after it, we dont really ever use it for anything except for when we want to dress in leather and follow each other around being world champion on weekends. So instead of the motorbike being something we use to get to work and back, its now something we treat like a season ticket for a football club. A motorcycle has become a luxury which we dispose of very quickly when the family gets bigger, electricity goes up, we dont get a pay rise etc.
In the 60s it was fighting rockers that was to decline motor cycling, in the 70s oil crisis, in the 80s not bad, 90s 100 bhp limits proposed, very high Japanese prices (circa 98) noughties, eu type approval,leaded fuel ban , moving on, e10 anti- tampering etc etc etc etc.. non of it as ever affected my 50 love affair with riding a bike, so ill just carry on regardless 😊😊
Same happened in the late 80s and 90s. It's definitely a lack of disposable income for most. Maybe that's why buying and repairing Cat N bikes off eBay is so popular? On a side note, it's great to see more women getting into bikes. Looks like it's the latest thing for young women on social media. Perhaps the smaller middle weight bikes are perfect for that demographic and for older riders. Ride safe
Everything is against us, after riding nearly 35 years I often think maybe it’s time to forget it. On the right day, once in a while it all comes together though and I know why I stick with it, but it is getting harder. No end of dealers I’ve used over the years have gone, long gone.
40 years ago nearly all bikes could be fettled at home or on your front pavement. Not now ….. horrendous workshop fees force me to only ride carb bikes now. If riders could service their own bikes they wouldn’t need to buy new ones.
Perhaps dealer greed has finally caught up with them 😊
I used to work in a main dealer in sales. I'm really not sure where people get the idea about "greedy dealers". Many of them are simply just making enough to survive. Who are the "greedy dealers?" It costs a fortune to run, heat, furnish, insure and staff a showroom and workshop. I just don't know where the basis for the criticism even comes from.
@@Trev350agreed, people are clueless how much it costs to run a business these days, everyone wants everything as cheap as possible
The very recent finance ruling for vehicles has seen a number of finance companies suspend new business. I know it's hitting the car world hard and assume the same for bikes. I don't know how it will pan out but higher charges and tighter criteria would seem locgical. Whatever happens there will be less money available to go round.
Just look at those attending, for example, the NEC bike show... paying over £30 (plus a ridiculous car parking charge!) to see what manufacturers are shoving in the showrooms a few months later! There's no deals there, the clothing and accessories etc. are available for less online.
I have a few bikes, I was recently quoted over £400 for a service and MOT on one... they only will top up the oil... environmental reasons... people wonder why they're closing. I'm not surprised, the UK market for sales and service was bonkers years ago.
I visited the NEC bike show last year specifically to get some decent cheap gear as well as view the bikes. I actually enjoyed seeing the bikes but could not find anything cheap in the clothing sections etc.
Meanwhile I find the price of decent new bikes so mind-blowingly expensive I would rather put the money towards a Bentley.
You do,I don't...ways and means...work out how things work ,and work out a solution...3 day for free, and i wasn't in the Scania, it's free too 😂
I've not noticed a problem. I bought a new RE Classic350 and pimped it all for less than £5k, some on v.low % finance. Loads of good, used bikes going cheap, and the bottom's dropping out of the 'vintage' bike market as only us older bikers will tinker with them and enjoy doing so. My 13yo granddaughter already has my first leather biker jacket from when I was 20yoa, and I'm teaching her basic bike servicing.....a chip off the ol' block.
you only have to look on companies house at the profit margins to give a massive clue - my kawasaki dealer is part of the wheels group - 22/23 they made £350K profit from a £16M turnover - 23/24 they only made £58K from a similar turnover, now that's a big drop - I do hope they stay afloat
the licence is the main issue got my a2 at 22 paid near 1k to do it and left it there as not paying again to get full entitlement and then the thievs you loose faith when your garage gets ransacked and the police couldent care less just get a crime number to pass onto insurence then insurence near doubled for me just not worth the cost as much as i loved it ill stick to offroad riding
@@mmadmitch yes all very sad but true facts of life these day.
No wonder you are 'mad' mitch. I would be mad after all that.
I got my 2 most recent bikes thinking with them being Suzuki and Yamaha, that I'd have good dealership support... seems like now my Aprilia has the best support as I no longer have a local dealership for the Japanese bikes. The manufacturers need to do more to protect and support the dealership network, people will just not buy a new bike if there is no where local that they can get them serviced and maintain the warranty.
Always pay a deposit on a credit card, IIRC if the dealer goes bust you're covered for up to £30k. It's a number of factors, all negative that are responsible. As you've said a declining ageing customer base, higher interest rates for the PCP boys, bike prices going up since covid, insurance going up, thefts being a constant problem and crap weather doesn't help either. We're all dooooomed
@@Bazza47 ohh blimey feeling quite depressed now 🙄
Only one thing left to say………Don’t Panic 😂
Sorry if my comment came across as sarcastic it wasn’t meant that way! It’s just I hear that comment a lot about people only buying second hand because they would loose to much if they buy new, buying new I find saves me money if you buy at the right time, I do buy used sometimes if it’s a little exotic bike but for daily ride I tend towards new👍
@@flysurfer108 Whatever keeps you riding a bike is good for me 👍
I only ride for pleasure these days, due to being old and broken 😂
Ride safe 👍
I buy new but I've had my bike 10 years now and paid it straight off.
You're gonna wear that bike out mate‼️😲😁
I think the 15-20k latest bikes are ridiculous price. I mean, ABS, Fine, traction control, maybe but who the hell needs launch control, anti wheelie etc etc on the road 🤔
As for the youngsters on scooters, most of them just steal bikes , rag them then burn them🤬
I like to support my local bike shop. Not always the cheapest but they always do good by me so i spend my money there👍
DCT, ABS, QS, TC, Blipper, crappy-bitch exhaust, power modes, heated seats, heated grips, USD forks. FFS I want a BIKE not a technological masterpiece. Hence I stick with my 1991 Kawasaki Voyager xii
its the insurance cost, If you are under 30 and don't have a garage, good look insuring anything new.
Your vlog hits the nail on the head regarding the demographics. It’s now cheaper & easier for youngsters to pass their car test & pick up a decent old car for a few thousand. Why would they spend thousands trying to pass a bike test with a cbt then a full bike test which then only allows a restricted bike. If government don’t encourage motorcycling with youngsters, by making it cheaper for them to access then it’s going to be a one way decline as we older riders disappear. It’s good to see the Chinese bikes shaking up the market with some decent bikes at much more sensible prices.
@@andrewpaton8819 Well said that’s exactly what I think 🤔
Ride safe 👍
And India !
I'm probably part of the problem . Riding 36 years and only ever bought one bike new.
the bikes are TOO EXPENSIVE.. and big dealerships have lost that cozy feel like they are on YOUR side trying to help you keep rolling.. they are just franchises looking at £ targets.. i only go in main dealerships to look at the bikes.. i wont ever let main dealer touch my bike.. too expensive and we have suffered 2 incidents of complete mugging off.. ive learnt my lesson..
i now have royal enfield 650 for weekends .. i can fix it myself... and 300 scooter for commuting.. i can fix it myself...
Too many bikes chasing too few buyers, fiscal uncertainty, cost, a bit of everything isn't it! Especially when most bikes seem to come up at 30% or more off at a year old with a few hundred miles on. Look at those BSA's
@@GlynOC Spot on there my friend 👍
In 1976 I bought a GT750 water cooled for about £1100. the average wage at this tine was about £70 a week or £3,600 a year. Therefore I could buy 3 super bikes per year or 2 BMWs, back then they WERE a premium product . And the average wage now is about £27,000 ....... Hmmmmmmm
@@funkygrib1 Blimey you had a good job 👍 back in 1976 I was earning £30 per week as an apprentice electrician 🙄
I think bike are so expensive now because of all the electronics they have now.
@@BikeMates Internet example ! I was an apprentice on about £21 a week also 🙁, I don't really accept all this Tech is expensive ? 2 analogue clocks plus bits and bobs will cost more than a TFT just look at the Aiomi or summat system, GPS, car play, 2 camaras, tyre pressure monitors , 5" TFT for £130 Tech isn't just for consumers it reduces manufacturing costs (BMW pressed steel frame, stronger, better, longer lasting and BMW do know how to press chassis out ! ) In the 2000s the Japanese went to Stainless Steal exhaust pipes. Cost ? £2 more for materials ? Massive improvement for very little cost. Things do move on but it still 2 wheels a frame and an engine. The Honda auto system Tech. on the new 650 cost a premium of only £150. Manufacturing is still down to labour, materials and energy costs as it always has been. Mind, 20% tax for the pleasure of purchasing does not help ! 20% of 5k is 1k but 20% of 20k is 4k it mounts up like.
@@funkygrib1 you can get a more powerful, lighter and better handling bike to the GT750 now for around £9k so prices are similar yet the bikes are better.
If they were to try and make an exotic superbike that had the same performance as a current Fireblade in 1976 it would cost far far more than it does now in equivalent money terms.
@@HippoDrones Thats a fair point BUT the GT was a super bike at the time ! Gt750, CB750, Z1, Jota, Ducati 860 these were the super bikes, as for a 9k bike now ? I would expect a 500 to be better than all the above with nigh on 1/2 a centaury of technological advancement ! we flew piston engine spitfires in the late 40s, we were on the moon in the late 60s performance improves but a bike is still a frame an engine and 2 wheels. The Indians and Chinese are kicking and they still turn a profit. makes you think. The CF moto 800 IS a KTM but fully kitted out, if you spec the KTM to be equivalent it is X2 the price. BTW this is NOT only a cycle thing check car prices out over the last 40 years. I bought a car in 2020 it is 50% more this summer when I looked at trading it !(That's what started all this for me)
@@funkygrib1 I absolutely agree... and I think if all the Euro 4 / 5 / 5.5 / 6 were to do one, then our bikes would be a world cheaper and ride better and be lighter.
The Chinese turn a profit because they are state sponsored and they have the advantage of shere numbers they can sell to their own people. They have also had no issues in stealing other manufacturers ideas and making them their own to cut down on R&D costs.
The new Honda Hornet 1000 SP is a seriously good bike for the money at under £10k, I'd have one in a snap if I liked inline 4 engines more.
pretty much nailed it, I have saved the money for a new bike but with the way the economy is right now where I live, its very risky to spend that money on a toy. I am just keeping my current bike
It isn’t all doom and gloom. Manufacturers such as Royal Enfield, Voge, CF Moto, are seemingly doing well. The market needs more budget friendly bikes, with less electronics, and reduced servicing costs. The demand for lower capacity bikes also appears to be on the rise. I guess that our crowded roads, and high insurance costs, are meaning that to many, big bore bikes just aren't worth looking at.
The UK is the worst (even tho I love riding in rain) economic country for motorcycles. In America its the best conditions. There is also alot more young americans getting into motorcycles over there. Unlike in the UK hardly any young riders are entering the market. The uk average rider age 54.
Well I must admit when my local Honda dealer closed I laughed a great deal….they did not treat me well, to say the very least, when I bought a new machine from them. I will never buy from a main dealer ever again. They only have themselves to blame, poor management, poor customer care. I have no sympathy for them. Buy a secondhand and find a reputable bike shop to service it (if you can’t do it yourself)
Don’t forget the crappier roads and the general standard of driving making it less pleasurable. Luckily I’m not far away from that ferry across the channel.
with makers telling you to have fancy glass showrooms , , forcing targets , e.t.c. would not do this even at gun point ;;
😅£5000 for a new Yamaha YSR125 seriously !!!!!!
And don't forget...£2500 on top of that to insure it. That's why 125 sales have collapsed
I think the cost of a motorcycle is completely ridiculous, even used bikes cost as much as a new one did 5 or 6 years ago
Motorcycling was a man’s of transport, cheap bikes, cheap repairs. Demographic of youth making it too hard and too expensive to succeed old codgers like me. Bikes are now computers. We dont need it as it adds£££ and awful repair bills. Uk is a minor market in the world. Thanks uk govt
Because many have become too greedy, in my opinion. Adim fee £95? Delivery £200? This that and the other! I only buy my bikes off of the small business. I get to know them personally, have a chat, have a coffee. It's part of the motorcycling world and family. I definitely wouldn't buy anything from a young sales guy who knows very little about anything these days frankly. No,no. I only buy honda, yamaha, and suzuki anyway for the last 45 years. I wouldn't ever go near a company selling cheap makes that's for sure. I research anything motorcycle related, and stories are not good about these cheap Japanese bikes coming through now.
It’s a good job there are people like me who do buy new otherwise people like you would have nothing to buy! Maybe it’s time for the “never buy new brigade” to step up to the table for once “ then maybe motorcycling would have a chance to carry on!
@@flysurfer108 It all boils down to finances or lack of in my case.
Ride safe 👍
Or do a Cuba and start backstreet industries completely restoring old bikes, but with upgrades to brakes and suspension. Consumption is not necessarily good.
Might be the price
You just said it yourself at the start of your video, the season is nearly over. The U.K just doesn’t have the favourable climate. I’m also one of those ones like you that only rides 6 months of the year. So combine that with the economic factors it’s a nail in the coffin. You go to Asia and bike business is booming year in year out, it’s their no 1 mode of transport especially in south east asia. The U.K. bike scene isn’t anywhere near the vibe like in Asia. You can literally step outside of your hotel and next door hire a Motorcycle with ease, some places you don’t even need a license. The U.K is just shit.
Did you mean “Why ARE so many motorcycle dealers going bust”?
@@andyhewitt7588 yes well spotted 😂
they'll be even more going bust after this budget.
@@stevetaylor8698 that is a certainty!!
Been 2 france definitely in recession
End of riding session..?, you want to just wear more clothing.. as for informative video.. ot really was 2p worth. Cheers for the upload.
Because they sell KTM’s .. 🤣
Weather manipulation - constant rain - living getting more expensive - no matter what ANYONE says it's now a luxury item...........
I've been trying to cut my grass for 3 years but it keeps raining 🌧
My bike is a workhorse rain or sun. Its not a toy to me I use it everyday
@ amen brother 🙏
@ weather manipulation
@steve00alt70 is it cheaper than running a car though.
Drop your greedy prices and stop all the silly tech, hey presto we will buy.
Insurers , licensing, and depending on where you live bike thieves.
@@125ZJK Very valid points indeed!!
Don't mention brexit whatever you do.
@@Lar308 no definitely not going down that road 😂
@@BikeMatesit's to blame for everything. But don't mention the 30k+ new people in the country so far this year. And the fact Europe isn't doing great either. Plus the labour government are intent on turning the UK into the 3rd world
@@chrishart8548yeah yeah yeah, so you say.
Poor old dealers ? My local dealer offered me five grand for my 1098s against eleven and a half for a gsxr 1000. I I sold the 1098 privately for seven grand, and bought the same model gsxr for nine and a half privately. Theyre taking advantage of peoples need for finance to make massive profits. Maybe these dealers are victims of their own greed.