What are we doing to encourage younger generations to ride?

When interviewing a dealer recently, the topic of younger riders came up. He felt that as an industry, we’re not doing enough to encourage new, younger riders. Unfortunately, I think he’s right.

As someone who just recently became a 30-something, I feel like had I not grown up around motorcycles and had I not joined the industry, nothing would compel me to ride.

Let’s look at my group of friends, for example. About half of us haven’t had kids yet, and pretty much everyone makes a decent living. I only have four friends who have ever owned or ridden a motorcycle. One bought his about four years ago and still rides, another had his Ninja for about 10 years before selling it this summer (he didn’t replace it), a third had to sell his used Honda after he and his wife had twins, and a fourth has always wanted a chopper but hasn’t pulled the trigger. My completely girly, non-motorsports best friend had a serious interest in buying a scooter from a private seller, until she had a wipeout during a test ride. She stuck with her car for her two-mile commute after that.

So what is the motorcycle industry doing to woo me, my somewhat interested friends and my friends who could, at the moment, care less about riding? From what I’ve seen, very little.

Sure my group of friends is just a subset of Gen Y, but we are one of those subsets.

What do we need? 

Your messages on social media. Most of us are logged onto Facebook somewhat frequently – but a Facebook page alone won’t do the trick because we won’t know about your dealership if we don’t care. You’ll probably have to advertise or cross-market with other companies we already like to reach us. 

Your presence at non-industry events. Sure, it seems logical to showcase your brand at an area motorcycle expo, a local motorcycle show, a swap meet, or club meeting. Those are great ideas! But are they going to reach the non-riders from Gen Y? Not so much. For example, the IMS show is in Minneapolis this weekend. Of course I’m going, but are any of my friends? I can almost positively say no. But how many of my friends go to events such as minor and major league sporting events, the state fair, concerts, community fairs, the mall and other places? Sure, your leads from those types of events may not have the quality that a motorcycle show lead does, but how are you going to expose new people to your brand, if they never see motorcycles, ATVs, side-by-sides, scooters and PWC in their faces? 

Your information on affordability. My generation is a group that was just starting their careers as the recession began. We’re very cognizant of our money. Fewer of us own houses than ever before, and parties are held to celebrate paying off a car or one of many student loans. You have to show us that getting into the powersports industry is affordable and worth the expense. 

A unique experience. Like I said earlier, only about half of my friends have kids, however many are couples, and we’re always looking for something different to do on the weekends. We easily get bored with the same old things, and not only do we want to try something different, but we also like getting out and about and being actively involved in activities. If you have your own demo track, offer no-pressure demo rides, or find a local riding area to do the same. Maybe throw an offer on Groupon or LivingSocial as a deal and see what happens. My husband and I recently spent a full weekend doing Groupon activities. One of them was going to a gun range. It was a new experience for me, and yet I left feeling a huge rush and a yearning to do it again. Don’t you want potential Gen Y customers to feel the same after leaving an experience with you? 

Your respect. This is HUGE! Have you seen the Nationwide Insurance commercial with the kids being ignored? Adults don’t want to feel like that at your dealership. No matter how hard anyone tries to not stereotype others, we all do it. And younger generations always look younger as we get older. Ever see a kid driving a car and wonder if he’s 12 rather than 16? Think about the female that just walked into your dealership; did you assume she was an irresponsible 18-year-old because of how she looked, or what she wore? Maybe she was a 28-year-old professional with few obligations, a bunch of extra cash and the need to fulfill a lifetime dream of being a motorcyclist. If you didn’t respect her, I can almost guarantee you lost her business. Respect everyone who walks in your door, regardless of what any stereotypes may be telling you.

There could be a bunch more things I could list. The above are what I know from my experience, from my subset of same-age friends. For your market, I suggest you ask what younger non-riders are looking for. Maybe you’re in Silicon Valley and you need to do something tech-friendly to get non-riders’ attention. Or maybe you’re in the Midwest, where doing something indoors in the cold winter may not be a bad idea (even if you’re trying to eventually get them outdoors snowmobiling). Find a way to gather a wide range of people from a non-riding younger demographic, host a focus group and then act on some of their suggestions. If we don’t replenish the industry, what’s going to become of it 10, 20, 30 years down the road?

Liz Keener is the managing editor of Powersports Business, a trade magazine for the powersports industry. She reports on the powersports industry through Powersports Business’ varied media, including in the magazine and online. She assembles the brand’s three-times-a-week e-news and handles a variety of assignments for the magazine. Powersports Business is known for its exclusive national dealer surveys, in-depth industry analysis, Power 50 dealership honors program and dealership conference, Powersports Business Institute @ AIMExpo.

Contact: lkeener@powersportsbusiness.com
Website: www.powersportsbusiness.com