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I have to disagree with the observations of the past. Maybe in rural communities youngsters were more 'into' cars, but, not in the city I was in.Yep, I was a gear head, and there were a bunch others. But that meant about 100 in a HS of over 4000 students. Most could not care less what kind of car they had as long as it got them from a to b. That was late 60's. Even when in college the great majority just wanted transportion. Type didn't matter as long as it ran. Vans were popular for a number of reasons, but, condition was anything but great.Move forward to today. There is still just a small percentage of 'gear heads'. Maybe a little less, but, they are still out there. And the young ones I have met started their interest in mechanical stuff from video games. They wanted to move from the fantasy world to the real world.Motorcycles? I hear just as many 'crash' stories now as I did as a kid. Three of my friends won't ride anymore cause they were in serious accidents less than 10 years ago.Job categories? Computers? YES! Look at what you need to do to service a modern car or bike. And, yes, there are fewer old style mecahnics out there because there are fewer cars/motorcycles that they can work on. Mechanical reliability is higher, fewer periodic service items (except for valve adjustments on a bunch of motorcycles). It makes sense that kids want to work with computers.
Driving a bus doesn't have challenges and discomfort?And when hitched to a wagon you were driving horses. Where did the term, "pull in" come from?
You may be confusing racing on the street with simply enjoying the more nimble attribute of a motorcycle when contrasted with a four wheeled vehicle. I don't think anyone here advocates racing on the street but one can experience the sporting side of motorcycling by simply riding briskly and responsibly when the time, traffic and conditions permit.You're no doubt aware that motorcycling has evolved from utilitarian post-WWII transportation through a personal choice of transportation through today where I see it as more diversion than necessity. A large part of the "Sport" of motorcycling for me is holding my intended line through a curve, hitting my braking points, keeping escape routes planned and staying alive. All of which can be thrilling pursued at or below the speed limit.If to be Sport, goals have to be achieved and measured, I do it each time I ride. Did I operate more smoothly today? Was I a better motorcyclist? Do I need to practice a particular maneuver? Could I have merged more safely? Where am I deficient?
Have to disagree with you there. To me, it's like hiking, or kayaking, or mountain climbing, or scuba diving. You have special equipment to do it, it takes some amount of commitment and discomfort, and you have to work to be good at it.The big ADVANTAGE is that you can combine your "sport" with things you have to do ANYway, like get from place to place. There isn't much opportunity for that when canoeing or scuba diving - it's 100% added extra expense, where the sport of motorcycling can substitute for the expense of a car going back and forth to work, say ....Lannis
He did it all, including paint and body work. That said, he's the only serious gearhead kid that I've known over the last 15 or so years.
There is hope after all...Great to read about youth like him. He resembles my nephew in Indy .....but he's barely able to raise the hood to add oil when the dash light goes on!
Parents are more risk averse. In an age where you don't let a kid walk a half a block to school and playground equipment is all removed so kids don't get hurt, folks are less likely to even let a kid ride on the back of a motorcycle let alone encourage them to ride. Kids who have been sheltered are more likely to be afraid of a motorcycle when they get older.
Kev m my old buddy , you REALLY need to invest in a new auto correct . LOL Dusty
Maybe it's not the kind of shop you think it is ... !?!?
OH MY ! Dusty
...I've stopped riding on most weekends because I prefer the weekdays when the traffic is less. I've noticed quite a few riders of mature age riding then too. The cafes aren't crowded, there are far fewer sleds on the road and the riding time much more enjoyable....
I very much enjoy taking the occasional mid-week day off work to ride for this very reason, FAR less traffic mid-day during the week than on the weekend, at least on the roads I typically ride.
Just some musings but I think it starts with the children and I don't see many that are attracted to motos these days. I'm sure there are varied reasons but here are some of my thoughts:Who even rides bicycles anymore? When I was a kid we rode bikes everywhere. downtown, to the public pool, to the park, or just to ride. At age 10 we would ride to the neighboring towns just to see what was there. We'd leave in the morning and not come home till dinner. Now I see lots of kids skateboarding at the skate park and using the trick scooters but very few bicycles. parents won't let kids go very far so what use is a bicycle?
<sigh> there is that. <snapping suspenders> When I was a kid, I was breaking horses (seriously) to ride.. well, Shetland ponies at any rate.. when I was 5. (!) Pretty much had the run of the countryside on the back of my horse. I could literally be miles away from home. No....big....deal.A couple of years ago, the twin grand kids came here from California for a while. They were 11 at the time. I arranged to get a 4 wheeler, told them to get lost on it on our 120 acres. They were afraid to get out of sight of us. It had *never* happened in their lives.I realize that times are different, but still...
It's New Jersey after all. You hear rumors ....
In general, with fewer parents working manufacturing jobs now, it's no surprise to me that there are fewer gear-head "kids". Did any of us buy new motorcycles to start out? I sure as heck didn't - all of mine were built up from old junkers found in barns, sheds, etc. No reason why a kid today couldn't do the same, except that they don't want to.
Kids just don't have routine easy access to auto shop classes today. Kids that became interested in wrenching because their friends were into it doesn't happen as easily as it did in the past.
This may have been said already.... I haven't read the entire thread yet.40 years ago and prior cars didn't have all the electronic stuff they have now. I remember setting points, no EFI. Cars and bikes were simple to work on compared to todays vehicles. Oil now lasts 10,000 mile or more. Spark plugs go 100,000 miles. Over the years reliability of vehicles has increased and maintenance has decreased and with the complexity increasing not many people work on their vehicles. High School's are dropping their shop classes.. schools in the '70's that had very capable auto shop and metal shop no longer have those classes available. Kids just don't have routine easy access to auto shop classes today. Kids that became interested in wrenching because their friends were into it doesn't happen as easily as it did in the past.
I really don't accept this.Now MAYBE less wrenching is getting DONE BECAUSE cars need it less. As you say the oil and spark plugs last longer, there's no timing or dwell to check/set, etc. But I continue to reject the concept that you can't work on them, or they are harder to repair (it's just different in SOME cases, but not necessarily harder). More expensive sometimes, but that doesn't mean it's harder to turn the wrenches.I really do wonder if we're not looking at this subject through highly tinted glasses.
Kev, you're too young to remember Service stations. Cars needed Service about every 1000 miles. (!) Kids hung out there, got in the way, and sometimes helped. Changing plugs? Piece of cake. Cars were designed to be maintained because they *had* to be maintained. You have to pull the engine on some cars now just to change the plugs. At any rate, there was a constant stream of cars being serviced, kids hung out there, and some caught the bug to turn wrenches. Won't happen any more.
