honda907
PR Addict
I read all the posts.
Anyone who doesn't think moto is dying has not been around long in this industry/sport or is simply ignoring the facts.
Motorcycle sales are down, according to MCI. Maybe KTM is up, but that's because the shop's owners ( genetally) are enthusiastically involved in motorcycles. Not so with all the others ( generally speaking). Most shops are about numbers and few care about dirtbikes. The are corporate entities not run by enthusiasts, but people wanting to make money. Plain and simple. Making money isnt bad. Sponsoring a guy with 2 bikes is. The days of free bikes is gone and was replaced by contingency. We used to have 4 bikes to give out back in the 80's at our Honda dealership. Nobody gets free bikes locally anymore. Not even Chad Reed. Only thing making the shops profitable are side x sides. No lack of money buying those. They are new, relatively, and it will die down. Most motorcycle dealers dont care about racing anymore than your local car dealership.
Practice tracks arent killing moto. Those are the people who used to go to strippens, abandoned lots, old abandoned trails, etc. If there were no practice tracks, there would be nowhere to ride except a few riding parks in my area. Practice tracks probably help racing more than anyone credits them. Furthermore, why can't the promoters get these guys to come out for a race? Do the promoters ask why they don't race? They should be catering to those guys, they already know the track exhists
The MAG group filed for nearly one billion in chapter 11. Not 300 million . They want to wash away nearly 300 million in debt. Most of that is in long term payouts to companies they bought, but some of it is also what they owe Dunlop, FMF, etc. Could have dire consequences and time will tell.
No real beginner class. Not going to hash that except to say thet should make a spec class with inexpensibe (5000 dollar brand new bikes) that dont get modified. I really have no idea how to police it, but a cheap spec class would be nice. Its a pipe dream.
Too long a day. Number one complaint. I dont think it is seat time. Its getting up at 4, driving by 5 and arriving by 730 to sign up. Then getting beat down with the sun and dust till 6 for a plaque against 3 others. No satisfaction there. And if you want to take a familey? Better have an RV of some type to get out of the elements or your gonna have a miserable day with the family. And that RV takes time to get teady for the next weekend. People dont have the time........
Risk vs reward. I know. Im old. Been at the top and its not worth it when I was really good in the 80's, and today? That goes double today . I got a gifted 19 year old who wants to go pro like me and my brotherr. We both try to discurage him. It's not worth it, but it became his dream about 2 yeats ago. He's all healed up, but he did a KR94 on Dec 10th last year. He tried to do something that was not ready for and broke more bones in his arms and wrists than most do in a lifetime. The sport has gone from broken bones to paralysis to death in the last 20 years. No denying the crashes and fatalities are worse today than 30 years ago at the track. People with the nrw insurance plans just have huge deductibles and are thinking twice about racing
Finally loretta lynns is killing it locally. That is the only thing most care about. Why? Big gates. I get it. So you ( nobody in particular) are saying you dont race local because there is nobody to race. I see. If everyone thought like you there wouldn't be any local racing. Most think like you and never show, hence its a self fulfilling. I don't really get it. Do you enjoy racing dirtbikes or just the competition? They are two different things.
Anyhow, I'm just a hick from the sticks in PA. I've raced series races in Ohio, PA, MD, NY and seen a lot of change since the 70's. There have been many ups and downs, but this time seems like the worst and the world is changong from a participant based society to one that watches everything go by them on their phones. Very tough road ahead.......
Anyone who doesn't think moto is dying has not been around long in this industry/sport or is simply ignoring the facts.
Motorcycle sales are down, according to MCI. Maybe KTM is up, but that's because the shop's owners ( genetally) are enthusiastically involved in motorcycles. Not so with all the others ( generally speaking). Most shops are about numbers and few care about dirtbikes. The are corporate entities not run by enthusiasts, but people wanting to make money. Plain and simple. Making money isnt bad. Sponsoring a guy with 2 bikes is. The days of free bikes is gone and was replaced by contingency. We used to have 4 bikes to give out back in the 80's at our Honda dealership. Nobody gets free bikes locally anymore. Not even Chad Reed. Only thing making the shops profitable are side x sides. No lack of money buying those. They are new, relatively, and it will die down. Most motorcycle dealers dont care about racing anymore than your local car dealership.
Practice tracks arent killing moto. Those are the people who used to go to strippens, abandoned lots, old abandoned trails, etc. If there were no practice tracks, there would be nowhere to ride except a few riding parks in my area. Practice tracks probably help racing more than anyone credits them. Furthermore, why can't the promoters get these guys to come out for a race? Do the promoters ask why they don't race? They should be catering to those guys, they already know the track exhists
The MAG group filed for nearly one billion in chapter 11. Not 300 million . They want to wash away nearly 300 million in debt. Most of that is in long term payouts to companies they bought, but some of it is also what they owe Dunlop, FMF, etc. Could have dire consequences and time will tell.
No real beginner class. Not going to hash that except to say thet should make a spec class with inexpensibe (5000 dollar brand new bikes) that dont get modified. I really have no idea how to police it, but a cheap spec class would be nice. Its a pipe dream.
Too long a day. Number one complaint. I dont think it is seat time. Its getting up at 4, driving by 5 and arriving by 730 to sign up. Then getting beat down with the sun and dust till 6 for a plaque against 3 others. No satisfaction there. And if you want to take a familey? Better have an RV of some type to get out of the elements or your gonna have a miserable day with the family. And that RV takes time to get teady for the next weekend. People dont have the time........
Risk vs reward. I know. Im old. Been at the top and its not worth it when I was really good in the 80's, and today? That goes double today . I got a gifted 19 year old who wants to go pro like me and my brotherr. We both try to discurage him. It's not worth it, but it became his dream about 2 yeats ago. He's all healed up, but he did a KR94 on Dec 10th last year. He tried to do something that was not ready for and broke more bones in his arms and wrists than most do in a lifetime. The sport has gone from broken bones to paralysis to death in the last 20 years. No denying the crashes and fatalities are worse today than 30 years ago at the track. People with the nrw insurance plans just have huge deductibles and are thinking twice about racing
Finally loretta lynns is killing it locally. That is the only thing most care about. Why? Big gates. I get it. So you ( nobody in particular) are saying you dont race local because there is nobody to race. I see. If everyone thought like you there wouldn't be any local racing. Most think like you and never show, hence its a self fulfilling. I don't really get it. Do you enjoy racing dirtbikes or just the competition? They are two different things.
Anyhow, I'm just a hick from the sticks in PA. I've raced series races in Ohio, PA, MD, NY and seen a lot of change since the 70's. There have been many ups and downs, but this time seems like the worst and the world is changong from a participant based society to one that watches everything go by them on their phones. Very tough road ahead.......
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