Industry Woes

By Gary Klinker

Having had a very busy month in February with ABATE Officer Training, DOT Spring Kick-off, and our Safe Rider Board and training meeting, it should slow down a bit in March. Maybe time to start riding! The Safe Rider schedule is set for the coming year. You can find a list in this issue. Register early through the abatewis.org website under Safe Rider.

We found one good way to survive winter the last Sunday in January. The Central Wisconsin Ice Racing Association races made their annual stop in Tomah. The weather was not bad, but the lake was very slippery from the warm days that week. It was good to get out and see the motorcycles and quads tearing around. There was some very tight competition. It was also good to see a lot of friends who have been racing for many years and bringing their kids into the sport. Actually some are probably racing grandkids of people I started watch race.

Speaking of racing, last year I wrote about the American Flat Track series. Their 2018 schedule is out and starts in Daytona on March 15. The closest races to us are the Springfield Illinois races May 27 and September 2, along with a September 29 race at Shakopee Minnesota. Any of these would make a great weekend ride for Wisconsin bikers. There are also two races during Sturgis. Motorcycle flat track is some of the most exciting racing you will ever see. It will again be broadcast on the NBC Sports Network. Last year it was Thursday night, but I can’t find a listing yet for this year.

A friend-thanks Jonathan-recently sent me a link to a very interesting series of reports about the motorcycle industry in America. It is titled US Motorcycle Industry’s Woes. It can be found at globalmoto.media. It is a series that covers sales, demographics, social factors and specifically Harley-Davidson economic issues. They are by far the largest volume brand sold in America, so they have a large impact. The chart included shows that US sales have gone from 1,124,000 units in 2007 to 471,513 units last year. A sixty per cent drop! The issues examined in this report can clearly be related to MRO and ABATE membership and participation. As Bob Dylan prophetically said over fifty years ago, “The times they are a changing.”

People, technology, political issues, the economy, leisure time activities, and social issues are all changing and evolving from what many of us are used to-or even comfortable with. To stay relevant and viable the motorcycle industry and the MRO’s must also change and evolve. What has always worked may not work anymore. Do I have any answers? Not really. But by reading and studying articles like this, and thinking outside the old box, maybe we can come up with programs, entertainment, and options to appeal to new riders and members that will insure that motorcycling and activists like ourselves will be around in another fifty years.

Damn it. After proofreading this, at least the last half, I’ve even depressed myself. Sorry. Maybe I should stick to jokes and ride reports. By next month I should have my new Russell seat back and have some weather suitable for testing it. I’ll let you know. Until then stay safe…