Have BMW really shaken off the pipe and slippers image

[fontana]

Don't get me wrong.
At 54 I suppose I could be considered an old fart myself, but it struck me today, as I meandered around my local dealership, that the folks in there were the same as you might have seen browsing the R100's etc in the early 80's.
Old sensible, grey haired dayglo clad middle management / or retired types with plenty of money.
Very few if any younger riders.
I can't see that the typical BMW owner has changed in any way since started riding in the early 80's.

[slparry]

I see a greater cross section, given I spend 40 hours in a dealership

There's a good mix of age groups nowadays, sure there's a fair amount of over 40's but come the spring the S1000RR boys wake up from hibernation and come in in droves to service/upgrade/replace their bikes and many of them are mid to late 20's onwards

Last year I had a gorgeous young woman buy a new S1000R from me, turns out she'd visited another dealership but got a sexist attitude that girls cannot ride big bikes!!! Their loss .... my gain ....

So in our place I can say we have customers from early 20's with F800GS's, R12GS's and S1000RR's and R's .... right through to one customer with a K1300S who is in his 80's ... mostly guys, but a few women too, and a nice bunch. We have a Harley dealership downstairs and whilst I don't "get" the whole black and skulls HD thing the customers I've spoken to have all seemed nice enough. To be fair there's very few motorcyclists I've not gotten on with.

[fontana]

Well I'll take that under advisement
Recently I went to my local dealers launch evening.
It was packed, and I certainly didn't see the cross section you describe.
Mostly, the people there fitted the stereotypical image of a BMW rider, including me I suppose in the context of age, (although I don't cover myself head to toe in dayglo and have his and hers matching riding suits with the Mrs)
I also recently attended a meeting of my local BMW riders club, and it was exactly the same story.
I'm not knocking it.
Whatever brings in the revenue and keeps the market buoyant.

[slparry]

Well I'll take that under advisement
Recently I went to my local dealers launch evening.
It was packed, and I certainly didn't see the cross section you describe.
Mostly, the people there fitted the stereotypical image of a BMW rider, including me I suppose in the context of age, (although I don't cover myself head to toe in dayglo and have his and hers matching riding suits with the Mrs)
I also recently attended a meeting of my local BMW riders club, and it was exactly the same story.
I'm not knocking it.
Whatever brings in the revenue and keeps the market buoyant.

most of our launch evening was the same, I guess the younger ones, being a Friday night, were most likely on the lash somewhere

And at a certain age group we'll go anywhere for free food, free drinks and motorbikes to look at lol

[fontana]

come the spring the S1000RR boys wake up from hibernation and come in in droves to service/upgrade/replace their bikes and many of them are mid to late 20's onwards :

Doesn't that say a lot about sports bike riders.
These rough tough hard core riders, who tip toe away from it all as soon as there's a chill in the air.

[slparry]

everyone's different it's what makes the motorcycling family so diverse and interesting

[fontana]

everyone's different it's what makes the motorcycling family so diverse and interesting

Hmmm.
Again we come back to this family, comradeship nonsense.
No such thing.
How many here are friends with, and go out riding with Harley riders for example.
We are very insular, and tend to stick with people similar to us.

[fontana]

everyone's different it's what makes the motorcycling family so diverse and interesting

Hmmm.
Again we come back to this family, comradeship nonsense.
No such thing.
How many here are friends with, and go out riding with Harley riders for example.
Not many I suspect.
We are very insular, and tend to stick with people similar to us.
Many don't even nod or wave at another rider unless he or she is riding something similar to us.
Example

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19570&p=163050&hilit=harley+riders#p163050

[Herb]

How many here are friends with, and go out riding with Harley riders for example.

Yes I am and yes I do, one of my mates even rides a home built hard-tail chop. I don't actually ride with him much to be honest, although I do start rides with him and wait for him in the coffee shops along route.

One of the things I like about my RoSPA group is that most brands are represented, inc Harley, Victory and some others less focussed on sport or sport touring than the norm for a group like ours. The group is better because of the diverse range of styles and opinions this brings.

Regarding the BMW image, I suspect this has not moved much over the years, but the image of motorcyclists as a whole has moved towards the BMW image. Sensible clothing, middle aged, (small c) conservative outlook, as becomes an aging population.

[fontana]

Yes I am and yes I do, one of my mates even rides a home built hard-tail chop. I don't actually ride with him much to be honest, although I do start rides with him and wait for him in the coffee shops along route.

Yeah me too
I regularly ride with my best friend who has a Harley.
The point I was making though, that it's very rare
You very rarely see a couple of guy's out on their R1's say, with their mates on Cruisers.
I really do think that this fellow rider brotherhood that some say is part of biking, is a myth.
You only have to go on a forum to see how scathing people can be towards those who don't share their taste.
Especially when it comes to Harley riders.
Even here
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=16782&p=137849&hilit=Harley+riders#p137849
In some ways, as a group, bikers can be the most one dimensional and blinkered people out there.

[Herb]

You only have to go on a forum to see how scathing people can be towards those who don't share their taste.
Especially when it comes to Harley riders.

I like to think its friendly banter! To be honest, I feel camaraderie with anyone on two wheels. There are too few of us these days, with fewer young people coming through. Drivers are exposed to two wheel traffic less often, so I believe are less adept at spotting us on the road, increasing risk.

[The Teutonic Tangerine]

Just to remind everybody:

90% of Harleys ever built are still on the road. The other 10% made it home

[The Teutonic Tangerine]

Also I designed Slippers and pipe rack for the 1100S (you will need basic some metal working skills and the Givi rack)

Slippers and pipe rack 2.jpg (42.05 KiB) Viewed 4701 times

Slippers and pipe rack.jpg (33.28 KiB) Viewed 4701 times

[Grip Fast]

everyone's different it's what makes the motorcycling family so diverse and interesting

Hmmm.
Again we come back to this family, comradeship nonsense.
No such thing.
How many here are friends with, and go out riding with Harley riders for example.
We are very insular, and tend to stick with people similar to us.

Toured Scotland a couple of times with my best friend from school, me on my R12S, him on his Yamaha Virago 535.

Can't get photo to upload - says it's too large. But anyway, we do.

I also have a couple of colleagues in India, who are into bikes, and I hope to hire an RE and tour with them when I get out there. Anyone who rides a bike, I'm happy to ride with them. Just as long as they are not riding like loons.

[fontana]

I like to think its friendly banter! To be honest, I feel camaraderie with anyone on two wheels. There are too few of us these days, with fewer young people coming through. Drivers are exposed to two wheel traffic less often, so I believe are less adept at spotting us on the road, increasing risk.

I agree, and it was different when I started riding.
I usually get a wave, and reciprocate when I'm riding either of my two bikes BUT when I was out on my neighbours sons little Kawasaki 250 the other day, I got none.
NOTHING, and I saw plenty of bikes going the other way.
There is a lot of snobbery in biking.
But anyway, the thread has been somewhat derailed.
I'm more curious to know if the stereotypical BMW rider of old is still in the ranks.
I reckon they are.
OK so younger riders may appreciate the S1000's, but that's only a couple of bikes in the range.
Do you really think most 20 to 30 year old riders would think an R1200R is sexier than an MT10 ?????????