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Middle-aged men and their craving to get back to motorcycling

3rd October 2024, 16:04 by Rahul Nagaraj

While I still love driving, it is the motorcycle ride, the twist of the throttle, the peg-scraping twisties and the loud exhaust note that I crave.

BHPian MileCruncher recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Disclaimer: These are my thoughts and opinions and may or may not be backed by data. Hence please indulge!

Definition of Middle Aged Men - Ideally I would think aged 40 or over. Can broadly expand the definition to include all born in the 80's.

This is my observation that a lot of middle aged men (myself included) who grew up riding 2 wheelers and who had subsequently moved to cars are moving back to bikes. Not as their primary mode of transport but as a weekend fun toy.

One empirical data point for me is the rising number of ADV sales and majority of the ADV buyers (not including the Xpulse) being 35 yrs or older. The rising number of motorcycle accessories shops is also an indicator. Mind you motorcycling gear and accessories are by no means cheap.

What is driving this change? Couple of reason I could think of are rising disposable incomes, people wanting to live their life, YOLO etc.

If I have to talk about myself, I moved to cars in my early 20s and drove some decently fast cars. Even my current steed is by no means a slouch. But I yearn to ride. I'm not looking to add another 4 wheeler to my garage but another set of 2 wheels.

Is this craving to get back to the saddle temporary? Long multi day tours seem more exciting than long driving holidays. While I still love driving, but it is the motorcycle ride, the twist of the throttle, the peg scraping twisties and the loud exhaust note that I crave for.

Let the thoughts flow in!

Here's what BHPian shashrash replied:

Hey there, and here are my thoughts. And as I now know, we are from the same time in the past. So before we become ancient, I think its appropriate to feel like alive and free, once again.
You are right in spotting the inclination to ADVs now a days and I concur the below reasons for it.
1) More options in the market. Imagine this conversation happening 10 yrs back. How many were aware of ADV as a genre. How many of us saw them on the road. People were riding 2000 kms on their R15s, REs etc. Even got Leh'ed. So one factor I foresee is we have a lot many options now to explore in all price bands.
2) More Comfortable for all age groups. By all means and purposes. I know many who have migrated to ADVs. Even the young ones too. This is what I see, 95% of them are all road ridden. Hardy any one taken them to their purpose. So Grown Ups, specially who may not want to strain out more, but also wants to go mile munching are going for the likes of these ADVs. GSs, ATs, Transalps give you the best of all worlds. Your smooth National Highways to bad to no internal or remote roads. They are like Bike SUVs. And knowing the state of affairs when it comes to roads, one would want to pick something which is do it all purpose. Hence the raze behind ADVs all around.
3) ADVs are the best bet if on has to start back to riding after a hiatus. Easy to mount upon, and not bending your back types. The only alternative to an easy riding if not ADVs is Cruisers. But other than RE and Triumph, No one else has much to offer from the catalogue. But again, since the time the all rounded Himalayan has come to the scene, the preferences have again biased towards the ADV segment and not the cruisers much. So you see so many more Himalayan on the roads today than before.
I don't think so this should be a temporary craving. Free Riding is Addictive. And if you have a partner or fellow riders on the go, you cant imagine the fun we can have on those Mesh Networks. And option to go on a bike ride, when you can take a car out is also something related to the each individual's own time. Everyone who is riding as a group are into their own moment, enjoying the experience and journey. Very much like when we see, a group of cars heading out. because, all of them are in the same zone out there.
So I will be happy if you decide to throw off your leg over a seat soon and just head out. Thats a very different life altogether.

Here's what BHPian AMG Power replied:

Having driven Hyper cars and Super cars and bikes let me say there is a lot of truth in the saying Motocycling moves the soul.
You cannot replicate the feeling of riding a good motorcycle in any car.
The only drawback is the substantially higher safety risk. If Maruti’s were given 1 star crash rating, a bike would be -10 stars or lower. There are no legal requirements for crash testing for bikes either. And one wonders how folks who debate crash test results of cars ride home on their bikes without any qualms.

Here's what BHPian MileCruncher replied:

Couple of instances from the recent past:
Instance 1:
I was riding back from Lonavala on the old highway on a hot May morning. Had stopped at a restaurant after Khopoli for some water and coffee. When I was gearing up, an old man with typical Maharashtrian well to do shetkari (farmer) uniform i.e. white pant shirt, leather chappals and a nicely thick gold chain came to me asking about the bike, where I was riding from et al. Then he called his son and his grand-son telling them about the bike. He asked for permission to take picture with the bike, just standing and not getting on it, and I obliged. He took one pic of himself with the bike and one with his whole family with the bike as centerpiece. He even wanted me in the frame but I declined.
Then when I was about to leave, he told m "Saheb, you are very lucky to be able to ride motorcycles and enjoy". There was a glint of sparkle as well as envy in his eyes. Then he walked towards his Fortuner.
Instance 2
I was in Delhi, planning a ride to the hills on a rented Himi450. The bike came with saddle bags but I wanted to pick up some gear so had gone to Karol Bagh. On the way back at one signal, two young boys on a scooter came up to me and said "Bhaiya, Ladakh poori taiyyari lar rahi hai" (You seem to be all kitted up to go to Laakh). And then some free flowing conversation followed.
Instance 3
Same trip, near Devprayag, I had to branch off into a side road for about 30 Kms to reach my homestay in the hills. At the entry of that village road, I had stopped to hydrate as well as stretch my limbs. A young village child (7-8 Yrs old) came to me and said in English
"Biker?"
Yes
"Vlogger?"
No
Asked him if he wanted his picture with the bike, he had a glint in his eyes.
I feel on the bike, you are more approachable, connecting with the people unlike in a car, you are separated and safe in your world with the glasses rolled up!

Here's what BHPian Rahulkool replied:

I am middle aged now, perfect TG for the adv bikes. But i have been riding all my life. Started with CBZ in 1999, progressed to ZMA in 2007. Later i bought D200 in the year 2012. Only time i stopped riding completely was 2018, when i had a bad back pain and doc suggested to not ride for 6 months at least. This thought itself was very scary, managed to lose almost 30kgs of weight, just so that i could get back riding again. Bought Inty in the year 2022 and now F850 in 2024. I always prefer riding than driving, even in peak hot Chennai weather !

Here's what BHPian ShivrajG replied:

What a timing man. Do you guys read minds ? . 2 days back I restored my Pulsar 180 from dead. I dont know is this the September of 2024 but my heart is asking me to go buy a RE which I always wanted. I am in late thirties and fit the bracket of kids from 80's. I dont know how this itch started suddenly. are we affected by some mad cow type disease ?.
See below what I am doing to pass my time.