Did you by any chance read my articles on this site about the failings of the industry and the shortcomings of dealers? Well, let me just moved this mirror around a little here, because it’s our turn now.

You (and I) are not blameless for the stagnant state of the motorcycle business in our respective countries.

Let’s take a look at what is actually going on. Sales were down in both the US and Australia, two of the main consumers of this website, even before the Coronavirus hit. The rest of the world is down as well, and the reasons for market changes apart from COVID-19 are as varied as diets and politics. So, the US and Australia – what was happening before the health crisis hit?

The ‘feed’ of younger riders had slowed right down. Risk aversion is becoming a thing you simply can’t avoid. Grownups at school barbecues call me a ‘temporary Australian’ or a ‘voluntary organ donor’. Not surprisingly, they won’t let their kids ride bikes.

摩托车已经失去了光泽的年轻人，因为它不再是叛逆的明显的方式。多少麻烦的是它，以及如何更是什么费用，黥，作为对购买自行车并获得许可？你会吹老歌头脑两种方式。至少你可以隐藏在一个朋友的车库里一辆自行车，我猜。

The disposable cash isn’t there. In the US, I suspect that most people are still not sure when — or even that — the good times are coming back, and that they’ll last. In Australia, the good times aren’t back – wages have stagnated for a decade.

同时，那些谁仍然骑车老歌都可能是他们的最后一台机器上。当然也有他们的人口击中街头一些惊人的自行车。哈雷从来没有比当前Softails更好的摩托车;印度推出精彩的新车型中的所有时间;宝马正在认真应对这个市场。但也有根本没有那么多的买家在那里了。

Between callow youth and trembling age there is a gap. Manufacturers produce motorcycles with more and more electronics; can’t blame them, they need a reason to raise prices and support wonky profits. But many regular and loyal riders simply don’t want either the cost or the complexity, and buy an ‘80s machine to do up, instead.

Adventure bikes fill that gap to some extent, although they, too, are suffering from electronicitis. Is it really surprising that Royal Enfield is going gangbusters in so many countries? RE sales overall have been down because the Indian market has tanked. But they were up 124% in Britain.

But back to us, the riders. How well have we served our hobby, really?

How much of the motorcycle-related risk aversion shown by Mr and Mrs Middle Class is down to the misbehavior and boasting of the current crop of sports bike riders? They do listen to you, you know, and when you talk about how you just missed that 34-wheeler (18 in the US) they think – naw, I don’t want my kids doing that.

哎，HOG成员。您是否欢迎新车手 - 甚至在“错误”自行车 - 或者你梳妆打扮自己的徽章和真正的哈雷戴维森太阳镜系列背后？

越野车手，峡谷切割机，铁巴特斯，甚至customisers：你欢迎新手到您的数字或你的知识晒你已经取得了某种地位提升的菜鸟有更好的承认和尊重，并跪拜？

It’s easy enough to ask what the industry has done for you. But what have you done for the industry? Have you badmouthed your local dealer, for whatever reason, or have you tried to help him improve? Have you poured disdain on one brand of motorcycle to the benefit of another? Do you have any idea, any idea at all, how stupid that looks to an outsider?

A motorcycle is above all a motorcycle, and a motorcyclist is above all a motorcyclist. I have two BMWs, a Ducati, a Harley-Davidson, a Honda and a Kawasaki. I also ride different bikes all the time as part of my duties at Australian Motorcyclist Magazine. Out on the road I am treated differently according to the bike I’m on – but only by motorcyclists. Joe Public, our target to create more motorcyclists, treats me much the same.

“Got a bike, have you? What’s it like? I always wanted a bike…”

Bingo! Got him! But not if you insist on pushing one brand or one type of motorcycling over all others. Ben Franklin said it well. “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” And that means all of us – all riders, everyone in the industry.

And I’m not ashamed to look into the mirror myself.

（照片：熊）