Utter, utter nonsense. What about the many riders, particularly from Germany and France, and to a smaller extent from late to the game English speaking areas setting off on big, beyond Starbucks, trips on bikes like the BMW R80g/s (first sold in 1981) or Yamaha xt500 (released in the mid 1970s) to name just 2 very popular models? There's an entire universe of bike travel going back to well beyond when the 2 lovies were even born. It really didn't all start with Ewen and his unemployed carpet fitter mate

Much closer to the mark, but still no cigar.


Regarding the whole big/little bike argument. Big western manufacturers will sell what the market thinks it wants, based the junk marketing the punters will swallow.

These manufacturers make the most money on after sales offerings like servicing. And on finance plans because new bike buyers can't/ don't want to afford to pay the full price in cash today.

In the next 20/25 years, the "western" bike market will be dead, along with their current baby boomer customers. KTM, it seems, has chosen to push up the daisys first. I predict huge discounts soon to get their unsold '23 and '24 vintage motors out of the door and stave off bankruptcy for a little while at least.

Based on primary research last year in India and South East Asia, the future of biking per se is in small bikes of 100 to 200 or so cc in Asia, also where they're built. Everyone, unless mega rich by local standards, is on motorised or electric 2 wheels.

Western birth rates are going through the floor, young westerners don't ride and the bike riding boomers won't be around much longer. At the other end of the spectrum e.g., India's population is now 1.45 bn, up 50% in the last 25 years.

__________________

TBS.com