No peer reviewed research just my observations as an all year round biker in the uk.
The fastest growing bike style sector must be the adventure section. The touring section remains buoyant. Sports bikes and cruisers are not as prevalent as they were.
Up until about 10 years ago the amount of bikes queuing for a ferry were half a dozen, then things changed, now there could be over a hundred bikes on a ferry heading for Spain.
Despite what people write on social media, it seems to me, that the journey has become more important than the bike and the journey has become, at the least a tour, if not a major trip. Young people are spending money on trips rather than bikes and cruisers are just not practical.
Secondly image is a huge factor in riding a motorcycle and your typical HA Harley rider is just not fashionable. Anyone that may have been swayed by that image in the past is now a hipster - there are loads of young people at hipster style rallies.
Looks to me like Harley have been relying on past glories and took their eye off the ball - they could have jumped on the back of the hipster movement and sold a load of bikes - look at BMW and Triumph.
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