Where are the younger trail riders?

[Drw814]

Pretty much, the 2 places to ride in CT require a street registered bike. And with that street reg, you are able to try and find more riding areas.

[motoxvet]

47 minutes ago, Jonathon Coffey said:

My Dad had '64 2 door,with 2 Powell 100 Challengers mini-bikes in trunk,he took me to Saddleback MX Park,maybe 4 times,then a Honda 70,then a Yamaha YDS 250 Big Bear Scrambler I was able to go where I wanted on my own,I was 15 1/2 years old,Drivers Ed.was free at H.S.,gas was20¢ a gal.,Times Change!

Good times!

[redhurricane]

5 hours ago, TheLastByte said:

Used bike - $1500

Gear - $300 

Fuel and lubricants - $100

Pickup to transport the bike - $50,000

House to keep your stuff in - $400,000

Total cost to ride - $451,900.00 

 

If only. 

 

Last year I spent:

 

$30K on 5 bikes (4 new and one used last year)

$5K on parts/gear

$2K in fuel

$1K on UPKEEP on transportation for truck and toy hauler

$19K in mortgage payments

So basically it cost me $57K last year to have a hobby. 

 

[BV's]

On 7/9/2019 at 12:12 AM, robrobsen said:

Me 45 and my son 15 are at Clough State park every weekend. Friends we ride with all have their teenage sons with which makes it even more fun to ride together. Just back from a 3 day trip at Jericho State park in Berlin,NH

How was Jericho?  

I hear the ATV's and the UTV's beat the piss out of everything and it's only good for the views, not the riding.  

Tell us more.  

[ss-racing66]

Part of it may be lack of places to ride, but that doesn’t bother the few dirt bikers around my neighborhood, they rip down the residential streets at 45 mph.?

Modern parents give their kids every excuse in the book to stay inside.

TVs in every room (w/ cable), high speed internet, laptops, playstations, smartphones. 
I doubt any of us would’ve left the house if we had all crap when we were kids....but we didn’t, we went to the pool in the summer and rode our bikes everywhere, played baseball, football, but something that I feel planted the seed was the stingray bicycle, we jumped them, raced them, skidded them, did burnouts (chirps) with em ..eventually I had a Honda minitrail , then a Yamaha 80, then a Suzuki 125, then a yz125, before I was 20....and mom and dad did not buy motorcycles,  I had a job and bought them myself.
It’s been a lifelong passion, and I think it needs to start young

 

[Gatorade88]

I honestly think it's that they can't afford it or are too busy. I am 15, and I have a KTM 200 that I taught at least 15 of my cousins how to ride, and they all love it! If they all had the chance we'd all be riding together, but, other things get them away. I had 2 friends who used to ride, but got busy with school and don't really ride anymore. Most riders I go riding with are in their 30's and 40's. I do go riding with my younger broham though.

[Utah_2T]

Part of it may be lack of places to ride, but that doesn’t bother the few dirt bikers around my neighborhood, they rip down the residential streets at 45 mph.[emoji849]

Modern parents give their kids every excuse in the book to stay inside.
TVs in every room (w/ cable), high speed internet, laptops, playstations, smartphones. 
I doubt any of us would’ve left the house if we had all crap when we were kids....but we didn’t, we went to the pool in the summer and rode our bikes everywhere, played baseball, football, but something that I feel planted the seed was the stingray bicycle, we jumped them, raced them, skidded them, did burnouts (chirps) with em ..eventually I had a Honda minitrail , then a Yamaha 80, then a Suzuki 125, then a yz125, before I was 20....and mom and dad did not buy motorcycles,  I had a job and bought them myself.
It’s been a lifelong passion, and I think it needs to start young
 

Holy crap! You just described my childhood EXACTLY right down to the stingray. Only difference was I started out on a Yamaha JT3 Mini Enduro and went straight to the YZ125.

[bweighmaster]

6 hours ago, redhurricane said:

If only. 

 

Last year I spent:

 

$30K on 5 bikes (4 new and one used last year)

$5K on parts/gear

$2K in fuel

$1K on UPKEEP on transportation for truck and toy hauler

$19K in mortgage payments

So basically it cost me $57K last year to have a hobby. 

 

This year ,  9 bikes ,  about  8k .  YOU  chose to buy expensive toys .....   used is good enough for me ,  do my own work ,  same hauler for the last 21 yrs.  And , get to rotate from bike to bike .... have right now  13  ,   2 more to be delivered tomorrow  ..    06 YZ 125 ,    08 RM 125 ..    BOTH ,     $  500.   Complete , needing carb cleaning only ...

[Ben500RR-S]

Please, unlike many, who have their rightful thoughts/opinions, I'm doing my best, like i had done last night. I'm doing my best.  Never mind being the authority, though not sole-authority on the subject of starting a family out on trailbikes.  That crap is covered in other threads as it sure has been and is, fun.  

 

 

Guys, fellow guys, with all the extra-cash, disposable income-great sound to that combination of words, isn't it?  Disposable income, so that the younger trail riders, can learn, like all of us who have learned to type on Thumpertalk.com, had learned, to ride around in circles through the forests of mostly North America. 

 

I'm doing my best to prematurely erode the earth as well as consume petroleum products, as swiftly and accurately as possible. 

 

 

Once again, so fortunate, beyond fortune, that I can take everyone out, on a Wednesday night after work, and ride.  It was a blast and I'm always looking forward to the next time.  Talk about getting it done.  

Edited July 11, 2019 by Ben500RR-S

[69fastback]

20 hours ago, TheLastByte said:

Used bike - $1500

Gear - $300 

Fuel and lubricants - $100

Pickup to transport the bike - $50,000

House to keep your stuff in - $400,000

Total cost to ride - $451,900.00 

 

I like your bare minimum price for the bike, but a $50K truck and almost half a million dollar house. Lol

 

I drive a brand new, nice truck and had my 3200 sq ft custom home built on 2 acres and come in significantly under both of those. You need to move!  

[JerseyJack]

2 minutes ago, 69fastback said:

I like your bare minimum price for the bike, but a $50K truck and almost half a million dollar house. Lol

 

I drive a brand new, nice truck and had my 3200 sq ft custom home built on 2 acres and come in significantly under both of those. You need to move!  

Maybe he owns it outright

 

[69fastback]

2 minutes ago, JerseyJack said:

Maybe he owns it outright

 

Maybe I own mine outright. What does that have to do with the price point?

Edited July 11, 2019 by 69fastback
Stupid iPad adds words.

[Ben500RR-S]

Great, now bicker over how others are spending their money.  Sheesh.  

[69fastback]

4 minutes ago, Ben500RR-S said:

Great, now bicker over how others are spending their money.  Sheesh.  

That wasn't really the intent. My comment was just pointing out that his figure could be slightly skewed and was really just made in jest. It wasn't meant to be serious, but then some irellevant comment came out of left field and I just had to question it. Carry on.....

[Ben500RR-S]

21 minutes ago, 69fastback said:

That wasn't really the intent. My comment was just pointing out that his figure could be slightly skewed and was really just made in jest. It wasn't meant to be serious, but then some irellevant comment came out of left field and I just had to question it. Carry on.....

I know, it is hilarious.  

 

What would anyplace be without drama?  

The Real Housewives of Thumpertalk.  RHOT.  

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by Ben500RR-S

[TheLastByte]

23 minutes ago, 69fastback said:

I like your bare minimum price for the bike, but a $50K truck and almost half a million dollar house. Lol

 

I drive a brand new, nice truck and had my 3200 sq ft custom home built on 2 acres and come in significantly under both of those. You need to move!  

You can certainly get decent housing and transportation for a lot less than that if you really try, but it's getting more and more difficult to do so. Those are the typical prices for a new full size pickup and fairly recently built home in a nice neighborhood in my area, not what I spent myself. 

[Ben500RR-S]

5 minutes ago, TheLastByte said:

You can certainly get decent housing and transportation for a lot less than that if you really try, but it's getting more and more difficult to do so. Those are the typical prices for a new full size pickup and fairly recently built home in a nice neighborhood in my area, not what I spent myself. 

We could get into; Student Loans. Truck payment.  Insurance. Rent or mortgage.  Living expenses . . .  cost of living depending on area of the USA one is residing . . . 

[twooofiddy]

Lack of disposable income and places to ride, I guess. 

I'm 30 and only in the last two years has riding become possible financially, and here in MA there aren't a lot of places to ride, especially that would be appropriate for a beginner. Luckily I have some friends that helped me get into it. 

I disagree with everyone saying all the kids these days stay inside all day. Maybe I'm more exposed to it through the skateboarding community but I see tons of kids who spend 90% of their time outdoors. 

[Ben500RR-S]

If given the (most awesome, to me/us) choice(s), between an iPad, or snowmobiling, boating/fishing, or dirtbiking, my kids would choose the iPad, 100% of the time.  

 

Problem is, we gave them all the power-toys, they never asked for or wanted them . . . 

[redhurricane]

4 minutes ago, Ben500RR-S said:

If given the (most awesome, to me/us) choice(s), between an iPad, or snowmobiling, boating/fishing, or dirtbiking, my kids would choose the iPad, 100% of the time.  

 

Problem is, we gave them all the power-toys, they never asked for or wanted them . . . 

Whereas my girls would choose moto 100% of the time if given the choice.