Arkainzeye - 2013-07-15 8:49 AM i seriously doubt polaris will ever be as big as ford or chevy for the fact that they make products MOST people arent interested in.. I dont mean most people being bikers, i mean, everyone else....... Even in the Biker world, the average interesting in polaris isnt #1 so..........

I guess those of us who ride often forget our world is a very, very small world.  And those who have a passion for rider is an even smaller portion.  With that said, Polaris is a huge company that knows who to market to and how.  For their niche(s) they have done very well.

For me to understand the proportions, count the number of cars on the road on an "average" day compared to the number of bikes.  Out of the hundreds, perhaps a thousand of cars I pass on my way to work, I see at the most 5 bikes, none Victory, in a 31 mile stretch.  Now you have a comparison.  Think about this, I would say out of the thousands of bikes sold in a year of any manufacturer, I believe less than 10% will get ridden more than 3,000 in 5 years.   Just a guess, but I can find anything that will dispute my guess.  To confirm, for me, I know several folks who "own" bikes, and about 10% of them ride enough to have something to say about riding.

With that being said, it is refreshing to see a lot of Harleys over the ricers, especially this year.  I hope to see more and more Victory's and Indians though.

Monkeyman - 2013-07-15 4:34 PM varyder - 2013-07-15 10:33 AM I believe less than 10% will get ridden more than 3,000 in 5 years. Do you really think it's that low? For the most part, I don't ride in the rain (at least not on purpose) and I refuse to ride in the ice/snow and I already have close to 6k miles on my Vision. I expect to get 8-9k this year and I have yet to take a long trip (over a 500 mile day). Nothing like you but still, I don't think I'm in the top 10%. Other than that, I agree with what you said.

Like any other statistic, it is a slice of a relative population.  If you go to different places, say Caves Creek, AZ, and take the poll, you might find it to be 50%.  Or northern Maine, it may be, .1%   I just know in my average neck of the woods, I think I'm pretty close.  Even the guy that inspired me to ride again only has 150,000 miles on his 10 year old Wing.  He ridee alot, has a 100 mile one way trip to work, takes at least one long trip a year.  He's a heavy rider, with his average is 15,000 a year.  The next guy that I know has had his V-rod for about a year and he's already got 3,000 miles on this bike.  One guy who just sold his, bought it brand new Harley in 2006 or so, only had a couple of hundred miles on it.  He's the light rider. but he had all the appearl, pictures, stickers that showed he's a Harley rider.  A couple of other guys that I work with put only a few hundred miles on their bike a year.  That is usually on a special weekend or two, that's it.

The above average rider, to me, puts about 5,000 miles a year on their bike, but sell it before it gets to 25,000 miles.   This is no more thasn conversation and spectulation.  But I do recall, if I can recall, when I had 76,000 miles or so on my bike I met a Harley rider that bragged he was a "heavy rider" and had about 26,000 miles on his 2006 Harley.  He had to catch his breath when I showed him my odi with my mileage on my 2008 Vision.

If I had my Indian right now, I would only ride it two days a week, and probably only average about 3,000 out of my 25,000 a year.

So, here's a question.

It's been a couple of day that you were not able to ride.  It's Saturday and you're itching to ride, but you have chores to do, so any long ride is out of the question.  You need a box of nails and need to go to the hardware store. It looks stormy outside, do you:

1. Ride your bike, even if you might get drenched.
2. Wait until the weather clears up some and then go.
3. Take the car.

Monkeyman - 2013-07-15 6:31 PM I wasn't trying to argue with you, Chris. Just giving my opinion. I'm a "heavy rider" but only because I weigh 280 pounds. Seriously, I ride whenever I get the chance. I only put a couple thousand miles on my last bike ('07 Nomad) in a year because it wasn't comfortable. I've only put a little under 6k miles on my Vision in the past 10 months but plan on another couple thousand before riding season is "over" (for me). For what I paid for my Vision, I want to get as much out of it as I can. I don't know if/when I'll sell/trade it. It might be after 150k miles or it might be next month but I won't go without a bike. In answer to your question, is it currently storming? Can you see lightning in the distance? If so, I'll take the car to get the nails then ride later. (Chores can wait until later...or the next day.) If it just looks like it "might" storm, I'll take the bike and chance it. I've seen your "middle of a snowstorm coming home from work" pic a few months back. I just wouldn't have fun with that. Doesn't mean I don't like riding my bike. It just means I like riding it differently.

I'm messing back.  Everybody rides what they feel comfortable with, and that's on so many different levels.  While I have rode about 10 miles in snow on I-95 one January evening in 2011, I don't make that a habit.  I love the work picture, it is true, but I went straight through the light to the parking lot on the otherside when I saw the road was not as clear as I had hoped to be.  Cars are not to kind and I was more afraid of getting run over.  It was extremely slick but I was able to make to the lot without dropping it.  I saw the picture the next day by my coworker.

As far as the question, I don't have a "couple of days" that I don't ride, unless bike is broke, so in essense it's a trick question.  I rarely check the weather anymore and I laugh at myself when I get "caught" in the downpours.  I never planned to ride as much as I do but it is harder for me not to ride.

While I may not get one for a while, I'm still hoping to get a first year Indian Chief.  The thing is, it's already taking on a persona all it's own in my mind.  From when and how I will ride it, and what I will wear. 

Jacket, yes, it keeps a lot of rain off. It's the seat of my pants that get wet that I don't like. The water will run up and down the seat. I don't like the back roads either when it rains, especially in VA. Last week I believed I was heading for diaster, but it seems I got a little into it and did a slight countersteer, but then I slowed down. It's that stinking patching material they might as well throw down oil. I've rode hard on the interstate when it's pouring without losing confidence. Maybe just stupidity on my part, but I don't like going slow either, I don't want the macho man in the hi-rise Ford Pickup to run me over. He'll hydroplane long before I will though. It's the fresh starting rain that I have my most worries because of stuff on the road that gets slick when it first gets wet. After a few minutes of steady rain it will wash off. I've learned so far when riding in the rain to know when to hold them and when to fold them.

I'll just say this and move on, if your ride is not fun, don't do it. The real thing is is to finish your ride to ride again. If the ride has you on pins and needles, its time to take a break. Riding is always about your comfort level, not about what someone else is crazy enough to do. The cliche stands for a reason "ride your ride, not somebody elses"

Keeping to the subject:

I want to make my first ride to Sturgis on an Indian. (maybe I'll win the 2014 Chief contest, and I'll ride my Vision there, and the Indian back... )

Monkeyman - 2013-07-15 8:23 PM While the Indian isn't for me, it's a really nice looking bike. Hope you win.

You heathern.. Thanks!!!

I won two tickets to an R-Rated movie when I was 16, a case of Cokes at a radio station 60 miles away, and tickets to Harlem Globetrotters about 3 years ago.  I was never able to take advantage of any of my winnings except the Globetrotters, I sold the tickets...

I hope I'll be able to take advantage of the Indian when I win it...

bigfoot - 2013-07-16 3:23 PM Average motorcycle mileage per year is between 1,600 to 1,800 (DOT) miles. ...

 Wet or Hot tar snakes suck. ...

I don't commute since I'm retired, so all my mileage is pure pleasure riding.

I find that annual mileage ridiculous. I bought my Vision in May this year and it now has 2526 miles on it. I am so low on mileage that I actually noticed it just before I parked. When my HD Road Glide was near 16000 miles, I could not even tell you how many hundreds, much less the last mile. You only really notice the miles when the bike is new, and mine feels brand new to me.  

All tar snakes suck, agreed.

I retired 2 years ago at age 64 but I still have a reason to leave the house every day. I am building myself a new home so I commute to my building site every day, about 18 miles each way. I no longer have a clock to worry about, in fact my wife bought me a clock that gives the day of the week instead of the time. With no regular employment it is easy to lose track of what day it is. I am embarrassed to say that I use that day of the week clock more often than any regular clock these days. I leave home as soon as I can after sunup to take advantage of the cool early part of the day. By 2 PM it is so hot I no longer want to work so I ride home and crawl into my air conditioned present home.

The Indian Springfield, MA assembly line in 1953.  When men were men....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnVHXjJHIoo