Perhaps it has something to do with your choice of meeting place. Would scare the bejeezus out of me-especially if I was a sport bike rider !! I'm only half joking.

But on a more serious note, I am enjoying your blog.

I think the future of motorcycling is healthy despite government efforts to regulate and tax the heck out of anything that burns fuel, but I do think there will be a tremendous shift which is already underway. Younger people are definitely taking up the sport and here in TO, the vintage scene is booming. This is due somewhat to the cost of insurance for sport bikes but the hipsters love the retro bike scene. I've been to some events in the city with so many 70s era Hondas and Kawis, it felt like I was back in high school!

Smaller UJM machines are making a huge comeback and manufacturers are recognizing this with machines like the Yamaha Bolt taking up more dealer showroom space. Speaking of Yamaha, they have even dropped their larger displacement cruises (including my beloved Roadstar) as the sales on massive cruisers are on the decline. I think smaller bikes and sport tourers will see the largest segment increases in the coming years.

The other big demographic swing is the increase in female riders and I think this is a fantastic thing. My wife is the perfect example of this having earned her license after turning 40. 

So, the CMC may be forced to evolve a bit but I think we are in for some exciting times and with my recent acquisition of a Triumph Bonneville to compliment the big Yammie cruiser, I've got all the bases covered. Now to go work on my hipster beard! ?

I just saw this post pop up on the homepage so I thought I would throw my two cents in.  

I'm new to the club so I won't weigh in on what the club's goals should be in terms of expanding membership but as someone relatively young (36) I figured I would put my thoughts out there.    

What attracted me to the club:

1) Personally I liked the fact that the club is family friendly and when I first met some of the members it was very clear that no one was pretending that they were cast members of Sons of Anarchy.  That might be a bit of a drawback for some potential younger members but I saw it as a major plus.

2) I liked how active the forum was.  Since I was looking for a group to actively ride with I was drawn to CMC because it looked like chapters were actively meeting and planning rides.  I definitely see the advantage in that sense to posting to the forums instead of Facebook groups.

3) I really appreciated how quickly Scott (first officer) reached out to me and invited me for a coffee to meet a few other members.  From an officers perspective I don't know how many people sign up and then disappear but I certainly was made to feel very welcome  To be honest as a relatively new rider (8 years) I was initially a bit nervous about fitting in with riders with way more experience than me.

As far as reaching out to younger riders and finding "new blood" here are my thoughts:

1) Keep the forum active.  CMC was the third club I came across but the fact that the forums were so active was a major draw  

2) Would it be possible to reach out to the riding schools?  I'm not necessarily saying sign up everyone who has completed their M2 test but just finding a way to let students know we exist? Perhaps including a card from the club with the end of course paperwork?

3) From what I have noticed in my first few months with the club it seems like everyone has a connection with a dealership of some sort.  Would any be willing to include a card from the club with motorcycle purchases?  It is in their interest to grow the sport too  

I think it largely boils down to this:  I had to look fairly hard to find the club (and I'm glad that I did) but a key to attracting younger riders who may not have considered a riding club may be to find ways to "go to them" as opposed to waiting for them to find us.  

Wishing everyone at the CMC a happy new year and safe riding in the spring! 

Cheers

Geoff

ps  Scott I am looking forward to seeing you rock that hipster beard! 

I'm working on it, Buddy!

Some great ideas for spreading the word about the CMC.