The Boom
Heading Outdoors on Two-Wheels
By Jackie Riess
Photos by James Lissimore
In the blink of an eye the world shut down. Only essential businesses were open. No more in-person schooling or work, no team sports, no indoor activities. What did remain was the ability and freedom of enjoying the outdoors. People turned to outdoor living: biking, hiking, boating, and motorsports. The off-road motorcycling industry across Canada and the United States has seen record sales and growth over the past 18 months, which has been an incredible opportunity for the industry. Being able to share a sport many love so much has brought joy during difficult times.
But with this boom, and the COVID-19 pandemic in general, many challenges have risen to the surface. Companies are now experiencing massive inventory shortages and supply chain issues, making it difficult for dealerships to keep products on the sales floor. Be it motorcycles, gear, or hard parts, it has been a challenge to keep items in stock due to high demand and a halt in production at the beginning of the pandemic. Along with these inventory challenges, dealerships have had to get creative with ever-changing safety guidelines. Cobequid Mountain Sports owner Alex Parker explains, “our business has definitely shifted to a lot more online business… as people want… more contactless interactions.” Although these challenges have presented themselves to dealers and consumers, it has been a time of great growth for off-road motorcycle companies.
Along with increased sales came increased participation. In Minnesota, for example, we have seen incredible growth at the local level, with membership numbers being hundreds over 2019 numbers. But how did these people come across dirt biking? What affected their decision? And do they want to stick with it?
With so many options of outdoor activities, how did people come to take up dirt biking over the past 18 months? In my research, I came across two categories of people: people who came back to the sport after many years and people who came from other action sports.
For people returning to off-road riding, many decided to bring the entire family along, rather than riding solo like they used to. With this, one rider multiplied into two, three, even four riders, giving incredible growth to the industry with just one family alone. As for the group that came from other action sports, I talked with people who came from snowmobiling, road racing, and mountain biking. All things quite similar to off-road riding in their own unique ways, but different enough that the change of pace was exciting and enjoyable.
Now, to stray from my research and interject my personal theory of why people chose dirt biking, I believe this sport attracts a certain kind of person. Motorcyclists, and racers even more, are unique in their athletic ability, but also their ability to adapt and overcome situations. They are willing to take risks, both on and off the track, to make the sport work for them. They choose certain jobs, buy certain vehicles, and base other decisions around motorcycling. Quite possibly it was this aspect of challenge, along with the excitement of motorcycling, that brought people into the sport.
For the people that joined the sport in the past 18 months, what influenced their decision? The biggest obvious influencer was the pandemic. With indoor activities and team sports put on hold, people began searching for something to do. As mentioned before, people turned to outdoor activities, motorcycling being one of them. Another factor for parents was the desire to keep their children involved in something. In a time where it could have been quite easy to stay at home and become screen dependent, many people wanted to escape their homes and show their children the importance of physical activity. Though the pandemic was an obvious influence on the growth of the motorsports industry, it can’t be the only factor. Some people I talked with stated the pandemic had nothing to do with their decision. Baseline growth is natural, but the exponential growth was unexpected prior to the pandemic.
The off-road motorcycling industry has now gained many new members, but will they stick with it? Every person I spoke to said they will continue riding at least part-time for many years to come. Which begs the question, why do they enjoy it so much? Their answers are probably quite similar to why you love riding, but in a time of incredible mental stress and unease, the new riders’ enthusiasm for the sport is refreshing.
The term itself may sound cheesy or cliche, but throttle therapy is exactly what many of these people were searching for. Describing the feeling of riding with words like, ‘joy’, ‘freedom’, and ‘fun’, is exactly what people needed in order to cope in unprecedented times. The pure adrenaline rush of being on the motorcycle helped the worries of the world fade away. Personally, this is a major reason why I ride. The noticeable difference in mood and outlook after a weekend of riding compared to a weekend cooped up at home is incredible. Part of that personal change is because of the people I get to see, which is another reason why so many people are valuing off-road motorcycling.
It’s no secret the dirt biking community is unique to those that are already a part of it, but to newbies, the strong sense of camaraderie and family is surprising. Most of the people I spoke with noted the incredible people in this sport, and how these people make the track and trails feel like home. In addition to making new connections with people of similar mindsets, the value of family time is what keeps people coming back. The nights spent camping, making new friends, and overall timeless family memories have a strong part in retention of new riders.
As I theorized previously, these people enjoy the challenge of riding. Many parents noted how easy it is to use racing experiences to teach their children valuable life lessons. It has been a tangible way to show them, and how adults can show themselves, how far they can go with hard work, perseverance, and determination.
After talking with people that have a newfound love for the sport, I realize that I probably didn’t get to talk with people who have had neutral or negative experiences. So, what can we do as established riders to keep these people in motorcycling? We can make connections with these new people. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, but a simple ‘hello’ is enough to open the doors for people to start a conversation they may not have had. Maybe they had a question about their bike or their gear, but they didn’t know who to ask. You could be that resource for someone and make a positive impact on their experience. The next thing we can do is make riding opportunities known.
The power of sharing a track’s post on social media could do just that. You never know who could see the post and re-share it with someone looking for that exact experience. Not to mention the positive impact your actions can have for track owners who have experienced trials in their business over the past 18 months. And finally, coaching new riders is an important step to creating safe riding experiences. I’m sure we all know someone who quit the sport because they were injured. This is a very real experience for many new riders, and coaching proper technique can strengthen retention, in addition to helping people make valuable connections.
After facing many challenges with the pandemic, those of us involved with the off-road motorcycling community have so many positives to focus on. Does that mean nothing bad happened to us over the past 18 months? No. But I am a strong believer that life is how you perceive it. I am choosing to take the positives from this difficult time, and I hope you can too. Furthermore, I hope you find a smidgen of inspiration to change just one fellow motorcyclist’s experience next time you visit the track or trails. Maybe, just maybe, the pandemic secretly gave us exactly what we needed: connection, purpose, and the pure joy of motorcycling.