Survey says… | Sign up for MyVoiceRewards

news7g02/10/2023

11 1 minute read

this is First device column written by Editor-in-Chief Greg Drevenstedt for the February 2023 issue of horseman. The parent company of the executive magazine MyVoiceRewardsan ongoing group survey that rewards participants with gift cards for completing surveys.

Motorcyclists are a select group. According to Motorcycle Industry Council10.4 million Americans own motorcycles in 2020, just 3.1% of the 331,449,281 Americans recorded in the census.

Motorcyclists are also a misunderstood group. We engage in a healthy, fun, skill-based activity, but most of our compatriots think we’re crazy to do so. They believe we have a death wish, but in reality, the opposite is true. Riding a motorbike makes us feel alive. We enjoy the thrills, the escape, the freedom, the challenges, the thrills – and yes, the risks.

Despite the nagging stereotypes, very few of us are outlaws or adrenaline junkies. On average, motorcyclists tend to be older males, mostly married men with families, jobs and collateral. But that is changing. According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, the percentage of female motorbike drivers increased from 6% in 1990 to 19% in 2018.

Every few years, horseman conduct a reader survey to help us get to know you better. Just as we value the emails and letters we receive from our readers, we also appreciate the feedback we receive through surveys. I would like to personally thank the 2010 of you who completed our 2022 survey.

From the responses, we know that 79% of our readers are married, 81% have a college degree or attended vocational school, 65% have a household income of $75,000 or more, and 30 % are military or active duty veterans.

More than a third (37%) of you own only one motorbike, but 27% own two, 14% own three and 20% own four or more. BMW, Harley-Davidson and Honda are the most popular brands, but every major brand from Aprilia to Zero is present among our readers.

In terms of vehicle type, the most popular are touring (37%), sport-touring (31%), adventure (27%), cruiser (25%), naked/standard (17%), dual-sport ( 16%) and classic (12%). But let’s not ignore motorbikes (9%), scooters (6%), sports cars (4%), tricycles (4%), vans (1.5%) and electric motorbikes (<1%). (The total increased to more than 100% because respondents could select more than one category.)

Our readers are experienced riders: 87% of you have been driving for 20 years or more and 8% have been driving for 11-20 years. When readers were asked to rate the primary use of their motorcycle(s), the top choices were commuting/fun day, followed by light travel/weekend, touring, touring Adventure schedules, travel and terrain.

In the past year, 24% of you have traveled less than 3,000 miles, 31% have traveled 3,000-5,999 miles, 23% have traveled 6,000-9,000 miles, 20% have traveled 10,000-24,999 miles and a very dedicated 2% have traveled 25,000 miles above .

MyVoiceRewards

In addition to our reader survey, our parent company conducts research on all powersports segments through a program called MyVoiceRewards. You may have received an email from us or seen an advertisement in our magazine, e-newsletter or on our website inviting you to participate. Nearly 2,000 of you have signed up so far, and survey participants will earn gift cards for participating.

Since last March, the MyVoiceRewards team has been conducting motorcycle-related surveys of helmets, jackets, tires, sound, service and maintenance, events and demonstrations, public ride-hailing technology and car sharing/rental. As a former number geek, I love to dig into the results and pull out interesting pieces of information, such as the following:

91% always wear a motorcycle helmet, 7% sometimes or most of the time, and 2% rarely.
Full face (41%) and modular (30%) helmets are the most popular helmets. 92% own two or more motorcycle helmets (30% own five or more – that’s a lot!).
90% own two or more motorcycle jackets (7% own five or more).
When buying motorcycle tires, 72% expect to pay between $100 and $200 per tire.
45% buy motorcycle tires through a dealer, while 41% buy online and 11% buy from a mechanic.
In terms of ride-assist technology, 72% own motorcycles equipped with ABS, 39% have traction control, 38% have riding modes and 30% have tire pressure monitoring.
65% listen to music or podcasts while they ride. 65% use helmet intercoms, 36% use loudspeaker/audio/stereo systems, and 19% use earbuds.
42% maintain their motorbikes themselves, 38% rely on a dealer, 11% go to independent repair shops and 7% have a friend or family member fix their bike for them (I expect that 7% of the you guys provide pizza and beer!).
37% have attended a motor event or rally in the past year and 52% have attended an event in the past 1-5 years.
The most popular activities at events or rallies are bike shows (71%), trial horse riding (71%), food and drink (65%), local tourism (65%) , group riding (53%) and live music (52%).
42% are familiar with peer-to-peer motorbike rental schemes and 52% think motorbike-sharing will grow in popularity, but less than 2% let others rent their own motorbikes.