Will small bikes be all we have to choose from soon?

[@therefriedbean46]

To me it’s economics. Over the past 20 years consumer purchasing power has gone down. Millennials and younger want a bike but the price needs to be right. There is also an explosion of liter bikes packed with technology. Top 20% of earners or middle aged people are buying awesome adventure bikes and liter bikes. Poor millennials and younger are buying CBR650 R7 ZX4R. That’s my take In Asia where they have less purchasing power there are a lot of zx250r’s. To me it’s just a money thing. Money also shows us that liter bikes packed with technology also sell well enough to give tons of manufacturers to choose from. I’m too worried about the sport segment. These mid tier bikes show that there is still a strong market for sport bikes that are priced well. I personally think the R6 got too expensive for the market it targets. (I loved mine though from 2009) But hey our boys at Kawi just released a 2024 zx6R so Kawasaki is kind of flipping the bird to the trend, and I love it. Same people made the H2 and zx10 so you know 😂😂😂

[@NoBSZone]

Well said

[@erikfournier1535]

That zx4 is pretty neat

[@NoBSZone]

You see the price tag?

[@robmuhfacka5986]

@NoBSZone definitely not neat lol honestly I'm not sure why they packed all those electronics into such a small bike and then priced it competitive with the 6r and even 10r

[@TheRealBhuado]

to answer the question with my own opinion: bike are getting way too expensive. zx10 is a 20k bike. and that is one of the cheapest liter bike out there. not to mention s1k, ducatis etc. so spending that money and not being able to use 40% of the power makes no sense to most people (me included). so its better to get something that is still sporty enough to actually have fun, but not break the bank. 10k for the zx4 is a little expensive for my taste, but then again, when the ninja 650 costs 8500, then the zx4 does not seem so crazy. i think that liter bikes are not going anywhere, and they will get more restrictive year after year. and the small category like zx4 and r7 will die off. i am seriously thinking the 600-750 is the best sport bike. kawa is making all the right moves right now i think. small 4 cylinder just to flex, and they know i will not sell, also updated the 636, so this is a wake up call to the other manufacturers that people want sport bikes. so i think r6 will come back, same as the cbr600 etc. people do not want a rs660 aprilia, because it is a twin. they want a screaming engine. so i think the small sportsbikes will die off in a bit.

[@NoBSZone]

Everything has gone up as a dollar doesn't have same face value. $2 burger is now $5. Big bikes are on way out as the big 4 Jap have made it public Elec is the future. Within 10 years we will see a good majority, if not all gone E.

[@BassWhoopinFishingTeam]

That's bidenflation. My dealer now pays around $900-$1000 in freight to get the bikes over here that they unfortunately have to pass onto the customer. They aren't make a ton on these bikes. freight used to be a few hundred. Around $260ish give or take pre covid times. There is little room a dealer has to make money so they make their money on used bikes and unfortunately marking them up to make a little something after the sale is done. It's just the world we live in with the current administration. Remember that for next years election.

[@BassWhoopinFishingTeam]

I remember when we spoke you told me the 636 was on its way out. While I agree with you it is still managing to hang on! The new re design looks sharp and the TFT display was much needed. I'm glad to see it is still hanging on. No telling how many more years it will be available. I find it odd that the ZX4RR is coming in around the same out the door price as the 636 is. In those two instances I will say, the 636 is the bike to have for just another grand or so more. Maybe it's these dealers being gougers and marking them up but them 4RRs out the door are not much less than a 636 in my area. Kinda disappointing. If it was a 6-7K bike I think it would be something worth having in the garage. This day and age the best deal seems to be where people are throwing their money. With the recession we are currently in I don't see things getting any better. Winter is approaching and my dealer JUST NOW got the 2024 models in. They may sit there all winter with little to no sales aside from snow capable machines. It is a sad time we are living in. The smaller bikes are more affordable and usually less to insure. Gas prices probably influence it a little bit too depending on the area. I am still scratching my head over here on how Harley is getting 40K for bikes no longer made in the US. The market is very odd right now. I am considering a second bike, looking at a Z900 RS Cafe or a Moto Guzzi V7 Stone III. Want something more comfortable that will handle the misses better than the 10R will. Just don't want to spend these cruiser prices right now and with the way things are headed I am getting less and less spendy.

[@NoBSZone]

6r got a little "update" to in essence justify the tooling in place and keep production costs in check. In grand scheme of things I doubt large numbers of it are sold. Remind me of the zx7r. 1998 onward after the gsxr750, introduction of fi the bike was outclassed and out performed yet was produced for a bit even into the early liter bike era With all tooling place production cost very low.

[@scorpion-ninja8228]

You going on that group ride July 15th in the Thumb? I'm I hope to see you and Dewayne there!

[@NoBSZone]

I planned on it but got roped into 2 graduation 🥳 partys

[@TheHamlinHooker1]

R7 still makes no sense to me. But then again.... motorcycles don't make too much sense to most. If I wanna put-put around, I got a cruiser. If I wanna carve and go fast, I rock my ZX-10R. 🤷‍♂️

[@NoBSZone]

I sense there are some environmental/political agendas shaping the direction of what we are being offered.