I read an interesting article this morning on what some of the younger generation are looking for with regards to choice of motorcycle styles.  

          The article was on the Revzilla site (the link to the article is at the bottom of this e-mail), and says that the Scramblers and retro style bikes are gaining a significant amount of popularity with the younger generation of bikers.  They use the term hipster millenials, but I think this really reaches further than that particular demographic.

          I know that my 22 year old son (who is in the SAL, and is definitely not a hipster millennial) has no interest in the bigger cruisers, and is looking at the retro style bike as his first ride.  About a month ago I went with him to a dealer who sold all types and brands of bikes, and the place was packed with young people looking at sport and retro bikes.  And just recently I went with a friend to a HD dealer to get his bike serviced, and the place was a ghost town.   That by itself tells me there might be something to what this author is saying.  

          This is something to definitely consider while you and your Chapter are working on recruiting new members.   How open and accepting is your Chapter to different style of bikes and riders?  If these riders don't feel welcome, you could be missing out on a whole new generation of riders (Vets, Auxiliary and Sons).  

          Now that better riding weather is coming, you will see more and more "Bike Nights" taking place.  I would recommend visiting a couple to get a feel for what the younger generation of riders want, and what they are looking for in a ride organization.  

          While what we do as the nation's largest veterans service organization will not change ... we as an organization must be constantly evolving with how we recruit, and looking at how we can make these younger riders welcome.  They must understand that they are just as important to helping us meet our mission, regardless of the type of bike they ride.  

Read the article here: How younger riders, Scramblers and Retro style bikes can save motorcycling in the U.S.

Respectfully,
Randy Brenneman
Vice President
American Legion Riders
Department of California
(559) 285-8513