the systematic destruction of the sport of motocross.

resetjet
Posts
2396
Joined
3/16/2012
Location
Tampa, FL US
5/30/2019 6:46am
Dirt biking in general is doomed due to land and liability issues. Suzuki knows it.
mxb2
Posts
22485
Joined
6/15/2010
Location
Bowie, MD US
5/30/2019 6:49am
oldblood wrote:
A fair question.
I see a lot of old vets, and that's nice but we need to build the sport.
Why are you so freaking pissy?
soggy wrote:
i know your just trolling at this point. I see a lot of vets too, and none of them are teaching young kids how to ride...
i know your just trolling at this point. I see a lot of vets too, and none of them are teaching young kids how to ride, or helping them get a bike to ride. there are no learn to ride days that are free if you just show up. you want to get people hooked get them riding not watching on tv. this thread should be called 'the systematic destruction of oldblood"
I'm a "vet", and all four of my kids ride - just not at MX tracks. Most guys I ride with have kids that ride (and...
I'm a "vet", and all four of my kids ride - just not at MX tracks. Most guys I ride with have kids that ride (and their dad taught them).

It's been mentioned already, but it's simply a combination of access (to convenient places to ride) and interest (prioritizing riding above a gazillion other sports and activities - including the distraction of phones, etc.).

Anyone else see the irony in bitching about technology whilst posting a comment on an internet message board from a smart phone? Just sayin'...🙄
Ironic.
early
Posts
8285
Joined
2/13/2013
Location
University Heights, OH US
Fantasy
2231st
5/30/2019 6:50am
zippytech wrote:
No, but the internet needed to access vital is nothing compared to the access needed for tv.. and not everyone lives where they can even get...
No, but the internet needed to access vital is nothing compared to the access needed for tv.. and not everyone lives where they can even get the access for tv
I've lived places where cable internet was not an option, I get it, but that situation is going to have more effects than just not being able to watch MX on your TV. The good news is that now with the app, you can drive into town and catch up on your phone, not ideal I know but it's better than nothing for a small minority of enthusiasts.
soggy
Posts
4896
Joined
12/3/2018
Location
UT US
Fantasy
3857th
5/30/2019 6:55am
oldblood wrote:
A fair question.
I see a lot of old vets, and that's nice but we need to build the sport.
Why are you so freaking pissy?
soggy wrote:
i know your just trolling at this point. I see a lot of vets too, and none of them are teaching young kids how to ride...
i know your just trolling at this point. I see a lot of vets too, and none of them are teaching young kids how to ride, or helping them get a bike to ride. there are no learn to ride days that are free if you just show up. you want to get people hooked get them riding not watching on tv. this thread should be called 'the systematic destruction of oldblood"
I'm a "vet", and all four of my kids ride - just not at MX tracks. Most guys I ride with have kids that ride (and...
I'm a "vet", and all four of my kids ride - just not at MX tracks. Most guys I ride with have kids that ride (and their dad taught them).

It's been mentioned already, but it's simply a combination of access (to convenient places to ride) and interest (prioritizing riding above a gazillion other sports and activities - including the distraction of phones, etc.).

Anyone else see the irony in bitching about technology whilst posting a comment on an internet message board from a smart phone? Just sayin'...🙄
thats awesome for you and your friends. nothing better then motoing with your dad. This is the kind of thing we need more of if you want to 'grow the sport' (still not sure what people mean by this? and not sure they do either). It needs to go beyond just your kids if you want to generate interest in the younger generation. Not directly saying thats what YOU need to do just making a general observation. If there was a similar program to T-Ball where an organization had a fleet of z-50's and taught kids how to ride,no doubt you would hook some kids and families into the sport.

I don't buy the millenials only watch tv and play video games either, I think the kids born in the 80's play more video games then kids born in the 90'sand 2000's. Tons of kids still playing stick and ball sports. Soccer is growing, basketball is growing, lacrosse is growing etc.. Mtn biking is growing and is expensive as fuck. In utah i can drive an hour and have half a dozen choices on where to ride so it's not accessibility, in this state, some places are only 20-30 min away and there are atleast 3 private tracks within 30 min that Im not including because I don't have access to them.

theres other reasons as well but not worth getting into.

The Shop

Natester551v
Posts
1002
Joined
1/11/2015
Location
St. George, UT US
5/30/2019 7:46am
soggy wrote:
i know your just trolling at this point. I see a lot of vets too, and none of them are teaching young kids how to ride...
i know your just trolling at this point. I see a lot of vets too, and none of them are teaching young kids how to ride, or helping them get a bike to ride. there are no learn to ride days that are free if you just show up. you want to get people hooked get them riding not watching on tv. this thread should be called 'the systematic destruction of oldblood"
I'm a "vet", and all four of my kids ride - just not at MX tracks. Most guys I ride with have kids that ride (and...
I'm a "vet", and all four of my kids ride - just not at MX tracks. Most guys I ride with have kids that ride (and their dad taught them).

It's been mentioned already, but it's simply a combination of access (to convenient places to ride) and interest (prioritizing riding above a gazillion other sports and activities - including the distraction of phones, etc.).

Anyone else see the irony in bitching about technology whilst posting a comment on an internet message board from a smart phone? Just sayin'...🙄
soggy wrote:
thats awesome for you and your friends. nothing better then motoing with your dad. This is the kind of thing we need more of if you...
thats awesome for you and your friends. nothing better then motoing with your dad. This is the kind of thing we need more of if you want to 'grow the sport' (still not sure what people mean by this? and not sure they do either). It needs to go beyond just your kids if you want to generate interest in the younger generation. Not directly saying thats what YOU need to do just making a general observation. If there was a similar program to T-Ball where an organization had a fleet of z-50's and taught kids how to ride,no doubt you would hook some kids and families into the sport.

I don't buy the millenials only watch tv and play video games either, I think the kids born in the 80's play more video games then kids born in the 90'sand 2000's. Tons of kids still playing stick and ball sports. Soccer is growing, basketball is growing, lacrosse is growing etc.. Mtn biking is growing and is expensive as fuck. In utah i can drive an hour and have half a dozen choices on where to ride so it's not accessibility, in this state, some places are only 20-30 min away and there are atleast 3 private tracks within 30 min that Im not including because I don't have access to them.

theres other reasons as well but not worth getting into.
totally agree...I think over-scheduling our kids with stuff is a huge problem as well. So many other activities consume kids time, and let's be honest - it's a ton of work to load up bikes, gear, tools, gas, food, etc. for everyone (even if the riding spot is convenient). Sometimes it's easier to throw a couple of mountain bikes over the tailgate and go ride.

Without derailing this thread, dare I say an "Alta"-like approach would at least help resolve some of this? No gas, few tools, minimal noise, plug and play. Don't get me wrong - I love my 450, and don't plan to abandon ICE moto anytime soon. Still...it'd be cool to have an e-bike in addition to the normal fleet for situations like that. Everyone creates this "either/or" argument about stuff like that, but I think there's room for both. Offroad racing, adventure, etc. will always make sense for ICE, but messing around locally, MX, etc. would be great applications for e-motion, and at least help to solve a few other issues of access, convenience, etc.

Anyway...carry on....
oldblood
Posts
1860
Joined
4/21/2016
Location
Placerville, CA US
5/30/2019 7:53am Edited Date/Time 5/30/2019 8:05am
I don't have time to type all day, so I'll try again.
Step 1 My point was in watching De Coster on the black and white with the antenna is that have we made the sport more or less accessible for people to accidentally discover our sport while channel surfing and actually many of the races over the years have been televised on the basic cable channels. In 2016 I think it was many of the Supercross races were on the basic Fox sports channel which is commonly included in a basic cable package that you would find in restaurants and hotels the point was that a potential new enthusiast might not get the app proactively we might have to show them the sport maybe after that they might get the app I hope anyway it's good to see that some of the motos will be televised to those people.
oldblood
Posts
1860
Joined
4/21/2016
Location
Placerville, CA US
5/30/2019 7:56am
Step 2 was basically just to make sure that we keep it somewhat affordable for middle-income people that has always been important for our sport
oldblood
Posts
1860
Joined
4/21/2016
Location
Placerville, CA US
5/30/2019 7:57am
Step 3 was basically if you watch the Motocross segment of On Any Sunday we have obviously made the tracksMore dangerous I think that's okay on the pro level but at the local level given the liability and Healthcare issues should be made challenging but not too dangerous
oldblood
Posts
1860
Joined
4/21/2016
Location
Placerville, CA US
5/30/2019 7:58am
There were actually about eight steps but I've already pissed you guys off so bad I should probably stop here sorry about the punctuation and spelling I'm multitasking and working right now
1
mxrose3
Posts
2171
Joined
8/17/2006
Location
Delmar, DE US
Fantasy
1116th
5/30/2019 8:13am
oldblood wrote:
There were actually about eight steps but I've already pissed you guys off so bad I should probably stop here sorry about the punctuation and spelling...
There were actually about eight steps but I've already pissed you guys off so bad I should probably stop here sorry about the punctuation and spelling I'm multitasking and working right now
I actually agree with you on many aspects of this.... But we have evolved to this point in our sport for many reasons.
For example: nobody knew how to really scrub a jump until James Stewart came along. Because kids wanted to mimic him, they learned how to do it. Kids see pro's doing big jumps and whips, so they want big jumps at the local tracks.... so a lot of outdoor tracks have a LOT more jumps now than they used to. People wanted an easier to ride dirtbike without lightswitch power - so now we have 4 strokes. Motocross has evolved..... in some ways better, in some ways worse.
oldblood
Posts
1860
Joined
4/21/2016
Location
Placerville, CA US
5/30/2019 8:26am
I think DC is doing a great job in all of the aspects of the sport I am thinking more broadly and long-term starting from when Motocross was introduced here in this country until now including Supercross I love this sport and I think it is good but we need to look ahead and make sure it can survive in the future
5/30/2019 8:27am
Flip109 wrote:
Some of you have never checked TV guides in Walmart, then went home and set a vcr to record at 2am the Tuesday after the race...
Some of you have never checked TV guides in Walmart, then went home and set a vcr to record at 2am the Tuesday after the race, only to rewind it the next day and there be some rerun of a fucking dog show instead. Or waited till a month later to read about it in the next magazine. Live app, live tv, either way is cool with me!! Bitch all you want I actually prefer the app.
AMEN. I can watch that race a couple hours after it happens. I can come home at 5pm after riding my jet skis on Saturday and watch the races, best of both worlds.

I can rewatch that race a week later if I want to. The app is WONDERFUL and paying 89 bucks for a FULL YEAR of supercross and motocross is a good deal to me.

Some of these idiots bitch about 89 bucks but they spend 1200 on the latest titanium pipe for their bike and quite honestly can't go any faster even if they added 5hp to the bike, when instead they should be out running to get in shape or dial in suspension settings.
1
5/30/2019 8:48am
Flip109 wrote:
Some of you have never checked TV guides in Walmart, then went home and set a vcr to record at 2am the Tuesday after the race...
Some of you have never checked TV guides in Walmart, then went home and set a vcr to record at 2am the Tuesday after the race, only to rewind it the next day and there be some rerun of a fucking dog show instead. Or waited till a month later to read about it in the next magazine. Live app, live tv, either way is cool with me!! Bitch all you want I actually prefer the app.
thephoenix wrote:
AMEN. I can watch that race a couple hours after it happens. I can come home at 5pm after riding my jet skis on Saturday and...
AMEN. I can watch that race a couple hours after it happens. I can come home at 5pm after riding my jet skis on Saturday and watch the races, best of both worlds.

I can rewatch that race a week later if I want to. The app is WONDERFUL and paying 89 bucks for a FULL YEAR of supercross and motocross is a good deal to me.

Some of these idiots bitch about 89 bucks but they spend 1200 on the latest titanium pipe for their bike and quite honestly can't go any faster even if they added 5hp to the bike, when instead they should be out running to get in shape or dial in suspension settings.
10-4 on both of these posts. I'd argue that $9000 motorcycles and $650 helmets have a more negative effect on recruiting new people to moto than where it's at on TV.
5/30/2019 9:16am
The millennials have no interest in dirt bikes. They grew up with electronic devices attached to their hands and it's a new world we live in...
The millennials have no interest in dirt bikes. They grew up with electronic devices attached to their hands and it's a new world we live in now. Outdoor youth activities have been replaced by youtube, video games, pornub, and social media. Combine that shift in lifestyle with the fact that dirt bike racing is not exciting to watch unless you are actually into riding, and the sport will continue to decline. I've had many parties with SX or MX on and we all know most races become boat races with no action, and people get bored real quick if they aren't into dirt bikes.

Other factors we are faced with:

1. Jurisdictions/Government/Tree hugger agencies trying to shut us down due to noise, environment, and emissions. I own land for riding in the desert and it's a constant battle to keep our trails open
2. A potential recession that seems to be inevitable in the next year or two. If/when this happens, the spending for toys dries up real quick
3. Baby Boomers will die off and take a ton of knowledge/experience/history with them. This mass die off could also affect housing and the economy
4. Advancements in technology will blow your mind and will change the way we live. People will soon be living in virtual worlds. It's already here, but it's advancing at an exponential pace right now. Once 5G is deployed in a few years, you will start to see disturbing changes that this new technology will bring to our lifestyle.

With that said, there will always be a core market of people who love moto, but this market will shrink in the next 10 years as our culture changes like it did with the introduction of the internet and electronic devices.


I disagree with the millennial comments. I am 44 by the way, so not me, but look at mountain biking. It is the sport with the...
I disagree with the millennial comments. I am 44 by the way, so not me, but look at mountain biking. It is the sport with the largest growth for junior high and high school sports. In Utah, we have 3000+ kids in the league alone with 3 divisions. Just like 30 years ago or whenever, kids will do what their parents do and then what their friends do. It's not all phones and You Tube.
8Ten,

I agree moto might be alive and well in certain geographic locations like yours, all of which are rural. This probably won't change much over time as long as the sport of moto is passed down from generation to generation. You guys have the undeveloped land and tons of tracks/trails which makes access to the sport very easy and convenient. But keep in mind, Utah has only 3 Million people compared to 40 million in California. The rural areas comprise of a sliver of the population. In more populated areas like California, the millennials are more interested in watching content from "influencers" like this one below. Note the amount of subscribers this YouTuber has....nearly the whole population of your state!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzco9CewPf0F-SP1p6LhWrw

Now, does anyone in their youth recall having the urge to watch something like this?? No, it did not exist and if it did none of us would have been interested. We were more interested in stealing our Dad's Playboy and Penthouse magazines and taking them to share with our BMX buddies at the track. Life has changed and it will only get more crazy. Take a look at Black Mirror or WestWorld. These concepts will become our reality soon and it's right around the corner.
kzizok
Posts
8393
Joined
10/19/2010
Location
AS US
Fantasy
2068th
5/30/2019 9:22am
oldblood wrote:
There were actually about eight steps but I've already pissed you guys off so bad I should probably stop here sorry about the punctuation and spelling...
There were actually about eight steps but I've already pissed you guys off so bad I should probably stop here sorry about the punctuation and spelling I'm multitasking and working right now
........and by working, you mean standing in line waiting for your Thorazine?
1
5/30/2019 10:02am
Direct TV and the app. The best of both worlds. We are really blessed to have what coverage we have compared to the past.
Rhody
Posts
185
Joined
8/10/2014
Location
CA US
5/30/2019 10:10am
I blame Tinder. Back in the day, being a badass on a bike would get you some chicks. Now, it's all swipe right, swipe left, no incentive to go out an place your ass on the line to impress the girls. No more "Bones heal, chicks dig scars, pain is temporary, glory is forever" for kids today.
4
h4ck.b0x7
Posts
69
Joined
11/8/2018
Location
Dearborn, MI US
5/30/2019 10:18am
I have a couple questions:

1.) What channel are people watching motos live on TV?

2.) Who is DC? What is his connection? I see him mentioned all over the place. I noticed he posted some inside videos in the Gate Drop thread.

I was born in the early-80's and compared to my siblings, who were born between'90-'98, our childhoods were completely different. My childhood was MUCH less technological. Sure, computers were coming along and such but they were still quite expensive. Summers were spent playing sports and building jumps to ride our bikes. We had video games but I can't imagine the wrath I would have incurred had I tried staying inside and playing them during the day in the summer if it wasn't pouring outside. Even if it was pouring we probably would have been out there playing football. Bicycles led to motorcycles, scooters, and go-karts. Cuts, scrapes, bruises and lessons-learned were an everyday occurrence. Different times I guess. Heck, I live in the Midwest and not a single time this year did I have a kid knock on my door to offer shoveling snow or mowing the grass...that's how I bought motorsport parts when I was a kid.

I do much prefer the app though, I haven't paid for cable in almost 15 years. I pay a decent amount for internet but that's for gigabit speed and it can outperform pretty much any streaming we want to do within the household.
BR8ES
Posts
1914
Joined
6/3/2018
Location
Bennett, CO US
5/30/2019 10:22am
Laziness, apathy, changing times, ridiculous day schedules/moto counts, aggressive tracks... only part of the list of reasons for the sports destruction at the local level, this translates to Nationals, enjoy the times we have now and the memories of a once popular, but still amazing sport.
77Moto
Posts
512
Joined
1/31/2019
Location
CA
5/30/2019 10:34am
4 strokes arent going to attract younger kids. They don't sound cool. That Pala 125 race, that sounded pretty bad ass.

2
byke
Posts
1423
Joined
8/12/2015
Location
Auburn, CA US
5/30/2019 10:40am
As mentioned a bunch, participation cost is a big factor.

The money squeezing schedule fosters rider burnout.

People like Matthes that get bored and push gimmicks trying to make moto jump the shark, maybe literally.
endurox
Posts
1886
Joined
3/22/2014
Location
Garden City, ID US
5/30/2019 10:58am
TV does not grow the sport. Back in the early 1970's the sport mega grew. Family based GNCC, Sprint Enduro's and extreme enduro's are growing. Jumpy tracks are intimidating to new riders. Vet tracks might be a better place for newer and old racers. The sport in not expensive if you don't buy into bling and a 60k$ truck to haul your bike to the track.
If more people dropped the ego of needing a 450 and picked up a 125, these people would have so much more fun racing and couldn't stop talking about how great the racing week after week. This enthusiasm would catch one to someone who never even thought about mx but now had to check it out. Word of mouth is always better than TV.
By introducing someone to the sport in person, they could see the beginner class out on the track. Watching the sport on TV, this person would think twice about jumping 80 ft.
early
Posts
8285
Joined
2/13/2013
Location
University Heights, OH US
Fantasy
2231st
5/30/2019 11:03am
byke wrote:
As mentioned a bunch, participation cost is a big factor. The money squeezing schedule fosters rider burnout. People like Matthes that get bored and push gimmicks...
As mentioned a bunch, participation cost is a big factor.

The money squeezing schedule fosters rider burnout.

People like Matthes that get bored and push gimmicks trying to make moto jump the shark, maybe literally.
What gimmicks, I'm curious?
byke
Posts
1423
Joined
8/12/2015
Location
Auburn, CA US
5/30/2019 11:10am
Do you listen to the pulp show? I haven't been listening much lately, but he used to talk about it a bunch. Points changes like chase format and bonus points for who's dressed the best, various track related changes like joker lanes and jumping snake pits, smokescreens and fighting each other with chains. That kind of stuff. Basically, straight moto racing has become boring to people apparently.
h4ck.b0x7
Posts
69
Joined
11/8/2018
Location
Dearborn, MI US
5/30/2019 11:16am
byke wrote:
Do you listen to the pulp show? I haven't been listening much lately, but he used to talk about it a bunch. Points changes like chase...
Do you listen to the pulp show? I haven't been listening much lately, but he used to talk about it a bunch. Points changes like chase format and bonus points for who's dressed the best, various track related changes like joker lanes and jumping snake pits, smokescreens and fighting each other with chains. That kind of stuff. Basically, straight moto racing has become boring to people apparently.
Did you say fighting each other with chains?!? Why is this not a thing already? In all seriousness, it's been like 25 years since Road Rash came out, I'm surprised nobody has tried to make that a real thing.
early
Posts
8285
Joined
2/13/2013
Location
University Heights, OH US
Fantasy
2231st
5/30/2019 11:17am Edited Date/Time 5/30/2019 11:18am
byke wrote:
Do you listen to the pulp show? I haven't been listening much lately, but he used to talk about it a bunch. Points changes like chase...
Do you listen to the pulp show? I haven't been listening much lately, but he used to talk about it a bunch. Points changes like chase format and bonus points for who's dressed the best, various track related changes like joker lanes and jumping snake pits, smokescreens and fighting each other with chains. That kind of stuff. Basically, straight moto racing has become boring to people apparently.
Sure there is talk about modifying the format of supercross culminating with the triple crown races (which I prefer personally), but motocross is never really spoken about as far as format changes.

Supercross was born to be a gimmick anyway, but I like having both disciplines and both seasons.
byke
Posts
1423
Joined
8/12/2015
Location
Auburn, CA US
5/30/2019 11:21am
byke wrote:
Do you listen to the pulp show? I haven't been listening much lately, but he used to talk about it a bunch. Points changes like chase...
Do you listen to the pulp show? I haven't been listening much lately, but he used to talk about it a bunch. Points changes like chase format and bonus points for who's dressed the best, various track related changes like joker lanes and jumping snake pits, smokescreens and fighting each other with chains. That kind of stuff. Basically, straight moto racing has become boring to people apparently.
h4ck.b0x7 wrote:
Did you say fighting each other with chains?!? Why is this not a thing already? In all seriousness, it's been like 25 years since Road Rash...
Did you say fighting each other with chains?!? Why is this not a thing already? In all seriousness, it's been like 25 years since Road Rash came out, I'm surprised nobody has tried to make that a real thing.
Hahaha, was wondering if someone would catch the Road Rash reference.
1
mxrose3
Posts
2171
Joined
8/17/2006
Location
Delmar, DE US
Fantasy
1116th
5/30/2019 11:23am
byke wrote:
Do you listen to the pulp show? I haven't been listening much lately, but he used to talk about it a bunch. Points changes like chase...
Do you listen to the pulp show? I haven't been listening much lately, but he used to talk about it a bunch. Points changes like chase format and bonus points for who's dressed the best, various track related changes like joker lanes and jumping snake pits, smokescreens and fighting each other with chains. That kind of stuff. Basically, straight moto racing has become boring to people apparently.
h4ck.b0x7 wrote:
Did you say fighting each other with chains?!? Why is this not a thing already? In all seriousness, it's been like 25 years since Road Rash...
Did you say fighting each other with chains?!? Why is this not a thing already? In all seriousness, it's been like 25 years since Road Rash came out, I'm surprised nobody has tried to make that a real thing.
byke wrote:
Hahaha, was wondering if someone would catch the Road Rash reference.
damn, way to bring back memories..... i miss that game!
3
oldblood
Posts
1860
Joined
4/21/2016
Location
Placerville, CA US
5/30/2019 11:27am
The app is great. But I've noticed that the perception of motocross by kids and parents who are unfamiliar with the sport is often freestyle and what the parents see on late night news.

Post a reply to: the systematic destruction of the sport of motocross.

The Latest