Why (almost) everyone in the motorcycle industry is unhappy

In general, people working in the motorcycle industry aren’t having a nice day.

I can’t remember the last time I was around a group of people who work in the motorcycle industry, especially the motorcycle media, and heard happy, positive chatter.

I understand why that is. In a growing industry, you can do an OK job and still prosper by winning a slice of a bigger pie. But in a stagnant or contracting industry, players are constantly fighting to hold on to their share, and you always feel under attack. Resources are limited, opportunities are few, anxiety is high and paranoia is never far away. I’ve been there before in a different industry. I used to work for newspapers. 

In April I was at the Road Atlanta round of the MotoAmerica series. There was little happy talk among the people working in the media room, and that’s not a commentary on the racing series. Actually, there’s a fair amount of optimism that the KRAVE Group has made at least a good start on turning around the downward decline in U.S. roadracing. But whether freelancers, staff writers or PR types, nobody was talking about how good he had it.

One of my colleagues was recently gathered with a group of motorcycle writers at an industry event and reported that he had the same experience. The conversation was downright depressing.

The pattern is clear. I talk to people who work for the motorcycle manufacturers and they tell a familiar tale of having to do more with fewer resources. I talk to people in the motorcycle media and I hear anxiety and frustration. The words “we have to change” are usually followed by a long rant about how the speaker’s boss is doing it all wrong.

It sometimes seems like everyone is nursing an old wound: the rare job at one of the major magazines that was lost when the despotic boss (since fired himself) fired him for no good reason; the website that had a solid niche and a working business plan and threw it all away because of a stupid decision by the owner; the mid-level executive put out of a job by increasing layers of dithering vice presidents.

I could bore people with one of those stories myself, if I wanted to. I could collar everyone I could find and point out how the leadership at the American Motorcyclist Association, where I used to work, has run the association into the ground financially. But I’ve decided I’m not going to be that guy. I’ve said my piece, but I’m not going to hammer on it weekly.

Not that I really blame the individuals who can’t let go and repeat over and over their stories of gigs gone bad. I understand them. Nearly all of us are in this motorcycle business out of passion, not because we thought it was the place we’d find the widest range of opportunities and the best compensation. So we care. And we care about how it’s all gone sour.

It has gone sour simply because the industry is stagnant. New motorcycle sales have rebounded a little, but they’re still half of what they were in 2007. The peak year for sales in the United States remains 1973, even though the national population today is more than 50 percent larger. The same goes for other slices of the industry, whether you’re running a dealership or selling gear or parts. You have to work harder just to hold on to your slice of the market.

The motorcycle media get a double whammy. Not only is the industry not growing, but nobody, not even in the mainstream media, has yet figured out how to navigate the switch from print to online and maintain the same revenue stream. The print magazines keep struggling to evolve, shifting ever more time and attention to online content and video. Web sites themselves are struggling. Look at the recent shuttering of Motorcycle USA, a well established site with a rich library of content. Now a guy with a motovlog or a strong Instagram following may elbow out a web site that invested big money in a staff and in-depth content. Though the motovlogger isn’t getting rich, either.

Despite all that, notice that the headline said “almost” everyone is unhappy. I somehow stumbled into the one business in the industry that is thriving. RevZilla has gone from three guys in a shared apartment to more than 200 employees in eight years, all without the benefit of any significant growth in the industry overall. RevZilla has done it by doing e-commerce better, providing better service, and taking market share from everyone else. That sort of growth has its limits, but so far the trajectory has been nothing short of phenomenal.

Frankly, it’s more fun these days to talk to fellow riders than fellow professionals. For riders, times are good: motorcycles and gear are better than ever, spurred on by competition. For professionals, times are dire: opportunities fewer, pay lower, anxiety higher. So my advice is enjoy the ride. But think twice if you plan to make a career of it.