Bridgestone have been hard at work in the last year speaking to riders in the UK at events including the MotoGP, and shows at the NEC at every opportunity. Riders from across the country have been busily filling out the Bridgestone questionnaire, and as their main supplier to the UK trade we’ve been given the chance to take a close look at the results from their survey.
All participants were asked to complete a number of set questions which we will work through in order. Where a participant has failed to give an answer, they have been removed from the sample for that particular question.
Participants By Age
It will come as no surprise to those in the industry that almost a third (32.69%) of the 4429 people who answered this question were aged between 41 and 50 years old.
Although this data technically represents the age range of people attending motorcycle related events such as shows and the MotoGP, it clearly shows what we all know. There are many older riders out there, and not enough younger riders to replace them in the long term
Type(s) Of Bike Owned
Sport bikes came out the clear winner in this section, with almost half (49.52%) of the 4392 people who answered owning one.
Almost a third (30.37%) of those surveyed owned a sport touring bike.
A number of those questionned owned more than one type of bike. Where this was the case, their answer was included in the count for each relevant segment of bike type.
Type(s) Of Tyre Purchased
With sport bikes proving to be by far the most popular amongst those surveyed, it is no surprise that most of those surveyed also purchased sport tyres.
In total 51.21% of the 4405 questioned purchased sport tyres for their bike, whilst 35.35% purchased sport touring tyres.
It is worth bearing in mind however that this question relies on the consumer knowing the correct classification of their tyre choice. Could there be some overlap between sport and sport touring for example? How does the individual consumer define an adventure tyre, when compared with an off-road tyre?
However, broadly speaking the pattern of tyre purchases closely matches the pattern of bike ownership from across those surveyed.
Intention To Change Bike
Riders who participated in the survey were asked if they had the intention to change their bike within the next 5 years.
In total 54.99% of the 4379 who answered this question indicated that they would be looking to change their current bike within the next 5 years.
However, if participants owned more than one bike, the survey did not indicate which of these bikes they were looking to change.
Bike Ownership Period
Bridgestone then asked riders to indicate how long they intended to continue riding motorbikes.
Over two thirds (71.25%) of the 4149 surveyed indicated that they always intend to ride a motorcycle.
However 15.81% of those surveyed indicated that they intended to ride for no longer than 1 to 5 years. With more than 22% of riders surveyed aged over 51, it is possible that this figure mainly consists of older riders who are thinking about hanging up their leathers in the next few years, but it could equally come down to a mix of riders from all age groups finding it difficult to cope with the costs of maintaining their hobby.
Price Per Pair Of Tyres
Next participants were asked how much they expected to pay for a set of motorcycle tyres.
Of the 4103 that answered 40.02% expected to pay between £200 and £250 for a pair of tyres for their bike, and 29.1% expected to pay £150 to £200.
However, with the growth of the online market the price of the tyre has increasingly become seperate to the price of fitting for some riders. As such, it is not possible to say whether some riders have indicated the price exclusive of the price of fitting. The price perception may also depend on the type of bike and tyre the rider currently uses, along with the brand. A rider who uses a budget product would expect to pay less, but will also get much less in terms of performance.
Influence Of Race Sponsorship
Finally Bridgestone asked those surveyed about whether a manufacturers involvement in a race series, such as MotoGP, would influence their decision when making a tyre purchase.
Of the 4161 who answered almost two thirds (62.97%) said that a manufacturers involvement in a race series such as MotoGP would affect their decision when next purchasing tyres.
When we break down this statistic by age, it is further evident that the younger end of the market are more influenced by this kind of advertising. Of the 1802 riders surveyered aged 40 and under, 71.03% said this kind of advertising would affect their decision making process, whilst just 60.39% of the 3009 riders 41 and over said they would be influenced.
About Bridgestone & Cambrian Tyres
Bridgestone is the most popular motorcycle tyre brand in the UK, with a wide range of products to cover all riding styles and applications for both motorbike and scooter. As the UK’s leading wholesaler of Bridgestone motorcycle and scooter tyres, Cambrian Tyres are able to provide our customers with a comprehensive range of Bridgestone product, including the companies MotoX range which was reintroduced into our range as of 2014. For more information, members of the trade can get in touch with us to speak to a member of our expert team.
