Pandemic inspires new interest in motorcycles in 50-plus demographic

Great weather makes for great biking, and Scott Ryan of P.E.I. has already put in a season’s worth of riding.

“So far this year, I have about 6,000 kilometres on the bike. I can only go 150 kilometres before I have to turn around,” he says.

Much of Ryan’s motorcycle activities involve his membership in the international motorcycle club for firefighters, The Red Knights.

“It's designed for either current or retired firefighters who have a motorcycle license,” says Ryan. “And a big part of what we do is we are a social club as well. So, family members of those active members are also members of the club. One of our missions is to promote motorcycle safety.”

Before working with others to start the first Red Knights chapter in P.E.I., Ryan says he hadn’t been on a bike in decades.

“My father got a bike when I was young and I rode it as often as I could,” says Ryan. “Probably 10 years ago or so, I bought another bike and just got back on it and I've been riding a whole lot ever since."

Another fire department member had been biking for a long time and found the Red Knights club online. He got the ball rolling and the club set up on the Island.

"I just joined up within the first year and got the bike, and just get more and more involved in the club itself and help keep the chapter going,” Ryan added.

Members of the Red Knights do more than just ride together. The club also organizes a number of annual community fundraisers, as well as attends rallies across Canada and in other countries.

“Quite often, we'll do charity rides and, our chapter in P.E.I., we've been doing one now for several years on the Saturday as close to or before as we can,” says Ryan, noting the

Memorial Ride usually draws a huge crowd.

After coming back to motorcycle riding after so many years, Ryan says that among the changes he's seen include a marked increase in the number of female riders and an overall increase in awareness from motorists of bikes on the road.

"Not everybody is watching out for them. But I think that it is a little bit better. There are still a whole lot of people that aren't paying attention. When you're riding a bike, you're not riding for yourself: you're riding for everybody.”

Ryan is part of a larger trend among a growing majority of motorcycle riders: people who are returning to riding later in life, having not been on a bike in decades.

Brett Vanderkooi is the manager of HFX Motorsports — Halifax Motorsports — a business that supplies apparel, parts and service for recreational vehicles and motorcycles. When it comes to bikes, most of his customers are 50plus, he says.

“The people we see the most are people that are either retiring or soon to retire,” says Vanderkooi. “So they're, you know, taking advantage of their time and their hobbies.”

Of those older customers, Vanderkooi sees plenty of motorcyclists getting reacquainted with the sport.

“I do have a lot of customers that are like that. I'll have guys that will come in looking for tires for a motorcycle they just bought,” says Vanderkooi.

“When I asked a few questions about what they're looking for, they don't know — because they'll mention that, you know, ‘I've been out of the sport for 20 or 25 years. I haven't had a bike since I was in my twenties.’”

And the bike of choice for the older rider?

“Cruiser touring would be probably the most popular category,” says Vanderkooi. "Dual Sport and adventure bikes and so on — off-road categories — have been becoming more and more popular over the years because of the versatility of the bikes.”

Along with those returning to riding, the pandemic has been creating a new group of first-time bikers — also older — who are looking for a safe outdoor activity they can enjoy.

“If you looked at power sports industry as a whole — ATVs, everything — they're all experiencing growth since the pandemic started.”