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Sunday, April 03, 2005
By Kenn Peters
Staff writer
People who ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles are friendlier and more generous and than people who ride sport bikes.
Not only that, but Harley-Davidson riders like to eat in restaurants with a wait staff.
Harley riders also like their bikes to look good, and they spend money to enhance their appearance, while sport-bike riders prefer to spend their money on performance parts.
You can tell a lot about a person by the kind of motorcycle he or she rides - at least according to a survey of bikers commissioned recently by The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies.
Other discoveries of the survey: An overwhelming majority of riders (88 percent) donate time or money to charities, but two-thirds of Harley riders (67 percent) and one-third of those who ride sport bikes (33 percent) participate in at least one charity ride each year.
And lots of people can't stop thinking about their bikes and the open road; 69 percent of all riders admitted to daydreaming at work each day about riding their bike.
Some must be overwhelmed by their desires because 18 percent of all riders call in sick to work at least once a year to go riding, the survey said.
Shiny paint and bright chrome are a big part of the Harley bikes, so it's no wonder Harley owners said adding custom parts that enhance the look of their bikes was their number one choice (73 percent), while adding performance equipment was the top choice for those who ride sport bikes (44 percent).
These are just a few of the findings in the survey done by Progressive Insurance between Dec. 27, 2004, and Jan. 7, 2005, to help it better define today's motorcycle riders and design coverage for them, said Rick Stern, a project manager for Progressive.
Progressive also knows that motorcycle riders are getting older. The average rider is 43, up from 39 in 1998, and there are about 8.8 million motorcycles in the United States. The number of riders is unknown.
How many of those does Progressive insure? Stern said the company isn't telling, but it does claim to have the largest market share in the industry, at least 1 million riders.
Other findings of the survey include:
Harley riders are more likely to have body art such as tattoos and piercings (52 percent versus 40 percent).
Harley riders are more likely than those who ride sport bikes to plan rides around where they'll eat (32 percent versus 23 percent).
Sport bike riders are three times more likely to eat at fast-food restaurants (18 percent versus 6 percent), while riders of Harleys are nearly four times more likely to pick restaurants with the nicest looking waiters/waitresses (11 percent versus 3 percent).
Harley riders are more likely than sport bikers to ride four or more hours a week (62 percent versus 41 percent).
Because bikes keep increasing in value and because riders ride farther, insurance companies have to tailor their coverage plans to riders' needs, much like they do for automobile policies.
"We know there has to be roadside assistance, and we have to offer more products as the motorcycles get faster and more expensive," Stern said.
By Kenn Peters
Staff writer
People who ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles are friendlier and more generous and than people who ride sport bikes.
Not only that, but Harley-Davidson riders like to eat in restaurants with a wait staff.
Harley riders also like their bikes to look good, and they spend money to enhance their appearance, while sport-bike riders prefer to spend their money on performance parts.
You can tell a lot about a person by the kind of motorcycle he or she rides - at least according to a survey of bikers commissioned recently by The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies.
Other discoveries of the survey: An overwhelming majority of riders (88 percent) donate time or money to charities, but two-thirds of Harley riders (67 percent) and one-third of those who ride sport bikes (33 percent) participate in at least one charity ride each year.
And lots of people can't stop thinking about their bikes and the open road; 69 percent of all riders admitted to daydreaming at work each day about riding their bike.
Some must be overwhelmed by their desires because 18 percent of all riders call in sick to work at least once a year to go riding, the survey said.
Shiny paint and bright chrome are a big part of the Harley bikes, so it's no wonder Harley owners said adding custom parts that enhance the look of their bikes was their number one choice (73 percent), while adding performance equipment was the top choice for those who ride sport bikes (44 percent).
These are just a few of the findings in the survey done by Progressive Insurance between Dec. 27, 2004, and Jan. 7, 2005, to help it better define today's motorcycle riders and design coverage for them, said Rick Stern, a project manager for Progressive.
Progressive also knows that motorcycle riders are getting older. The average rider is 43, up from 39 in 1998, and there are about 8.8 million motorcycles in the United States. The number of riders is unknown.
How many of those does Progressive insure? Stern said the company isn't telling, but it does claim to have the largest market share in the industry, at least 1 million riders.
Other findings of the survey include:
Harley riders are more likely to have body art such as tattoos and piercings (52 percent versus 40 percent).
Harley riders are more likely than those who ride sport bikes to plan rides around where they'll eat (32 percent versus 23 percent).
Sport bike riders are three times more likely to eat at fast-food restaurants (18 percent versus 6 percent), while riders of Harleys are nearly four times more likely to pick restaurants with the nicest looking waiters/waitresses (11 percent versus 3 percent).
Harley riders are more likely than sport bikers to ride four or more hours a week (62 percent versus 41 percent).
Because bikes keep increasing in value and because riders ride farther, insurance companies have to tailor their coverage plans to riders' needs, much like they do for automobile policies.
"We know there has to be roadside assistance, and we have to offer more products as the motorcycles get faster and more expensive," Stern said.
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