Survey Reveals What Upgrades Riders Want and Don’t Want

Triumph Street Twin EC1 motorcycle

In a recent survey performed by the UK insurance company Bikesure, 750 riders shared their thoughts on new motorcycle technology.

The survey revealed that only a small percentage of riders were interested in some of the latest technology like head-up displays and airbag gear.

Let’s take a closer look at the survey’s findings.

Survey – What Upgrades Are Riders Interested In?

Bikesure survey

The survey showed that the types of upgrades riders are most willing to invest in were kit or gear. About 54 percent of respondents said that is what they would spend money on.

Only about 25 percent of people listed technology as something that they would prioritize, and the crossover between the two groups was about 19 percent.

Another way to look at the data was in terms of comfort, safety, or aesthetics. When you analyze the data this way, you see that riders prioritize comfort over safety and aesthetics.

Bikesure survey

About 39 percent of surveyed riders listed comfort first. Safety came in second at roughly 33 percent, and last but not least was aesthetics at about 19 percent.

Now, 750 riders from the UK isn’t a huge sample size. I’d be interested to see how these numbers changed if more riders were served. I also wonder about the ages and locations. My gut says younger riders in urban environments would be more interested in new technology than older ones, but I don’t have data to back this up.

It would be interesting to see a similar survey conducted in the US to see how riders differ. Until something like that happens, it sounds to me like the adoption of new technology will happen by a small group of riders within the larger riding community.

Author: Wade Thiel

Wade started Wind Burned Eyes and runs it. He's always up for chatting, so feel free to reach out.