Motorcycling?

Your observation is spot on. If you feel like the classic weekend buzz at the Rock Store isn’t what it used to be, you aren’t imagining things. The scene in the Santa Monica Mountains has shifted dramatically over the past 20 years, driven by a mix of local pressures and a massive structural evolution in the broader motorcycling world.
The empty spaces on the asphalt come down to a combination of hyper-local changes and shifting industry macro-trends.

The Local Factor: Pressure on Mulholland

For decades, the Rock Store was the undisputed anchor of Southern California’s canyon culture. However, several distinct local shifts have thinned out the weekend crowds:

• Intense Law Enforcement & Road Closures: Heavy policing by the CHP and Sheriff’s department on Mulholland—specifically targeting “The Snake” just west of the store—became standard practice to curb reckless riding and drifting cars. Citations, impounds, and physical modifications to popular pullouts eventually drove the high-speed crowd away.
• The 2018 Woolsey Fire: The fire devastated the surrounding canyons and nearly claimed the Rock Store itself. The subsequent months of road closures, melted infrastructure, and landscape damage permanently disrupted long-standing weekend riding routines.
• Cultural Shifts: The passing of legendary owner Ed Savko in 2012 marked the end of an era. While the venue remains an iconic landmark, many riders who used to log hours hanging out on the patio have migrated to less-policed, quieter tarmac elsewhere in the region, or they skip the social showcase entirely to head straight out to the coast.

The Macro View: Is Motorcycling Declining?

Looking at the bigger picture, the answer is nuanced: overall volume is softening, but the culture is actually transforming rather than dying.
According to data from the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), new motorcycle sales in the U.S. dropped by about 7.6% recently, face heavy macroeconomic headwinds, and are feeling the weight of serious sticker shock. Premium, tech-heavy machines frequently push past the $20,000 to $30,000 mark, pricing out many casual enthusiasts.
The changing landscape is defined by two major shifts:

1. The Demographic Hand-off

The core generation of riders who fueled the massive cruiser and sportbike boom of the late 1990s and 2000s are gradually aging out and hanging up their helmets. Younger generations are entering the market at a slower rate, and when they do, they approach riding differently. They tend to favor smaller, more agile, and utilitarian bikes under 750cc over heavy chrome or pure racing replicas.

2. The Flight to Adventure (ADV) and Dual-Sport

While traditional on-highway segments like heavyweight touring (down 13%) and cruisers (down 6%) are losing ground, Adventure touring is booming. Category Market Trajectory Traditional Touring / Cruisers Steady decline; older buyer base aging out. Sportbikes ( Growing; driven by younger riders looking for lightweight agility. Adventure (ADV) / Dual-SportMassive growth (up over 50% since 2019); the current dominant force in premium motorcycling. Riders have collectively shifted their focus away from the old “canyon carving” or highway cruising mindsets. The energy in the community has largely moved toward multi-day exploration, fire roads, and long-distance backcountry discovery. So, while you might see fewer sportbikes scraping pegs on the asphalt right outside the Rock Store on a Sunday morning, it’s often because those riders are further out out of state, tracking dirt trails, or exploring remote backroads on highly capable adventure platforms. The passion hasn’t disappeared—it just packed its bags and went off-grid.