I'm not wanting to hijack fxdxAl's thread so I'm starting another.

What I do wonder about is the involvement of the younger generation, or lack of it, in anything outdoorsy.
It's not just motorbikes. When I look at any group of cyclists, canoeists, hill walkers, mountaineers etc the majority of the hair is grey. I'm not saying people in their 20's and 30's aren't involved, but they seem to be a minority.
The car world seems to be changing too. No longer do we have lots of younger drivers sticking their cars in hedges and ditches throughout the land - although this might have something to do with modern hot cars no longer being the borderline psychotic, unguided missiles that previous generations grew up with. The modern culture now seems to be centred on meets on industrial estates.
Not that I'm worried, the world belongs to the younger generation as it always has (it's their turn to f*** it up). I'm just surprised at the lack of enthusiasm for the great outdoors.

I think that you are spot on Steve. When I compare my childhood adventures in the countryside ( and I had to cycle miles to get to it) to that of my teenage daughter whose sense of adventure extends only as far as leaving her bedroom to go to the fridge unattended it is slightly worrying. On the other hand, paradoxically, as a protective father, sometimes I'm rather glad she's safely indoors and not exposed to the world we now live in🤔

My first car was a Mini Clubman (a real one not a bloated German THING).
How did I manage without ABS, quick clear screen, heated seats and steering wheel, sat nav, integrated phone and DAB radio.... Oh yes, we learnt to drive not just steer and mobile phones didn't exist 😂

Agreed, though in all honesty I haven't spent as much time yomping around the countryside over the last few years as I used to.
My first car was a Triumph Vittese, written off by an inexperienced teenage right foot & too much belief in my ability at the time.
A bit of time at Lympstone & several years service put paid to the cockyness.
As a kid growing up in the East End jumping on a bus or train & travelling out to places with a lot of greenery was a big pass time for me & mates, getting chased off farm land was something we would seek out 😅

We, as a nation do not invest in the youth, we have let them down in education with schools working to a budget that would have been laughed at 30 years ago, The media now brain washes the youth of today with the bank of mum and dad being emptied so that they are seen with the latest I--phone and when they do fly the nest the chances of ever owning a house are negligible because of prices that are inflated out of all proportion combined with zero hour contracts.
The youth of today are protected and has anyone noticed the adverts for FE and Primary teachers, the reason being that 40% of teachers leave within 2 years, ask anyone who works in education and they will tell you there is no deterrent and the lunatics have taken over the asylum.
Discuss!

Some good points in there.

I know a few ex-teachers and they are all saying the same thing, no budget and, because there is no sanction, very little discipline leading to a lot of self entitlement. It doesn't help prepare kids at all for the world of work or prison depending on their chosen career path.

House prices are a major problem. My first house was £18k and I was earning £12k, so 1.5 years wages. Those houses now go for about £90k, how many kids are earning £60k in their early 20's? Follow the money. Who is winning? At which point it gets very complicated.

----------------------------------------------------

Quote:
We, as a nation do not invest in the youth, we have let them down in education with schools working to a budget that would have been laughed at 30 years ago, The media now brain washes the youth of to...

no problelms mate, when i was young growing up in glasgow getting out into the countryside was great fun. loved going up to the hills near loch lomand. suspect thats what made me join the royal marines.                                                                                                                                                                             

ROYALS!
👍                                                                                                                                                                             

It may be that in our later years we tend to look back nostalgically but there has to be some truth in our recollections. As one of four kids with an absent father, most of the time, we played cricket in the back garden, built tree houses and tried to finish games of Monopoly if the eldest didn’t tip the board up when he wasn’t winning. One very special year we all got newly refurbished bicycles from Santa and so began years of cycling with mates to other villages, often miles away, with a sense of fun and adventure. The playground in the local park was always busy and most kids were unaccompanied - posh kids knew how to play tennis on the local courts and we all kicked footballs around or played on the monkey bars. Staying inside was boring! I wish I had that energy now! 😁

yes mate, most of my best times ever!----------------------------------------------------

Quote:
ROYALS!
👍...
                                                                                                                                                                             

remember as a kid we fancied going to the seaside from glasgow, jumped on our pushbikes and rode to ayr. done a bit of fishing and rode home.....eventually. got in trouble for that one.