National Motorcycle Museum Closing

[TriangleRider]

I read the First Gear article in the Feb-2023 issue of Rider Magazine by the EiC and found it quite interesting. Quoting from that article in pertinent part:

[delete survey results]
To me this all underscores the dying interest in motorcycling as a whole in countries where it is not a means of transportation, and/or it is given short shrift when it comes to its very existence, e.g. lack of parking consideration. The first casualties are things like museums and publications where the motorcycle is the prime subject as opposed to the means to an end.

I don't think a poll of 2,000 Rider magazine readers extrapolates to the entire motorcycle industry.  Based on bike sales over the past few years, the industry is far from dying.

Could it be that the National Motorcycle Museum was just terrible at marketing itself or making itself appealing to the new generation of riders?  I've been riding for decades and hadn't even heard of the place until this thread.  I looked at their sites, and their online presence is terrible. They should have hired a 20-year-old social media person five years ago.  Compare their FB page to the Barber Museum, which seems to be thriving.  Would you rather look at static pictures of clothing or videos of cool bikes?   Don't bother looking at their TikTok page, they don't have one.  Meanwhile, Barber is doing videos on restoration projects and building brand awareness. If the Sacramento History Museum can generate 2.4 million TikTok followers, it is likely that,  with a little ingenuity, the National Motorcycle museum could also a little buzz for itself on the medium.