Its no secret that the pandemic most likely has played a major role in this increase in sales. People need an escape from being stuck at home. We all did our best to find things to do solitarily, and motorcycling is one of those. Dealerships throughout the country had their showrooms either completely empty or had low stock on new and even old bikes. I saw this first hand when I made trips to my local shops to get footage of the latest motorcycles for my YouTube channel. After many talks with dealers, I was able to get some actual numbers for the increases seen recently.
THE NUMBERS
According to the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), the sale of two wheeled machines just keeps rising. “This is the second consecutive year of significant growth across powersports,” said Erik Pritchard, president of the MIC. “Many new motorcyclists are joining the riding community, both on and off road. We continue to work to inspire, welcome, and integrate them so they enjoy riding for decades to come.” The MIC isnt the only organization to notice the uptick in sales, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has also reported that their basic rider course saw a major increase in attendance last year, 48% over 2020’s enrollment number.
Overall sales in 2020 passed 2019’s sales by 21%. 2021 rose 14.2% over 2020 sales. Slightly less than they rose from 2020’s boom, but hey an increase is an increase.
WHAT THIS MEANS
With all of the sales of bikes and enrollments into the MSF course, I can't help but wonder how well companies that sell motorcycle gear must have been doing. The basic rider course alone is enough to get motorcycle gear sales up through their constant encouragement of A.T.G.A.T.T. (All The Gear All The Time.) All this being said, having more riders on the road means more awareness of motorcycles. In most other countries where motorcycles are used more than cars, there is just more of a respect towards these vehicles while they're riding around. One can only hope that we can get some more respect and awarness here in the US.
Lavatronn