The motorcycle business has been hurting in these troubled economic times, which has prompted a number of initiatives to draw in more riders. The July 2011 issue of Cycle World magazine offers a good example of what's going on.
The issue contains an article about how Triumph is offering to defray the cost for you to take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) rider training course if you buy one of their motorcycles. It's not a simple reimbursement; rather, they will give you a cash card for up to $225, which you would then presumably spend on mods for the bike.
Harley-Davidson continues its push to bring more women riders into the market, and is now running an "Ultimate Learn-To-Ride Experience" contest. Harley will pick four winners and give them factory customized bikes and $1,000 in Harley riding gear. The four winners will then be flown to Milwaukee to learn to ride in the Riders Edge New Rider Course.
Further back in the Cycle World issue, a 16-page special advertising section gives extensive coverage to how a new rider should select the right bike, promotes taking an MSF course, discusses the benefits of buying new vs. buying used, compares the costs of riding vs. driving, and more. The advertisers involved with this section include the MSF, Zero Motorcycles, Progressive Insurance, Dennis Kirk, and more. The focus is clearly on new riders.
Oddly, the effects of the struggling economy appear somewhat contradictory. Soaring gas prices have led to climbing sales of scooters and some motorcycles, while in sectors such as sportsbikes the sales figures have plummeted. Also in that issue of Cycle World, Editor Mark Hoyer had a report that said that for one unidentified manufacturer, sportsbike sales were down 90 percent year over year.
A recent survey by Powersports Business and RBC Capital Markets found that "Two out of three dealers describe overall business conditions as 'somewhat weak' or 'very weak.'" And yet, the Motorcycle Industry Council reported in April that scooter sales were up 50 percent and motorcycles were higher by 7.2 percent.
Part of that sportbike sales decline may have to do with the effects in Japan of the recent earthquake and tsunami. Speaking yesterday with Justin Watson at Erico Motorsports in Denver, he reported that after a couple lean years, they are selling a lot of motorcycles now. Justin credited that in part to the brands they sell, European bikes, and said dealers selling Japanese bikes probably have a different story to report.
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