Every year the Motorcycle Industry Council releases some statistics on the state of the industry in the U.S. The latest stats show a general decline, or at best a stagnation, at least regarding new-bike sales. Some of the numbers:
1. New-bike sales: 573,000:
29% Harley-Davidson
14% Honda
13% Yamaha
2. Used bike prices have declined for nine straight quarters.
3. Women represent 14% of riders, showing a steady year-over-year increase. H-D claims 62% of women riders!
4. Age: The median motorcycle owners' age is 47, up from 32 back in 1990. However, riders under age 18 have fallen to 2% (8% in '90) and the next age category, 18-24, has likewise fallen significantly. Not a good sign for the future of the sport.
5. Total motorcycle registrations are at 8.4 million, more than doubled from 1990. Bikes represent 3% of vehicle registrations in the U.S.
6. The industry employs some 81,567 people and contributes 24 billion in economic value to the economy.
7. H-D domestic sales are down nearly 6% in 2016. With lots of excess inventory, The Motor Company is offering dealer incentives for possibly the first time ever, in addition to special financing offers to consumers.
8. After steady sales increases worldwide since the end of the recession, Honda has shown two years of declining sales.
Statistics are a fuzzy business, but it seems to me that the motorcycle industry is facing a future dilemma similar to many "leisure sport" businesses, a declining (or maybe just changing) customer base for its traditional products. We are not the future, and our penchant for heavy baggers and cutting-edge sport bikes won't satisfy the generations to follow. In any case, it sure would be interesting to see what the two-wheeled world looks like in about a hundred years.
1. New-bike sales: 573,000:
29% Harley-Davidson
14% Honda
13% Yamaha
2. Used bike prices have declined for nine straight quarters.
3. Women represent 14% of riders, showing a steady year-over-year increase. H-D claims 62% of women riders!
4. Age: The median motorcycle owners' age is 47, up from 32 back in 1990. However, riders under age 18 have fallen to 2% (8% in '90) and the next age category, 18-24, has likewise fallen significantly. Not a good sign for the future of the sport.
5. Total motorcycle registrations are at 8.4 million, more than doubled from 1990. Bikes represent 3% of vehicle registrations in the U.S.
6. The industry employs some 81,567 people and contributes 24 billion in economic value to the economy.
7. H-D domestic sales are down nearly 6% in 2016. With lots of excess inventory, The Motor Company is offering dealer incentives for possibly the first time ever, in addition to special financing offers to consumers.
8. After steady sales increases worldwide since the end of the recession, Honda has shown two years of declining sales.
Statistics are a fuzzy business, but it seems to me that the motorcycle industry is facing a future dilemma similar to many "leisure sport" businesses, a declining (or maybe just changing) customer base for its traditional products. We are not the future, and our penchant for heavy baggers and cutting-edge sport bikes won't satisfy the generations to follow. In any case, it sure would be interesting to see what the two-wheeled world looks like in about a hundred years.
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