Motorcycle sales rise dramatically in second quarter 2020

Motorcycle sales have experienced a significant increase in the second quarter of 2020, despite the negative economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, a total of 52,838 vehicles were sold from January to June 2020, which represents a 24.5 per cent increase in sales from the same period in 2019.

Interestingly, the most popular segment was the ATV and SSV segment, which saw a 50.9 per cent increase with a total of 14,545 sales and a 27.5 per cent share of the total market. This follows a number of manufacturers announcing their exit from the ATV market as of October 2021.

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The off-road segment also saw a huge increase, up 42.4 per cent from 2019 and 39.5 per cent of the total market. A total of 20,885 sales were reported in the off-road segment.

FCAI chief executive, Tony Weber, believes the popularity of these segments is a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “People can’t go overseas for holidays, or even within Australia for quite some time,” he said. “Instead of spending big on vacations, people are treating themselves in different ways. This could mean they are taking up new sports like trailbike riding.”

Weber also believes the government’s instant asset write-off program has made the purchase of farm machinery and equipment (including ATV’s and SSV’s) very attractive at the moment.

Road bikes and scooters reported drops in sales, with the road segment down 2.7 per cent and scooters down 12.8 per cent. A total of 15,243 road bikes were sold in the first half, with 2166 scooters sold.

Honda topped the charts overall with 12,563 sales and a 23.8 per cent share of the market. Yamaha was close behind with 12,344 sales and 23.4 per cent share of the market. Kawasaki, KTM and Suzuki rounded out the top-five.

The Yamaha WR450F was the top-selling full-sized, road-legal bike with 745 sales, an 11.0 per cent increase from the same period in 2019. That was followed by the Kawasaki Ninja 400 (636 sales) and the KTM 300EXC (554 sales). The Yamaha Tenere 700, which topped the charts in the first quarter of 2020, posted 530 sales from January to June, 2020.

The rest of the top-ten overall best-sellers was made up of fun bikes with the Kawasaki KLX110 finishing first with 1259 sales. The Honda CRF110F (1092 sales) and the Yamaha PW50 (1040 sales) rounded out the top three.

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, motorcycling is seeing a welcome boost, with sales up and a surprising increase in rider training demand.

Motorcycling provides a cheaper, and arguably more practical alternative to four-wheel transport. With people reluctant to catch public transport because of health concerns, many could turn to motorcycling to commute and generate extra income through delivery services.