DIRT BIKE, ATV SALES BOOM FOR JAN-JUN 2020

Compared to the same six-month period in 2019, dirt bikes sales increased by 42.4 per cent, with ATV and SSV sales up by 50.9 per cent. This resulted in the overall new motorcycle market in Australia improving by 24.5 per cent for the first six months of the year.

It’s good news for brands that are active in both these categories, as off-road bike sales were down 1.6 per cent and ATV sales were down 8.5 per cent in 2019.

According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions on travel have driven the improvement in dirt bike sales.

“We believe that, instead of spending up big on expensive family vacations, people are treating themselves in different ways – and this could mean they are taking up new sports like trail bike riding,” said Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI.

“ATVs and SSVs are also popular, and we understand this is due to the Government’s instant asset write-off program which makes the purchase of farm machinery and equipment very attractive.”

All brands selling ATVs in Australia saw increased sales, from 27.9 per cent (Polaris) to a whopping 81.6 per cent (Yamaha). The improvements here can also be attributed to the impending withdrawal of Polaris, Yamaha and Honda ATVs from the Australian market before OPD safety features become mandatory. Polaris will withdraw all their ATVs this October, with Yamaha and Honda to follow in October, 2021, when the OPD requirement becomes mandatory.

Contrasting the big gains in off-road and ATV/SSV segments, road bike and scooter sales fell, by 2.7 per cent and 12.8 per cent respectively, in the first six months of 2020.

Job losses and increases in people working from home are the most likely reasons behind the falls in these categories, as people are commuting less and thus less likely to be looking for new motorcycles.

Honda was the top-selling brand for the first half of 2020, with 12,563 sales across all categories (+22.3 per cent), followed by Yamaha with 12,344 sales (+37.8 per cent). Kawasaki was third overall, with 6,545 sales (+44.4 per cent), followed by KTM (4,391 +32.7 per cent) and Suzuki (3,594 +8.2 per cent). Dirt bikes drove these increases, but amongst the Japanese brands, Kawasaki was notable as the only one to improve its road bike sales, too – by 12.4 per cent.

Of the road bike-only brands, Harley-Davidson recorded 2,925 sales (down 10.7 per cent), with Ducati, Triumph, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi sales all down on Jan-Jun 2019 numbers, too. BMW and Indian improved sales in the same period, by 8.8 per cent and 40.4 per cent, respectively.

Amongst FCAI member brands selling scooters, Honda was the top brand with 969 sales, but only Suzuki (+14.1 per cent) and BMW (+8.8 per cent) saw sales increase for the Jan-Jun period.

As with past sales reports, these figures do not include non-FCAI members, like Urban Moto Imports (Royal Enfield, MV Agusta, Peugeot Motocycles, Super Soco, Benelli, Gas Gas), Mojo Motorcycles (CF Moto, Sherco, SWM and Kymco) and other smaller specialty importers.

The FCAI adds that the majority of new motorcycle dealerships have remained open during the pandemic, and will continue to do so, providing sales, spare parts, accessories and servicing to customers.