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Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle sales’
Motorcycle Daily takes note of Triumph’s sales strength in the US, while other manufacturers’ sales are slumping. They explain it as follows:
The advantage Triumph has is its heritage of triples and parallel twins. Virtually no other company has this heritage, and Triumph can therefore develop motorcycles that have very little competition in the market. “Competition” here means similar heritage and design.
When Triumph realized the folly of competing with the Japanese in the inline-four cylinder supersport market, and abandoned that format for the 675cc triple, it instantly found success. The triple gave it a different exhaust note, broader power curve, narrower engine and chassis, and, most importantly, a tie to its heritage of building performance triples.
While everyone else is building v-twin cruisers, Triumph cruisers are parrallel twins with a strong heritage that includes Marlon Brando, among other notable reference points.
Triumph Sprint ST
I’m not sure that the “parallel twin” argument carries much weight. The Big Four all have a number of parallel twins. But the Bonneville, Scrambler and Thruxton definitely have a certain recognizeable heritage, especially to people in their 40’s, like me. We remember those bikes from when we were kids. They were really–outside of the then-monster Harleys–the gold standard of style and power in an era where the 500cc motorcycle was the big boys bike.
Where MD really hits the nail on the head is Triumph’s dominance of the triple powerplant. Other than Benelli, which is hardly a premier marque in the US–Triumph stands alone with a line of three-cylinder motorcycles. Based on sales figures, a number of riders seem to be learning that the Triples have a unique performance advantage compared to the twins or I-4s. Triumphs offer the low-end grunt of a twin, without sacrificing the high-end horsepower you get from an I-4.
They also have a distinctive look. Triumph really has hit it out of the park in terms of styling, whether it’s the retro-cool of the Scrambler, or the smooth modernity of the Sprint ST–with a single-sided swingarm, no less. (Not all of Triumph’s bikes are a hit with everyone in the looks department, of course. The agricultural engine of the Rocket III really divides opinions sharply.)
Triumph also competes aggressively on price. For instance, the 2010 Sprint ST sells for $12.7k, while the big four are pushing their STs at $15K and up. They really are an outstanding value for the money.
John Bloor really has done a fantastic job of bringing this venerable brand back to life.
Now, If he could just get the Sprint fitted with a shaft drive…
The US isn’t the only place where motorcycle sales have been dismal this year. ACEM, the Motorcycle Industry Association in Europe, is reporting that, as of September, year-over-year motorcycle sales in Europe are down by 27%. Here’s the ugly, ugly chart:
ACEM Sales 2002-2009 (September)
That’s definitely not the sales results graph you want to see.
The most recent sales figures for motorcycles don’t look good at all. The industry is taking a shellacking unlike anything I’ve seen since ‘81-82. As of the third quarter of this year…
…motorcycle sales totaled just 434,370 so far this year, down from 771,950 in the first 9 months of 2008 for a drop of 337,580, which makes overall sales down 44%.
I wish i could say things were going to get better soon, but I don’t believe that to be the case. For instance, take our current 9.8% unemployment rate. If we counted employment stats like they did prior to 1973, that reading would actually be 17%. Those are depression numbers.
And, speaking of the depression, everyone thought things were going to get better and better in 1931. There was lots of happy talk about the economy, just like there is now. I’d like to think that’s as far as the parallel goes, but I wouldn’t bet money on it.
It’s no secret that the recent worldwide economic downturn has seriously affected motorcycle sales, sending them plunging by a third. Now here in the United States, it’s become a common thing to see executives at big firms take huge bonuses, even when the company isn’t doing so hot. The most egregious example of this was when failed insurer AIG took billions of dollars in Federal money for a bailout of the company, then promptly paid off millions and millions in executive bonuses with it.
Apparently, things are different in Italy, where senior executives at Ducati, faced with slumping sales, did the right thing.
Senior executives at Ducati have taken a 10 per cent cut in their pay and will not receive any bonuses because of the decline, while [Ducati CEO] Mr [Gabriele] Del Torchio said he had taken a 20 per cent pay cut.
Let’s leave aside any legalistic or other arguments about whether the executives should be compensated or not. At the end of the day, when you’re cutting production, and laying off staff, it seems only right that the pain should be shared by everyone else in the company, all the way to the top.
Kudos to Ducati for setting an example of shared sacrifice.
Harley-Davidson has come up with a good idea, and it’s one that really should be implemented as widely as possible. The MoCo will be implementing the Harley-Davidson Fit Shops at dealers all over the country.
Dealership Fit Shop specialists work with current and prospective Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners to help customize the suspension, seat, handlebars and/or foot controls to meet their riding preferences. New riders may not realize all the customizations that can be made to a bike to make it a one-of-a-kind ride based on build and preference, while long-time riders may not know about the latest customization options. Any Harley-Davidson model can be customized to fit most riders.
Most motorcycles can be fit precisely to a rider, but most riders don’t do so. Most modern motorcycles have fully adjustable suspensions, and the idea is to dial in the suspension to match the rider’s weight, riding style, etc. Dialing in the suspension to fit the rider makes the motorcycle handle and ride better. But, all too many riders accept the factory stock settings, and ride off into the sunset, occasionally issuing complaints about how their bike wallows in the corners or whatever.
By taking stock of all the customization options, and having a trained specialist help each purchaser to dial in the bike’s settings to fit the individual rider, you end up with a more satisfied customer, who’s happier with his motorcycle’s comfort, ride, and handling.
And who knows, you may end up with a rider who is a little better educated about his bike.
Kudo’s to Harley for taking a step forward that dealers of other motorcycles would be wise to copy. Not only does it help make for a more satisfied customer, it also has positive implications for motorcycle safety. Big Four dealers should take a look at doing something similar. It would be a big help to their customers.
As I mentioned before, the economy isn’t good. And since motorcycles are a luxury good for most people, they are being hit especially hard. The MoCo had a 91% drop in profits last quarter, Suzuki’s sales numbers have collapsed…it’s bad all over. And I can prove it now.
The Motorcycle Industry Council is reporting their collected sales data for the first six months of 2009, and I can’t find any good news in it.
Scooters took the brunt of the fall in sales, decreasing over 67% year to date compared to the same period last year and an incredible 77.5% in June 2009 over the same month in 2008…
Dual-purpose motorcycles fell nearly 47% in year to date sales compared to 2008 while the month of June saw 58%, or 4,431 fewer motorcycle sold than the year before…
But not all of the drop can be attributed to motorcycles falling out of favor with the would-be riding public. Many buyers complain about trouble finding financing for their new motorcycle purchases.
Regardless, looking at the year to date number, a staggering 177,650 fewer motorcycles were sold in the first six month of 2009 compared to the year before.
So, the good news is that a lot of motorcycles are just sitting on showroom floors, waiting for someone to buy them. The bad news is that it’s getting hard to get motorcycle financing.
And I don’t think it’s gonna get any prettier any time soon.
In case you haven’t been keeping up with current events, things are slow in the economy. We went to the local mall Friday night to see about getting a part for our dishwasher, and the place was a ghost town. After finishing up at the mall, we also went to a popular local eatery. We were one of three parties in the place. All the rest of the tables were empty.
This afternoon, I went to Escondido Cycle Center, and North County Yamaha. I was the only customer in NCY–another customer was leaving as I arrived–and one of two customers as ECC. Dead, dead, dead.
Interestingly, the sales guy at NCC couldn’t have been less interested in trying to sell me a bike. Since I have an insurance settlement coming from my accident last December, I am looking at possibilities for a second bike. Something small and hooligan-like, but without the cramped riding position of the Gixxer or CBR. I went to NCY because they have Triumphs there, and wanted to look into a Speed Triple 1050. I told the sales guy what I was after, and he said, “I don’t know mcuh about it. It has a good torque range. Broad. why not go sit on it and see if you like it.” He then turned on his heel and left me to my own devices. Apparently, trying to sell a motorcycle didn’t fit into his schedule this afternoon.
And, keep in mind that this is their chief sales guy, and as far as I could tell, the only sales rep there. I’ve seen him there before, and his whole vibe was that I was being a pain in the ass for trying to engage him.
Wierd.
The sales guy at ECC, on the other hand, was knowledgeable, and showed me not only the sportbikes, but an array of standard bikes that have same sportbike engines, but more comfy ergos. Totally different sales experience.
Sometimes the guys at NCY are helpful, and sometimes they act like they’d rather you just didnt show up at their door at all. When sales are as bad as they are currently, you’d think they would deep-six the latter attitude.