Rumors

BRP Looking to Get Into the Motorcycle Business?

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Interesting news from our friends to the North, as BRP is rumored to be looking at entering the motorcycle industry with a two-wheeler.

The news comes from the Montreal Gazette, which says that the Canadian company is evaluating a move into the motorcycle business, and is looking for “possibilities and trends” in the two-wheeled realm.

This business venture would seem to be outside of BRP’s Can-Am brand, which already offers a motorcycle, albeit one that has three wheels and more closely resembles an on-road snowmobile.

This is interesting, as BRP has long skirted outside the motorcycle industry with its powersport offerings. Rumors of BRP’s interest in Buell Motorcycles also abound, though little substance has been shown for that connection, outside of Buellisti conspiracy theories.

The prospect of another North American brand in the motorcycle industry is certainly interesting, though it remains a big question what kind of offering would make sense for BRP.

A cruiser-styled machine to capture the Harley-Davidson market would be tough, with Indian, Victory, and the metric cruiser already making a miserable hash of that effort. The sport bike market is fraught with danger, as Erik Buell Racing can attest to, as well.

Vintage-styled machines appear to be on their way out, as far as trends go, but there does remain an opportunity perhaps for quality-made budget-focused motorcycles for the Western market.

To its credit, and perhaps most important, BRP has a strong dealership network already at its disposal. The company also has access to financing, as do its dealers, and has other cash flows to ensure it can weather the storm on starting up a new business segment.

Out of all the choice available to the Canadian company, it will be most intriguing to see which BRP chooses.

Source: Montreal Gazette via Common Tread

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