Latest Posts:
Asphalt & Rubber
Tag

sales

Browsing
News

BMW Motorrad Hits All-Time Half-Year Sales Record

By 6 Comments

Despite having rough sales in June (-5.7%), BMW Motorrad says it had its best six-month spread every during the first half of 2014, with the German motorcycle maker selling 70,978 motorcycles and maxi-scooters so far this year. Up 9.3% over the same time period last year (64,941 units), BMW Motorrad continues to show solid growth each quarter, and each sales year.

“We have achieved an all-time six-month high in the first half of this year. Never before have we sold this many vehicles in the first six months of a year,” said Heiner Faust, BMW Motorrad Head of Sales and Marketing. “With an increase of 9.3 % in the first half of 2014, we remain on course to achieve an all-time sales high for the year as a whole.”

Keep Reading
By
News

Moto Bellwether: Q1 2014 Motorcycle Tire Sales Down 12.7%

By 11 Comments

Tire sales for the first quarter of the year are down 12.7%. It’s certainly not great news, but why are we publishing this figure for you? Because tire sales are the best indicator of how active motorcyclists are during the riding season. With tire sales down 12.7% retailers and brands can expect similar downward trends in apparel, parts, and service items during the same time period.

You can account for the sales drop through a number of factors, though one has to certainly consider the unseasonably cold winter (Polar Vortex) that occurred in the United States — except for us Californians, who just had an extended autumn, despite a slew of new ski gear.

Keep Reading
By
News

US Motorcycle Q1 2014 Sales Flatlined

By 9 Comments

How Is that rebounding economy treating you? If you work in the motorcycle industry, probably not so well according to the Motorcycle Industry Council’s latest sales report, which highlights sales from the first-quarter of 2014. Down 0.2% (or 118 units) from Q1 2013, the slight decline over last year’s numbers are primarily due to a 10.7% sales drop in scooter sales.

Dual-sport motorcycles were up 3.9% (7,644 units), with on-road bikes holding at 0.9% growth (65,301 units). Dirt bike sales were down 2.7% during the same three-month time period (16,597 units).

In total, 94,524 two-wheel vehicles were sold in the US (94,772 units were sold in Q1 2013) according to the MIC, which tracks Can-Am, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Piaggio Group, Victory, Suzuki, Triumph, and Yamaha.

Keep Reading
By
News

KTM Posts 26.8% Sales Increase for Q1 2014

By 6 Comments

KTM continues to have successful quarterly sales reports, as the Austrian company has announced that its Q1 2014 sales are up 26.8% over last year’s figures. Moving a total of 32,994 KTM-branded vehicles worldwide, the Austrian brand was assisted in that figure by Bajaj, which sold 2,748 KTM 200 Duke & KTM 390 Duke motorcycles in India.

For that bump in sales, KTM reports that quarterly revenue was up 20% over Q1 2013, for a total of €196.9 million. Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) came to a total of €14.6 million, up a whopping 254% over last year.

Keep Reading
By
News

MV Agusta Q1 2014 Sales Up 22%

By 4 Comments

MV Agusta continues to build a head of steam with its sales reports, as the Varese-based company is reporting a 22% growth in the first quarter of 2014, over the same time period from last year.

Ending 2013 up 20% overall, the MV Agusta sales increase can mainly be attributed to the company’s three-cylinder models, the MV Agusta F3 675/800, MV Agusta Brutale 675/800, and MV Agusta Rivale 800.

With the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 and MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster also recently shown to the public, the Italian company certainly has some more sales growth still to do. Also, let us not forget that MV Agusta promised us one more model to debut in early 2014.

Keep Reading
By
News

Ducati Sets Sales Record in 2013 with 44,287 Bikes Sold

By 14 Comments

When you tell most people that you ride a motorcycle, their usual question is “so, what do you ride, a Ducati?” The only other brand name so synonymous with motorcycling would be Harley-Davidson.

The famed Italian brand’s distinctive Euro-styling and cultural cachet seemed to resonate with nearly 45,000 people in 2013, as the brand from Bologna sold a record 44,287 motorbikes worldwide last year.

Sales in South Asia rose by 26% with 5,200 motorcycles sold, while the United States, Ducati’s top market, accounted for 24% in sales, followed by Italy at 11.3% and Germany at 10.7%.

Keep Reading
By
Opinion/Editorial

Where Are the Motorcyclists in the USA?

By 21 Comments

Talking to a European colleague the other day, I had to remind him that the United States is just as big and diverse as the European Union, with our country’s states being as unique as the sovereigns involved in the EU. The same goes for motorcycling in the US, with our sport and passion taking different shapes depending on your geography of this Great Union.

It tickled my fancy then, when today I saw a breakdown of motorcyclists by state in the United States, especially when the results were displayed on a per capita basis. Of the 8,410,255 motorcycles registered in the United States (D.O.T. figure, as of 2011), which states have the most motorcyclists by volume? The answer shouldn’t surprise you as California, Texas, and Florida take the top honors, likely due to their mild winters and coastal routes.

But which states have the highest concentrations of motorcyclists? Now that is where things get more interesting: South Dakota, New Hampshire, and Iowa. You’re a no good dirty liar if you say you predicted those three states to be at top of the list — with each stating sporting 12, 17, 18 and people per bike, respectively.

Keep Reading
By
News

US Motorcycles Sales Up 3% in 2013

By No Comments

The motorcycle industry continues to make steady progress on recovering from the recession, with the overall US two-wheeled market up 1.4% over last year’s sales figures. Taking scooters out of the equation, which were down a staggering 15.5% last year, proper motorcycles were up 3% overall in the United States.

Breaking that number down further, dual-sport machines were up 7.8%, off-highway bikes were up 5.7%, and on-highway motorcycles were up a modest 2%. The Motorcycle Industry Council says that 465,783 units were sold in 2013, up from the 459,298 sold last year.

Keep Reading
By
News

The R1200GS Is Once Again BMW’s Top Bike in the USA

By 10 Comments

The “BMW rider” is almost its own class of rider in the United States. You know the type: usually white, male, greying or white hair, maybe a pair of glasses and a sweet $1,000 Schuberth flip-up helmet to top it off. Ah, and don’t forget the well-worn-in Roadcrafter in blue with fluorescent yellow accents. As for the bike, it has got to the venerable GS.

Of course we are speaking generalities here, but as it turns out, that stereotypical demographic is also BMW’s most lucrative. The latest sales statistics from BMW Motorrad USA show the BMW R1200GS to be the company’s best selling motorbike in the states with over 2,000 sold.

With BMW Motorrad USA selling 14,100 motorcycles in total for 2013), the R1200GS has thus unseated the S1000RR as the best selling BMW motorcycle in the USA.

Keep Reading
By
News

KTM Reports Record Sales for 2013 – Tops BMW Again

By 5 Comments

Last week we reported that 2013 was BMW’s best sales year ever, and now here comes the Bavarian Motorrad division’s biggest rival, KTM, with a sales report that ups the ante by 8,644 bikes.

For 2013, KTM’s worldwide sales reached 123,859 bikes (BMW’s record was 115,215). This is a 15.6% increase over the previous year, with an expected 17.0% increase in revenue as well.

Keep Reading
By