HD Ratio: Harley Davidson dominates the DC Motorcycle Classifieds
Sunday, April 16th, 2006 at 8:53 pm by rhino
I like to read the motorcycle classifieds in my local paper for several reasons:
1) I might find something I’m interested in purchasing.
2) I love to see how people try to disguise a POS bike.
3) I love to see the optimism of people asking as much as they paid for their pride and joy new, even with many years and miles under the wheels. Hope springs eternal!
But I also read the classifieds to see what the current trends are in motorcycling. This past Friday’s Washington Post classifieds turned a bright light on the situation here locally, but I also think it reflects similar trends in the US market.
Of the over 50 ads for used motorcycles, I observed the following breakdown:
Over 50% were for Harley Davidsons
Almost 70% were for cruisers in general
About 20% were for standard/naked/touring bikes
And a miniscule 10% were for sportbikes
What conclusions are we to draw from the information?
Cruisers, and Harley Davidsons in particular, are quite popular! But their dominating frequency in the classifieds also speaks of turn around. Could it be that the Harley image is starting to wane? Or maybe that many are purchased by people wanting to be motorcyclists who discover later that it requires a fairly significant investment in more than just image, that it might involve skill and commitment? Could it merely be that people are buying them as an investment?
There’s no denying that cruisers are doing well, even the traditional Japanese brands are selling as many feet forward as feet rear. This style is so much less intimidating than a typical sportbike. It has a lower seat height, so it can accommodate the inseam challenged, of which women are a majority. While not truly more comfortable, is that La-Z-Boy riding position appealing to the couch potato masses?
So the real question that prompted these comments is: Why are so few sportbikes showing up for sale? Is it that owners are keeping their machines longer? That they are totaling them? That they prefer to buy new rather than deal with someone elses mechanical or maintenance abuse. Or are sportbikes really only 10% of the bikes on the road?
Deep Thoughts!
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My anecdotal data suggest that people are hanging on to their bikes longer because of gas prices. The younger folks tend to be more into sport bikes than the older, and I see much more sportbikes on the commuter path then a couple years ago.
40mpg is pretty damn good, and since you can ride here almost year round (all year if you can muster 120F heat), that a lot of money.
My $0.02