High Gas Prices Cause Motorcycle Sale Surge
By guestposter Jul 05, 2011
With the current economic condition, the price of gas is continuing to increase. As a result, people all over the world are finding it difficult to pay transportation bills, so many are turning two-wheel vehicles to help save gas money. Although car sales have greatly decreased, motorcycle sales have gone up drastically. Also in demand are used motorcycle parts Yamaha, Honda, and other major motorbike brands.
Honda reported a significant increase in motorbike sales, particularly in the North American region. This figure includes all types of bikes, including scooters and mopeds. A similar trend was also seen for electric bikes, which require no gas fees to run. Electric bike sales have risen by over 50% in the US, since the majority of electric scooters can be run for much cheaper than a full sized car or motorcycle. Even a scooter uses far less gas than a small car.
This shift from cars to motorcycles is not just limited to youth. In the past, it used to be common for students to drive small scooters and motorbikes to cut costs while they were in college. However, a maturing demographic of customers is now arising, causing motorbike sales to increase even more. In 1990, the average age for scooter owners was about 26. However, the average age jumped to 46 in 2003.
Not all aspects of the motorcycle market have increased however. Specialized motorbikes and safety equipment like HJC carbon fiber helmets cost much more, so they are not in as high demand in a faltering economy. However, there are still plenty of buyers who have a bit of extra money to spend on getting a high performance bike. Buying a sports motorcycle is several thousand dollars cheaper than buying an SUV or mid-range sedan, so it is a more attractive choice for some buyers. In addition, the fuel mileage is also much lower.