Season-end sales panic?

[LongRanger_imp]

Thanks Cormanus. That's considerably less than California, which is the most populated state in the U.S. and accounts for about 10% of the population and the correspondingly largest share of motorcycle sales.

I'm fascinated by buyer behaviors based on age, education, wealth, region, etc. In this country, the Baby Boomer generation (born 1946-1964) is largely affluent and educated and was responsible for MC purchases in the 60's, 70's and 80's. But this segment is aging and thought to be no longer buying motorcycles like they once did. The next big market, the Millenials (basically the children of the Boomers) is showing less affinity for anything motor-driven, including motorcycles. Bike manufacturers are going after them hard but I don't believe sales are manifesting in any significant, measurable way. Curious how these trends compare with the market in your country.

[Stichill_imp]

In the US, Generation X (1965-1980) - the group between Baby Boomers and Millenials - are an enthusiastic motorcycle demographic, the only problem for manufacturers being that they are a relatively small cohort. These are the guys who rode the original super sports like the GSX-R750 from the mid-'80s on through the '90s and into the '00s. With the oldest ones passing 50, these guys are moving onto other bikes, apparently ADVs and maybe Harleys, which is bringing about the death of the 600 class.

Millenials are the way they are because Baby Boomers raised them that way; their parents used Game Boys, Playstations, and Disney DVDs as babysitters. So it's a generation that has lost a connection to going outside to find fun. And when they did venture outside, they had to wear a helmet and knee pads on their bike. They weren't allowed to run around the neighborhood unsupervised because Chester the Molester might abduct them. So on the whole, the generation is insular and risk averse...not exactly fertile ground to promote a hobby that is 27x more risky than driving a car.

One thing that seems to excite them is electric vehicle technology. Maybe electric motorcycles will entice them to join the fold.

[curlyjoe]

I've seen some modest discounts on leftover bikes but one really caught my eye. At [url=http://www.route3amotorsports.com/itemgroup/new-leftovers-on-sale-kawasaki-and-suzuki-motorcycles-onoff-road-street-bikes-and-cruisers-13]route 3A motorsports in Chelmsford, MA they have a brand new 2013 Concours 14 ABS which never had gas or battery installed for $11,495. List price on that machine was $16,195. It's a gorgeous bike and they said they'd sell it to me for 11K but had no interest in either of my bikes as a trade-in.