Spring is in the air, and the sights, sounds, and smells are everywhere. Over in Europe, new motorcycle sales are up 10.3 percent year-on-year for 2021 Q1, which is certainly promising. OEMs have so far been reporting good news, as well, with Ducati announcing a 33 percent rise, Polaris talking about a 30 percent rise, and Harley-Davidson seeing a 9 percent increase for the same time period.  

On May 13, 2021, the Motorcycle Industry Council reported that Q1 motorcycle sales in 2021 for the U.S. are up more than 37.2 percent over the same period in 2020. Interestingly, according to the industry group, those numbers aren’t just in one particular segment, either. Instead, it seems that everyone wants to hop on some kind of two-wheeler, and they’re happy to buy new right now.  

The MIC gathers data from 14 leading manufacturers and distributors of motorcycles and scooters throughout the U.S. After tabulating its most recent round of data, the group reported that this is the fourth straight quarter of strong sales growth.  

"Combine the new-motorcycle sales performance with the pace of tire sales and we know that more riders are putting on more miles. We hope that indicates that riding is becoming a larger part of consumers' lives,” MIC president and CEO Erik Pritchard said in a statement. 

Unsurprisingly, dual-sport bikes were up most of all, by 47 percent. Off-road bike sales rose by 45.4 percent, scooter sales rose by 34.6 percent, and on-road motorcycles rose by 31.4 percent for the same time period. It’s unclear what these percentages convert to in actual numbers, but the overall trend seems like positive news for the industry.  

If the past three quarters prior to this one have been any indication, this trend should hopefully continue. As we have always said and will continue to say, motorcycles and scooters are a great way to have fun and also keep your distance, even when there isn’t a global pandemic going on. Now, you probably already know that if you’re reading this, but let’s hope that more first-time riders continue to discover how awesome bikes can be in the coming months. 

Top comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
Comment!
Got a tip for us? Email: tips@rideapart.com