U.S. Motorcycle Sales Continued To Rise Across All Segments In 2021

Dual-sport and off-road bikes proved especially popular once again.

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Feb 4, 2022 at 1:28pm ET

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On February 2, 2022, the Motorcycle Industry Council announced that 2021 motorcycle sales in the U.S. continued their rise across all segments. While bike sales continue to improve, it’s also worth noting that the Motorcycle Safety Foundation saw enrollment in its basic rider courses grow significantly in 2021, as well. With new riders (and their bikes) comes new responsibility, to paraphrase Uncle Ben Parker, so it’s good news all-around.

Overall motorcycle sales rose 14.2 percent over 2020, and 21.8 percent over 2019 figures, across all segments. That includes scooters, which by themselves rose 19.6 percent over 2020, and 31.4 percent over 2019 numbers. On-road bike sales rose 12.9 percent over 2020, and both of those things are certainly great to learn, as well.

What’s especially encouraging, however, is sales of dual-sport and off-road bikes. The strange year that was 2020 saw a 46.2 percent increase in dual sport sales over 2019 numbers, which was, of course, very welcome. However, in 2021, dual-sport motorcycle sales still managed to rise an additional 18.6 percent over those 2020 numbers. Pure off-road bikes also saw sales rise 42.9 percent in 2021 over 2019, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Although the MIC doesn’t list total numbers of bikes sold, these percentages were gleaned from sales data that the organization compiled from 14 major OEMs and distributors across America. It’s an encouraging picture to carry forward as we vroom into 2022, that’s for sure.

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“In addition to strong sales, we are seeing strong demand for riding training and education. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation saw an estimated 48% increase in enrollment in 2021 over 2020. The MSF Basic RiderCourse and MSF DirtBike School are great places to start if you are new to motorcycling. For more experienced riders, there are numerous more advanced options,” MIC president and CEO Erik Pritchard said in a statement.

As of February, 2022, the MSF offers its Basic RiderCourse in 46 American states, in addition to the U.S. military. If you’re a new rider or you know a new rider, you should also know that some states offer low-cost and/or subsidized MSF basic rider training, so it’s definitely worth finding out what’s available in your region. Courses fill up quickly, so you may also want to make a plan ahead of time if you intend to sign up.

Sources: Motorcycle Industry Council, Motorcycle Safety Foundation