Cruiser sales booming...!
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:34 am
From the Australian..
WHILE twentysomethings swarm the inner cities on motor scooters, baby boomers have flocked to the countryside, adopting the laidback cruiser-style bike and driving last year's motorcycle sales to a record high.
According to figures released yesterday, sales of Harley Davidson-style cruisers to the over-40 set now rival motor scooters.
While the motor scooter market tanked at about 14,271 last year, down 1 per cent, sales of cruisers rose 27 per cent to 13,196, becoming the leading road bike variety and underpinning the record year. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries revealed that 129,966 motorcycles and scooters were sold last year, a rise of 10,760.
This is a 9 per cent increase on the previous record, set in 2006, and mirrored the record performance of car and truck sales last year.
Inner-city worker Holly Arkinstall, 23, said rising fuel prices and a lack of parking in inner Melbourne made her Vespa indispensable. ``You can pretty much park wherever you like,'' she said. ``And petrol prices will hit $2 a litre this year -- which is a pretty big thing for a lot of people.''
Ms Arkinstall said she only needed to fill her scooter's 10L tank once a fortnight.
Jacqueline Alwill of Sydney bought her ``baby'', a 2007 Vespa, in August. ``I visited Italy about a year ago and most people there ride scooters and I fell in love with them,'' she said. ``They're just fun and trendy, and you feel feminine riding a scooter -- the feeling of the wind in your hair and on your face. They're just amazing to ride.''
But the new star of the motorcycle market was the cruiser.
FCAI motorcycle manager Ray Newland said cruisers were mostly being bought by baby boomers looking for a fun weekend and holiday diversion. ``It is the people in the 40-plus bracket who have the disposable income -- their kids have left home and they have taken early retirement,'' Mr Newland said. ``They are taking weekend rides down the Great Ocean Road in Victoria or up into the hills in Adelaide.''
Overall growth in road bikes was 18 per cent last year, with sales reaching 45,510.
Ride captain of the Motorcycle Riders Association of South Australia Jock Rogan said most of the club's new members were over 40 and looking to change their lifestyle.
``They are a more mature set -- grey nomads looking at motorcycles and trailers rather than the camper van,'' he said.
Honda was the top-selling road bike brand, with 10,014 sold. Next were Harley Davidson with 7134 and Suzuki with 7080.
Motorcycle Council of NSW chairman Guy Stanford called on state and federal governments to make rider safety a priority by removing poles from near roadsides, abolishing crack sealant, which was very slippery, and raising awareness of motorcycles among car drivers.
WHILE twentysomethings swarm the inner cities on motor scooters, baby boomers have flocked to the countryside, adopting the laidback cruiser-style bike and driving last year's motorcycle sales to a record high.
According to figures released yesterday, sales of Harley Davidson-style cruisers to the over-40 set now rival motor scooters.
While the motor scooter market tanked at about 14,271 last year, down 1 per cent, sales of cruisers rose 27 per cent to 13,196, becoming the leading road bike variety and underpinning the record year. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries revealed that 129,966 motorcycles and scooters were sold last year, a rise of 10,760.
This is a 9 per cent increase on the previous record, set in 2006, and mirrored the record performance of car and truck sales last year.
Inner-city worker Holly Arkinstall, 23, said rising fuel prices and a lack of parking in inner Melbourne made her Vespa indispensable. ``You can pretty much park wherever you like,'' she said. ``And petrol prices will hit $2 a litre this year -- which is a pretty big thing for a lot of people.''
Ms Arkinstall said she only needed to fill her scooter's 10L tank once a fortnight.
Jacqueline Alwill of Sydney bought her ``baby'', a 2007 Vespa, in August. ``I visited Italy about a year ago and most people there ride scooters and I fell in love with them,'' she said. ``They're just fun and trendy, and you feel feminine riding a scooter -- the feeling of the wind in your hair and on your face. They're just amazing to ride.''
But the new star of the motorcycle market was the cruiser.
FCAI motorcycle manager Ray Newland said cruisers were mostly being bought by baby boomers looking for a fun weekend and holiday diversion. ``It is the people in the 40-plus bracket who have the disposable income -- their kids have left home and they have taken early retirement,'' Mr Newland said. ``They are taking weekend rides down the Great Ocean Road in Victoria or up into the hills in Adelaide.''
Overall growth in road bikes was 18 per cent last year, with sales reaching 45,510.
Ride captain of the Motorcycle Riders Association of South Australia Jock Rogan said most of the club's new members were over 40 and looking to change their lifestyle.
``They are a more mature set -- grey nomads looking at motorcycles and trailers rather than the camper van,'' he said.
Honda was the top-selling road bike brand, with 10,014 sold. Next were Harley Davidson with 7134 and Suzuki with 7080.
Motorcycle Council of NSW chairman Guy Stanford called on state and federal governments to make rider safety a priority by removing poles from near roadsides, abolishing crack sealant, which was very slippery, and raising awareness of motorcycles among car drivers.
feminine just about sums it up
Mick