Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1337686
IN THE WIND P32 New-Motorcycle Sales See Double- Digit Jump in 2020 N ew model powersports sales increased 18.4 percent in 2020, with motorcycle and scooter sales rising 11.4 percent, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council Retail Sales Report. "Overall, the industry had a good year under difficult circum- stances," said Erik Pritchard, president and CEO of the MIC. "The Covid-19 pandemic forced all of us to be nimble and to make the changes we needed to survive. In the end, many in the industry saw strong growth, and now our opportunity is to keep all of these new riders riding and to inspire even more people to join us on two, three and four wheels." The MIC Retail Sales Report- ing System gathers new motorcy- cle, scooter and ATV retail sales data from 14 leading manufactur- ers and distributors in the U.S., providing a strong indicator of sales trends. Sales of on-highway motor- cycles, which include scooters and dual-purpose bikes, were steady compared with 2019, while interest in off-highway motorcycles spiked, with sales up 46.5 percent year-over-year. Off-highway motorcycles include dirt bikes, trail bikes, competition motorcycles and other motor- ized two-wheelers that cannot be used on public roads. Sales of ATVs also jumped, rising 33.8 percent over 2019. "We are happy to see that more people are getting the chance to enjoy the outdoors and find new adventures with motorcycles," Pritchard said. "As many riders know, motorcycles and scooters are not only fun, efficient ways to commute, they open up many recreational op- portunities." "We encourage all new riders to continue with training and education whenever possible," Pritchard said. "The Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider- Course and the MSF DirtBike School are great places to start if you are new to motorcycling. For more experienced riders, advanced courses are available. The ATV Safety Institute also of- fers safety training for adults and kids ages 6 and up." The Motorcycle Industry Coun- cil exists to preserve, protect and promote motorcycling through government relations, communi- cations, media relations, statis- tics and research, aftermarket programs, data communications standards and involvement in technical and regulatory issues. As a not-for-profit national indus- try association, the MIC seeks to support motorcyclists by repre- senting manufacturers, distribu- tors, dealers and retailers of mo- torcycles, scooters, ATVs, ROVs, motorcycle/ATV/ROV parts, accessories and related servic- es, and members of allied trades such as insurance, finance and investment companies, media companies and consultants. CN Motorcycle and scooter sales jumped 11.4 percent in 2020.