Australian motorcycle sales
over the past few years show
a trepidatious slide but how
bad is it really?
After all, riders have no cause
for concern as dealers are so
keen to move stock they are
doing ridiculous deals.
Some stock has been so slow
to sell you can pick up brand
new models that have been
sitting on the showroom floor
for several years.
For example, it is not
uncommon to see brand-new
one-litre 2015-model sports
bikes in showrooms.
Yes, that’s right, sports bikes
that were once so fashionable
are now on the nose, probably
because of the increase in
speed cameras and policing
that make it impossible to ride
these machines without going
straight to jail, do not pass go!
But it’s not just sports bikes
that are in trouble.
Dealers have been telling
horror stories of losing money
on new bikes they have been
paying interest on while they
languished for years on their
showroom floors.
And to make matters worse,
when they finally do sell the
bike, a few days later a truck
arrives with the same model
replacement.
There is nothing the dealer
can do about this as the
replacement policy is written
in their contract, probably in
blood. So, dealers are doing
crazy deals to move bikes off
their floors.
Historically, Harley didn’t
discount. They kept their profit
margins high so dealers were
happy.
Loyal Harley riders were also
happy as dealerships became
lavish clubhouses and they
enjoyed comparatively good
returns on their trade-ins.
However, now you can walk
into an H-D dealership and
buy some new models for
thousands under the list price.
It’s great news for riders and
those keen to pick up a bargain
second-hand bike.
So, why should we be worried
about the state of the industry?
After all, for years importers
and dealers have been getting
rich off our loyal patronage.
But if this trend continues,
the local motorcycle shop might
close, parts and accessories
will become more expensive
to buy, fewer dealers will offer
test rides, etc. It might even
spell the demise of this very
magazine you now have in your
increasingly sweaty hands!
So who or what is to blame?
Federal Chamber of
Automotive Industries
motorcycle spokesman Rhys
Griffiths blames the tighter,
tougher and more expensive
graduated licensing systems
brought in by most states.
He says this is dissuading
young riders and the industry
can only last so long on an
ageing demographic, as Harley-
Davidson so frequently points
out.
In fact, Harley is a great
litmus test for the future of
motorcycles, worldwide.
Some years ago, worried
executives met at Harley
headquarters in the historic
brick building at 3700 West
Juneau Avenue, Milwaukee, to
discuss the future.
They cited sliding sales as
a result of their ageing white
male owners dying off and not
replaced by new customers.The main outcome from the
hand-wringing exercise was an
intention to target new riders,
mainly ethnic groups, women
and young people.
The result has been hip social
media marketing, events such
as women-only Garage Parties
and even new models with
lower seats and smaller grips.
Consequently, Harley has
made significant inroads into
these new markets, yet the slide
continues.
More recently Harley
responded with a plan
to produce a raft of
non-traditional product in the
next couple of years, including
an adventure family and electric
motorcycles and bicycles.
It is yet to be seen how
Harley loyals will react, but the
main concern is whether new
customers will be attracted to
the bar-and-shield.
But it’s not just a Harley
problem.
There are many factors at
play in this downhill trend.
On a global scale the growing
middle class in China is moving
from bicycles and scooters to
cars, instead of motorcycles.
There are stricter emissions
regulations making it tougher
for motorcycles to comply.
Safety is becoming a bigger
concern for authorities who
have an armoury of inventive
ways to make life tough.
The coming wave of electric
motorcycles may not be the
saviour, either.
Yes, they are quieter and
cleaner, but with the impending
growth of automated transport,
they may be deemed too
dangerous. That’s why some
motorcycle manufacturers
are feverishly working onautomated motorcycles and
advanced hi-tech safety devices
such as automatic emergency
brakes that activate if the bike
senses an impending crash.
The future for
motorcycles might be so
heavily encumbered with
interventionist technology they
will suck all the enjoyment out
of that mountain road.
It might be a future we don’t
want to live in.
This might sound very
bleak, but society has a way
of stabilising such heretical
change.
Newton’s third law states: For
every action, there is an equal
and opposite reaction.
It’s not just true of physics,
but also culture.
History shows our culture
moving through a series of
liberal and conservative swings
and even concurrent opposites
can exist as the same time.
Back when I was a long-
haired teen, astronauts were
walking on the moon while
down on Earth hippies were
smoking dope and embracing
simpler times.
Even now in the internet age,
hipsters are embracing older
technologies. Just look at the
growing trend of customising
old motorcycles.
The current state of the
motorcycle industry is worrying
and it seems we have come to a
metaphorical crossroads.
If we sell our souls to the
devil for our motorcycles, we
wonder which road will the
devil lead us down?
Will we go down the road to
automated electric motorcycles
or will we revel in our
two-wheeled heritage?- Mark Hinchcliffe
UP FRONT
Motorcycling is at the crossroads all around the world. Where will it end?