50 MOTORCYCLETRADER
will still be available and there are no speed
cameras in the proper outback. BMW’s entry-
level G 310 GS is already outselling its road-
oriented sibling. The Royal Enfield Himalayan
is doing well now but will do better when the
650 twin version is released. Suzuki will make
its DR650 and 650 V-Strom models forever
because they meet the needs of the future as
well as the present. KTM is well-positioned for
a bright future with its adventure models, as is
Triumph with its adventure and retro range.
Ironically, what will also survive will be the
‘retro’ bikes – rides that hark back to the glory
days of riding in’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. As long
as the fuel is still available, older riders will
line up to remember what it was like when they
were young, wild and free.
WHAT LIES AHEAD
While it’s okay for MT to speculate on the
future, we’re observers with no skin in the
game. What are the Australian/NZ distributors
thinking about the next 10 years? What we’ve
included in these pages are views from the key
players in the industry as to how they think the
next 10 years will unfold. You’ll be assurprised
by some of the answers as we were.
SUZUKI
LEWIS CROFT
Suzuki Australia motorcycle
marketing manager
What local conditions influence what
bikes are distributed in Australia/NZ?
One of the main local conditions would
be the requirements under Australian
Design Rules (ADR) for all road-registerable
motorcycles sold in Australia. Our rules
require some unique engineering, with
slight differences from the models sold in
Europe or the US. Suzuki actually produces
an ‘Australian specification’ variant of each
road-going motorcycle. Not all Suzuki models
are offered in Australian specification, but
we work closely with the factory to certify
models that suit our market.What do you see as the long-term global
influences on what kind of bikes we’re
likely to see here in the future?
We expect to see the demand for safety-
related rider aids continue to increase with
many features such as traction control,
for example, becoming standard on the
majority of road motorcycles sold, as
we’ve seen with ABS. It’ll be interesting
to see what products are offered by
manufacturers in the future with the
ever-increasing emissions regulationsbecoming more challenging to meet.
We may see a shift from purely
performance-oriented products
to more mobility and user-
convenience-focussed products.How much influence does your input
have in what your parent company
decides for its model range?
The factory carefully researches sales
and market trends and regularly collects
local feedback provided from all its
distributors. Naturally, the primary
markets (where the main volume of a
particular model is sold) has the greatest
amount of influence on development.How is your brand planning for
a very different world in 2030?
Suzuki Motor Corporation of course shares
its long-term visions with its Australia
arm. However, in detail, our local planning
revolves around a five-year rolling plan, so
it’s difficult to answer that accurately.What will be your best-sellingbike
in 2030?
As above, generally we have little visibility
past the next five years. However, taking
into consideration the current market
trends and looking to millennial customers,
I predict our best-seller would be some sort
of mid-capacity sport adventure touring-
type motorcycle.