On the back of the industry’s best annual result since 2009, sales of new motorcycles, ATVs and scooters recorded a 13.4 per cent decline in the first quarter of 2017, compared to the same period last year.
Aussies purchased 21,794 brand newies in the three months to March, compared to 2016’s result of 25,160.
Scooters took the biggest hit with a drop of 22.3 per cent (to just 291 units), followed by roadbikes, which were down
15.5 per cent.
The off-road segment dropped 15.3 per cent while the ATV and SxS sector suffered the least, recording a mere 1.3 per cent decline compared to the first quarter of 2016.
It was not all bad news, though. BRP (+16.8 per cent), Husqvarna (+33.1 per cent), Indian (+12.4 per cent), Polaris (+9.2 per cent) and Victory (+61 per cent) all posted decent growth for the period.
The star individual performer was Harley-Davidson’s Breakout (pictured), which not only topped the best-seller list (excluding the postal-issue Honda), but in the process gained 15.8 per cent more sales compared to last year’s first-quarter result.
By Kel Buckley
2016 Breakout. Softail