Motorcycle sales grow with gas costs |
August 1, 2006 - 06:13 PM
Motorcycle sales on the rise, along with gasoline prices!
But don't be so quick to link the rise in the popularity of motorcycles -- more fuel efficient than most automobiles -- to the high price of gasoline.Sales of the bikes are on the upswing, dealers and industry trade groups say, because more people are being bitten by the motorcycle bug.
And television, especially when a program deals with motorcycle customizing shops, is helping boost the trend, said David Beebe, 54, of Newark Valley.
Beebe, who has had his motorcycle license since 1971, rides a 2001 Honda Goldwing that he's been accessorizing every year he's owned it.
"In the '70s, I rode a motorcycle to save money, but now I do it to look cool," he said.
In 2000, there were 4,522 motorcycles and 277 mopeds registered in Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties, according to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
By 2005, motorcycle registrations rose to 6,199, and moped registrations fell to 243.
The Motorcycle Industry Council of Irvine, Calif., reports motorcycle and scooter sales in the United States have risen for the 13th consecutive year.
Sales have topped 1 million every year since 2002, according to the council.
The increase in bike sales and the corresponding spike in gasoline prices have fueled debates about whether consumers are turning to motorcycles mostly because of their fuel efficiency.
Thomas Lindsay, spokesman for the Ohio-based American Motorcyclist Association, says no; the trend began long before fuel prices started to rise.
"But more recently, the advantage of their fuel economy has come to light, even for those who have come to cycling for fun and freedom," Lindsay said.
"We buy them and then we discover they are more fuel-efficient, more agile and easier to park."
"We've run ads highlighting the fact you can save money on gas with a motorcycle. But whenever that point is brought up by the salesman, the customers look as if to say, 'So what, I didn't ask about fuel economy.' "
But a report by the Motorcycle Industry Council indicates gasoline prices are a big factor in bike sales.
The council compared motorcycle and scooter sales during July, August and September 2005 with the same period in 2004.
It found motorcycle sales were 16 percent higher and scooter sales were up by 65 percent last summer when gas prices were about 70 cents per gallon higher than the previous year.
"Those stats led us to believe that fuel prices were factoring in," said Michael Mount, a spokesman for the council. "We think it's driving some of the sales activity."
Whatever the reasons, the new converts aren't necessarily stereotypical "bikers."
Many are older, college-educated riders, with professional or technical careers.
Some, said Mount, may have ridden earlier in their lives, but gave up the sport because of their careers or families.
Now, with more time and disposable income, they are coming back into the fold.
Many of the new riders are women.
Over the past five years, licensed motorcycle riders have increased by 7 percent overall, with the number of women jumping by 28 percent, according to Allstate Insurance Co.
It said women now represent 10 percent of the cycle-riding population.
Not all the people being drawn to cycling are bikers.
On July 1, more than 1,000 bikers and their passengers took part in the 11th annual 160-mile Pride Ride, including Sara Schmieg, 29, of Horseheads, who rode on the back of her boyfriend's Harley-Davidson Fatboy.
Schmieg recently bought herself a new helmet -- white with pink and black flames -- and a Harley-Davidson patch with the same color scheme, which is now sewn onto the back of her denim jacket.
The Pride Ride was the first time she'd ever ridden that distance.
"It was fun meeting other people who are into the sport," she said.
"I might buy a motorcycle, but now it's more fun sitting on the back taking in the scenery."
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