No double-dip recession for motorcycle sales:
MIC Q1 sales numbers for motorcycles are up 17.5% and scooter sales are up 47%... of course we know that the MIC scooter numbers are tainted. ahemm I mean they only have a few people who report so they don't count any of the Taiwanese brands like PGO (Genuine) or Kymco. Plus none of the Chinese brands so companies like Jonway which really dominate US sales thanks to all their private label buyers like Roketa, SUNL sorry I mean Massimo now and Redstreak don't appear anywhere.
A better real world indicator of motorcycle/scooter usage would be replacement tire sales. The good news is that tire sales are also up through March of 2011. Total tire sales are up 29.4% for all two-wheeled segments (nearly 1 million tires sold Jan-March 2011). Scooter tire sales were up 48.6% in the same time period. We still have a long way to go before the powersports industry reaches full recovery, but it looks like we have bottomed out and are finally beginning the bounce-back phase.
Now if the MIC could stop with the Rev your ride idea and do something that actually helps scooter riders like provide scooters for all the Motorcycle Class instructors that would help out a lot more than giving away prizes to people who were buying exhausts anyways in stores that are already in the business. Just ask Josh Rogers over at Scoot! Magazine how he feels about this and what he thinks about the new MIC numbers.
If you haven't yet make sure to sign up at the new Scoot! Forum. I've been checking it out and they have some really hot scooter pictures, babes on scooters, Honda Zoomers / Ruckus, and much more including a whole vintage section. So scooter sales are up, we don't know how many, MIC is doing some great press releases, and people are visiting the new Scoot! Should be an interesting Amerivespa this year.
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