Another bad year for bike sales

Twinspark · Post by **Twinspark** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 1:18 pm

I'm not surprised that bike sales are poor.

The Jap. manufacturers are really taking the piss on pricing - A Yamaha Fazer 800 without luggage is £8k.

I had a salesman recommend the Kawasaki Z1000SX sport-tourer when I was browsing recently - I laughed an left when he priced one up at around £12k with luggage!

(To put it into perspective... Motorpoint are selling brand new MG6 hatchbacks for £8k for a base model and £11k for the top of the range car - thats for a large family hatchback!)

dave the german · Post by **dave the german** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 1:39 pm

Twinspark wrote:I'm not surprised that bike sales are poor.

The Jap. manufacturers are really taking the piss on pricing - A Yamaha Fazer 800 without luggage is £8k.

I had a salesman recommend the Kawasaki Z1000SX sport-tourer when I was browsing recently - I laughed an left when he priced one up at around £12k with luggage!

(To put it into perspective... Motorpoint are selling brand new MG6 hatchbacks for £8k for a base model and £11k for the top of the range car - thats for a large family hatchback!)

That does put it into perspective. I'm thinking about a new bike but really I could do with a new car. Do I shell out £14000 for the new GS or buy a new car which will, because of work start times/route to work will get used more. mmm

Mister C (Marsh) · Post by **Mister C (Marsh)** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 4:33 pm

Trying to think when the last good year for bike sales was? Had it been as hard for me at 17 I missed 16 by three months, to get a 'proper bike' as it is for todays youth I dare say like most of them I wouldn't have bothered. Up at the pondy on a sunny day 100 bikes I would say at least 80 of the riders are over 45 if not 50. Its a sad fact, me thinks in 20 or so years bikes will be a really small minority of speed restricted leg shields. Them buggers in charge don't want us the police are sick of picking up the pieces... Sad but true, probably.

Regards Marsh

Blackal · Post by **Blackal** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 5:35 pm

There can be a lot of factors in the diminishing numbers of younger people on bikes.

People are having to work longer hours, just to make ends meet.

The married ones, used to get a pass out - now they get dragged to IKEA

Used to be that you could park your bike in your garden or on hte street - now the insurance costs prohibit anything other than secure garage for most areas.

As to the age of BMW riders -
I never see guys in their mid-twenties through late thirties in the BMW dealerships - they all tend to focus on the multi-make shops with the big variety of used machines.

Al

slparry · Post by **slparry** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 5:45 pm

must admit there were a couple of late 20's/early 30's S1000RR riders in Williams BMW one day when I was have one of the warranty jobs done on the KGT. They must have spent a bob or two as they were bedecked in BMW S1000RR 1 pce leathers, boots, gloves and helmets to go with the bikes.

cornishflat · Post by **cornishflat** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 5:47 pm

Blackal wrote:
cornishflat wrote:BMW, Harley and Triumph are doing well and i,d imagine that their client base has an older look to it. It does look like nostalgia sells with even Moto Guzzi albeit now funded by Piaggio making new models. Hopefully people will still turn to bikes although I fear it could well be as a later in life "hobby" for the various reasons mentioned in this thread.[/list]
An astute observation.

In addition, the hobby can be hard to justifiy for the young person with family commitments (financial and personal), such that they only re-emerge when family is up and gone, and finances start to look a bit better.

Is that a "mid-life crisis"? Don't see it, myself - just taking stock of what is important in your life.

Totally agree. I think there will be a commuter market for the city types and why not given parking, fuel prices.

Al

Corvus · Post by **Corvus** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:25 pm

Twinspark wrote:I'm not surprised that bike sales are poor.

The Jap. manufacturers are really taking the piss on pricing - A Yamaha Fazer 800 without luggage is £8k.

I had a salesman recommend the Kawasaki Z1000SX sport-tourer when I was browsing recently - I laughed an left when he priced one up at around £12k with luggage!

(To put it into perspective... Motorpoint are selling brand new MG6 hatchbacks for £8k for a base model and £11k for the top of the range car - thats for a large family hatchback!)

Didn't the economy screw the yen? It basically seemed to turn the tables re European vs jap imports. Not saying our lot got any cheaper, but the jap stuff got priced out. Diahatsu stopped importing new cars a couple of years ago, as a result of whatever sent the yen ballistic.

slparry · Post by **slparry** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:38 pm

On the other hand tho' all of the manufacturers have factories or components made in China nowadays in order to reduce costs, but it appears these costs aren't being passed to the consumer.

As a curiosity exercise I just popped onto Kawasaki USA and UK sites and looked at the GTR1400

in the USA list price converts to £10,159
in the UK that same list price is £13,699

The FJR1300A is similar

USA £9966
UK £13500

and a BMW R1200GS is
USA £10,100
UK £11650

Yet again europe pays a premium over the US

What suprises me is that I can buy Avon tyres cheaper in the US than I can in the UK? Now how does that work seeing as they have to be shipped 4000 miles to get to the US?

Corvus · Post by **Corvus** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:53 pm

slparry wrote:On the other hand tho' all of the manufacturers have factories or components made in China nowadays in order to reduce costs, but it appears these costs aren't being passed to the consumer.

As a curiosity exercise I just popped onto Kawasaki USA and UK sites and looked at the GTR1400

in the USA list price converts to £10,159
in the UK that same list price is £13,699

The FJR1300A is similar

USA £9966
UK £13500

and a BMW R1200GS is
USA £10,100
UK £11650

Yet again europe pays a premium over the US

What suprises me is that I can buy Avon tyres cheaper in the US than I can in the UK? Now how does that work seeing as they have to be shipped 4000 miles to get to the US?

Tax, tax and more tax?

slparry · Post by **slparry** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:57 pm

maybe but the US has sales tax

Still not sure why avons are cheaper there than here mind

Or for that matter Metzlers, Pirellis, Contis, Michelins seeing as they're made in europe and arent being shipped 4000 miles

Twinspark · Post by **Twinspark** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 8:20 pm

Do those US prices include sales tax? - because it varies from state to state, most US sites are excluding tax.

Thing is, it doesn't matter if the exchange rate is screwed, you need to find a way to stay competitive - no point in making massive margins on no turnover!

slparry · Post by **slparry** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 8:27 pm

Twinspark wrote:Do those US prices include sales tax? - because it varies from state to state, most US sites are excluding tax.

Thing is, it doesn't matter if the exchange rate is screwed, you need to find a way to stay competitive - no point in making massive margins on no turnover!

stack 'em high sell them cheap

bikesnbones · Post by **bikesnbones** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:22 pm

Blackal wrote: As to the age of BMW riders -
I never see guys in their mid-twenties through late thirties in the BMW dealerships - they all tend to focus on the multi-make shops with the big variety of used machines.

Al

This age business is all speculation.
You NEVER see guys in their mid 20's through late 30's in BMW dealerships ?

Wow.
I regularly see the younger element in mine.
I was there today and a Woman, I'd say about 28, was picking up her F800GS.
Not an unusual sight to see riders of about that age in my local BMW dealership.
Must be a regional thing, but even so, I guess until some sort of survey is done, no one know for sure.

Stevie · Post by **Stevie** » Fri Oct 11, 2013 10:36 pm

slparry wrote:On the other hand tho' all of the manufacturers have factories or components made in China nowadays in order to reduce costs, but it appears these costs aren't being passed to the consumer.

As a curiosity exercise I just popped onto Kawasaki USA and UK sites and looked at the GTR1400

in the USA list price converts to £10,159
in the UK that same list price is £13,699

The FJR1300A is similar

USA £9966
UK £13500

and a BMW R1200GS is
USA £10,100
UK £11650

Yet again europe pays a premium over the US

What suprises me is that I can buy Avon tyres cheaper in the US than I can in the UK? Now how does that work seeing as they have to be shipped 4000 miles to get to the US?

You need to be careful comparing prices like that. In the USA sales tax is NEVER included on the ticket price, whereas in the UK the VAT inclusive price is shown for everything except commercial vehicles.

Having just bought 2 cars in Houston, i had to learn to add 10% in my head to every price ticket I looked at. Actually sales tax here is only 8.5% but that sum is too difficult for me.

bikesnbones · Post by **bikesnbones** » Sun Oct 13, 2013 12:17 am

Bikes have always been an expensive indulgence.
It's not some new phenomena
In 2006 someone paid £9,000 for my R1200S
Seven years later, something comparible is going to cost about 3 grand more.
Have a look and see how much car prices have increased over the same period.