It’s what the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) is calling one of the best sales outcomes for several years with its newly released third-quarter sales figures pointing to a recovering and buoyant Australian motorcycle industry.
In the first nine months to September, Australians purchased at total of 79,237 brand-new motorcycles, scooters and ATVs, which represents a 5.5 percent increase over the same period last year, which was both warmer and dryer than the unseasonal weather patterns of 2016.
“It’s terrific to see the motorcycle industry so vibrant and busy,” the FCAI’s chief executive Tony Weber said. “And we are looking forward to considerable sales activity as we lead into summer months.”
While the ATV sector enjoyed the biggest spike compared to the same period last year, up nine percent, it was the roadbike sector accounting for almost half of new bikes sold this year, up 6.4 percent to 34,778 units — that equates to 138 new roadbikes being sold every single day of this year! It was the usual suspects in terms of total sales by brand, with the surprises popping up the further down you drill into the figures.
Harley-Davidson once again led the roadbike field from Honda, no doubt helped by its LAMS-approved Street 500 which, too, enjoyed a growth of 3.5 percent over the same period last year. Yamaha blitzed the off-road sector (again), selling well over 2000 more units than its nearest rival to make up a 30 percent piece of the knobby-tyred pie. It posted some impressive results, too, a 7.2 percent increase in its off-road results and a significant 16.5 percent growth in its roadbike market to result in an 11.8 percent growth overall.
As far as specific high-performing models go, Kawasaki’s Ninja 300 has been pushed back to fifth overall and back to fourth place in the roadbike category, with Yamaha’s YZF-R3 and Harley-Davidson’s Street 500 having something to say about the Ninja’s once long-term dominance. Speaking of long-term dominance, the WR450F stalwart of Yamaha’s sales-figures was the country’s best-selling bike (after the postal-issue Honda NBC110, of course), having a stellar nine months and finding 1390 new garages to call home — that’s a whopping 72.7 percent increase from the 805 it sold in the same period last year.
The once-booming scooter market, which took an 11.9 percent hit over the same 2015 period, accounted for a mere 4.1 percent of the entire two (and four) wheeled market.
For a full breakdown of who and what performed well in what sector, see below.
TOP BRANDS — TOTAL UNITS SOLD TO DATE
1 Honda 17,093
2 Yamaha 16,973
3 Kawasaki 7455
4 H-D 7202
5 Suzuki 6965
6 KTM 6277
6 Polaris 4000
7 BMW 2466
8 Triumph 2310
9 BRP 1959
10 Ducati 1506
TOP BRANDS — RATE OF GROWTH TO DATE
1 Husqvarna +40.5%
2 BRP +33.9%
3 KTM +32.5%
4 VMoto +18.2%
5 Yamaha +11.8%
TOP 10 OVERALL
1 Honda NBC110 1824
2 Yamaha WR450F 1390
3 Yamaha YZF-R3 1196
4 H-D Street 500 1175
5 Kawasaki Ninja 300 1075
6 Yamaha MT-07 1034
7 Honda CRF50F 1014
8 H-D FXSB Breakout 1008
9 Honda CBR500R 934
10 Yamaha PW50 898
TOP 10 ROADBIKES
1 Honda NBC110 1824
2 Yamaha YZF-R3 1196
3 H-D Street 500 1175
4 Kawasaki Ninja 300 1075
5 Yamaha MT-07 1034
6 H-D FXSB Breakout 1008
7 Honda CBR500R 934
8 Honda Grom 821
9 Yamaha XVS650 554
10 H-D Night Rod 544
TOP 10 ADVENTURE TOURING
1 Honda Africa Twin 446
2 Suzuki DR650SE 377
3 Kawasaki KLR650 297
4 BMW R 1200 GS 271
5 BMW R 1200 GSA 256
6 BMW G 650 GS 233
7 Triumph Tiger 800XC 216
8 Honda CB500X 205
9 Ducati Multistrada 177
10 BMW F 700 GS 155
TOP 10 SPORTSBIKES
1 Honda CBR500R 934
2 Honda CBR300R 342
3 Ducati 959 Panigale 260
4 BMW S 1000 RR 232
5 Yamaha YZF-R1 197
6 Honda CBR1000RR 188
7 Kawasaki ZX-10R 180
8 Ducati 1299 Panigale 142
9 Suzuki GSX-r750 134
10 Suzuki GSX-R1000 134
TOP 10 OFF-ROAD
1 Yamaha WR450F 1390
2 KTM 500 EXC 601
3 KTM 300 EXC 566
4 KTM 350EXCF 561
5 KTM 450 EXC 406
6 Yamaha WR250F 328
7 Husqvarna TE300 234
8 Yamaha WR250R 221
9 Husqvarna FE350 212
10 Suzuki RMX450Z 188
Kellie Buckley
