™
OUR
NOW IN
1 At
2YEsR
T H E O N LY M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E W O R L D W I D E V- T W I N PA R T S , A C C E S S O RY A N D P E R F O R M A N C E I N D U S T RY
AMD/Baird survey reveals new bike
retail tracking up 11-13 percent
with used bike sales down
JAN 2014
ISSUE #174
NEWS
C
ONDUCTED in October
and November 2013, the
latest AMD Robert W.
Baird & Co HarleyDavidson Dealer Survey reported
positive new bike retail trends (up
by between 11 and 13 percent),
but revealed that new bike sales
are tracking down at between
three and five percent with
showroom traffic failing to meet
dealer expectations.
With the long-term headline
unemployment rate in the United States
continuing to improve, mirrored by a
steady rise in the consumer confidence
index, stock market prices and home
prices, it would appear that annual onhighway retail motorcycle sales
continue to lag behind macro economic
improvements.
Harley-Davidson retail sales
(domestic and international) have
continued to improve since they
bottomed-out in 2010, performing
ahead of total market sales, but the
recovery in the value of pre-owned
Harley-Davidson models may be
suppressing sales.
Czech
café
culture
Dealers are reporting that their preowned inventory appears elevated
,while most reported that their new bike
inventory levels were “too low” on
average.
The consensus view for 2014 appears
to be an expectation that new unit sales
will be up mid- to high-single-digits
percent with 95 percent of those
surveyed saying that credit has
remained stable or eased recently, and
some 70 percent of dealers viewing the
new Street models as a positive addition
to Harley’s line-up.
Despite solid early final quarter
growth, in falling short of dealers’ retail
sales and traffic expectations, many
indicated that while the new
MY2014 bikes have continued to
drive showroom footfall, their
disappointment suggests that they had
stronger expectations for trends in the
seasonally slower fourth quarter.
Some 49 percent of dealers surveyed
said that new bike retail sales were
worse than expected, with 56 percent
saying that consumer traffic was worse
than had been hoped for.
However, Baird say that retail
remains on track with their projections.
Internationally those dealers who
were surveyed (some 25 percent of the
survey) reported seeing new bike retail
growth, albeit at lower rates than
reported in the United States, with
Canadian dealers suggesting that new
bike retail improved between six and
seven percent, with dealers in other
international markets reporting growth
of between two and four percent.
Response to the 2014 model year
continues to be positive, especially in
terms of the impact that the Rushmore
Project bikes have had on sales and
traffic. “New Rushmore units are driving
Continued on page 13 >>>
Zbynek Turecek, of Czech
custom shop Wildstyle, has
taken the idea of a café racer
and combined it with a Big
Twin to create Zt, a unique
motorcycle capable of
placing top ten at the World
Championship of Custom
Bike Building
Sportster head work
now offered by S&S
INDUSTRY
EXTRA
PRODUCTS