Motorcycle show putting a 4-wheeled spin on offerings
The motorcycle industry is growing extra wheels.
Many manufacturers at this weekend’s Progressive International Motorcycle Show are using the event to promote vehicles that aren’t motorcycles at all. They’ll be trumpeting their side-by-sides -- four-wheel-drive off-road vehicles that are a cross between a souped-up golf cart and a downsized dune buggy.
To be sure, the manufacturers’ main interest in the motorcycle show is still motorcycles. The annual gathering in Long Beach is their chance to introduce new machines to an estimated 55,000 attendees over two days and almost 90,000 square feet at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center.
But four-wheeled vehicles are by far the industry’s fastest-growing segment. Sales of the off-road machines -- which retail in the $11,000-to-$18,000 range -- grew 22% from 2011 to 2012 and are expected to grow almost 15% from 2012 to 2013, according to the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Assn.
“This is by far the biggest uptick we’re seeing in all our sectors,” said Kevin Allen, manager of public relations for Kawasaki, which fields side-by-sides with the Teryx and Mule name brands.
Whatever they are peddling, motorcycle builders see a big opportunity in the Long Beach show. Fifteen manufacturers will be on hand, with 400 individual motorcycles, along with dozens of companies promoting motorcycle tires, clothing and accessories.
The companies will be pitching to a market that continues to recover from a years-long slide that started with the Great Recession. Although motorcycle firms do not release unit sales figures, research by the Motorcycle Industry Council shows motorcycle registrations continue to rise nationwide. This has particular significance in California, which leads all states in sales.
The show attracts the industry’s prime target audience. Attendees are 33 times more likely to purchase a new motorcycle within six months of the show than motorcyclists who don’t attend, said Tracy Harris, senior vice president of Advanstar, which produces the show. The company’s research says 92% of those buyers are influenced by what they see at the show.
Those enthusiasts will get their first looks at 2014 two-wheeled models from many of the industry’s leading companies. New inventory on hand will include BMW’s elegant K1600GTL touring bike, Kawasaki’s dynamic Z1000 sports bike, Polaris Industries’ new line of Indian heavy baggers, Triumph’s Thunderbird LT and Commander, and KTM’s Super Duke 1290R
Honda will introduce new CTX1300 and Valkyrie cruisers. Suzuki will roll out a sporty new V-Strom 1000 and a Burgman 200 scooter. Ducati is bringing an aggressively upscaled Monster 1200.
“This is the heart of our customer base,” Dominique Cheraki, general manager for Ducati North America, said of visitors to the show.
“Long Beach is our home, and this is like our homecoming,” said Bill Savino, manager of motorcycle press for Torrance-based American Honda. “This market is incredibly important for us.”
This increasingly active motor sports sector was long dominated by a few major companies, principally the snowmobile giants Polaris and Arctic Cat and motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha. This year, Yamaha is upping its ante with the new Viking line, an upgrade on its historically successful Rhino side-by-side machines.
Over the last few years, those companies have been joined by other heavyweight competitors such as Kawasaki, which will be promoting its Teryx side-by-side line at Long Beach, and Honda, which continues to gain market share with its new Pioneer line.
“We’re less than a year out with the Pioneer, and already we’ve been very successful,” said Honda’s Savino. “This market is growing by leaps and bounds, and we want to be in it.”
Honda and its competitors are bringing their side-by-sides to Long Beach in part because it represents a unique opportunity to meet the customers.
“The consumer show circuit [for the recreational off-road vehicles] is the motorcycle show circuit,” said Paul Vitrano, executive vice president of the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Assn. “All the major players in powersports are in this market now, and this is their chance to get the product in front of the consumer.”
Vitrano and others say the market growth results from multiple factors. Customers for the side-by-sides include farmers and ranchers who are upgrading from a smaller ATV or downsizing from a traditional Jeep; hunters, fishermen and other outdoors enthusiasts who appreciate the vehicles’ off-road capability and ample cargo space; and motorcyclists or ATV riders who are using the off-road vehicles to enjoy the wilderness with family members as passengers.
The more substantial four-wheelers may also appeal to the aging baby boomers who have fueled motorcycle sales over the last two decades. (The mean age of the U.S. motorcycle owner in 1990 was 33; the mean age in 2012 was 44.)
“As a guy gets a little older, and gets a little tired of swinging a leg over and grabbing a handlebar, it might be a natural progression for him” to switch from two wheels to four, said Yamaha side-by-side marketing manager Steve Nessl.
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