Quote Originally Posted by bigdamo View Post
Actually adventure motorcycle sales is one of the few motorcycle categories growing. http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-...011/18550.html
Thanks for that link, bigdamo. I had a look and think those numbers are interesting enough to post the whole story here.

Motorcycle sales figures for June 2011
Scooters and Adventure Sport sectors are growing. Nothing else is.

Tweet Posted: 14 July 2011
by Visordown News

The Adventure Sport market is holding up
MOTORCYCLE sales for June 2011 were down 5.6% on 2010's figures, with a total of 8,709 units sold compared to 9,226 in June 2010.

The motorcycle market is down 2.9% year to date, with 44,396 units sold, compared to 45,736 for the same period in 2010. Despite optimism that the worst of the slump has happened, the pick-up in sales in these crucial summer months does not appear to have happened.

The Adventure Sport category is the only category outside of scooters to show a rise in sales. 1,211 Adventure Sport motorcycles were sold in June 2011, compared to 1,085 in June 2010, a rise of 11.6%.

However, scooter sales showed positive signs, with sub-125cc scooters showing a rise of 14.4% with 1,370 units sold in June 2011 compared to 1,198 in June 2010. Maxi-scooters showed a rise of 18.2% with 1,808 units sold in June 2011, compared to 1,530 units sold in June 2010.

Despite the rise in scooter sales, the total market has shrunk by 2.1%, with 51,396 powered two wheelers sold so far this year, compared to 52,501 in 2010.



Read more: http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-...#ixzz1d697Q200
It's hardly a surprise that scooter sales are not just rising, but booming. Petrol is pretty stable at $4/gal in many places, so the $60-80 that it costs to fill the typical car's tank -- or north of $100 for an "SUV" -- gives pause, especially for the millions who are unemployed.

How to explain the more modest rise in adventure bikes?

Well, my guess it's more about reliable transportation than about popping over to Starbucks for a latte.

Anyone who is commuting on a freeway in America would be insane to do so on a scooter -- though I saw three or four of these during my long visit to California and Florida in October. (Yes, guys and gals on little scooters in shorts and t-shirts and sneakers and a flimsy Wal-Mart helmet blasting down the freeway at 55mph, well out of sync with the flow of traffic (typically 70-75mph) then slowing to 45mph or less at the first hill...)

On the other hand, any decent adventure bike (like my 11-year-old KLR650) with a bit of fairing and windscreen is fully capable of freeway commuting and gives relatively safe, comfortable and convenient riding even in poor weather, and the panniers are excellent for a daypack or briefcase and a change of clothes and street shoes.

Bridge tolls are generally the same as for cars, at least in California, but bikes typically are allowed in high-occupancy vehicle lanes (aka HOV or carpool lanes) and get roughly double the gas mileage or more compared to all but the lightest "hybrids".

In other words, an adventure bike makes a great deal of sense for that daily "adventure" of commuting to work and back.

With a stop for a latte on the way...