There are few experiences as exhilarating and eventful as taming wild ways on an off-road motorcycle. This rather expensive hobby has now graduated into a popular sport that commands a sizable fanbase. For vendors, accommodating this new-found demand for performance motorcycles has been a lucrative proposition, and has helped spawn dedicated brands that appeal to the hardcore off-roaders.
With names such as Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki Motor, and Yamaha ruling the roost when it comes to off-road motorcycles, the point of entry for newer entities is rather competitive. However, as per an expert market research report from Technavio, the market for these performance bikes is set to decelerate in the next five years- maybe, offering the newbies a chance to disrupt the market and make a name for themselves with innovative motorcycle designs and better performing configurations.
Cruising the Slippery Slopes : Exciting times intermingled with caution
For the manufacturer of these sleek machines, the best type of promotion is in real world races and rallies. The spectacular Dakar Rally, Baja 1000 and the audacious Erzberg Rodeo have proved to be the ultimate rites of passage to elevate the image of off-roading motorcycles in the eyes of the two-wheeler buying audience. The invincible aura of speed, performance and sleekness ensures that there is always a market for these purpose-built beauties. However, vendors must always be aware of-
- The High price of the motorcycles that ensures their unaffordability to most of the interested buyers
- The constantly incrementing price of steel, the metal that forms the bulk of the motorcycle’s transmission
- Complicated designs that increase the weight of the motorcycle and impacts its off-roading capabilities
- The complications involved in the licensing of off-road motorcycles across the world. This impacts the interest amongst motorcycle enthusiasts and consequently the off-road motorcycle market itself.
However, the vendors can take solace from the fact that the sales of off-road bikes have been incrementing in recent times. Plus, those that aren’t keen on an off-roading monster are still looking for meaner machines than their tame road-legal motorcycles. This breeds the lucrative sphere of ‘dual sport motorcycles’- a sensible mix of on-road comfort and off-roading excitement, neatly wrapped in a road ready form. The market for this type of vehicle is steadily gaining steam and could just emerge as the ‘goose that lays the golden eggs’ for the motorcycle vendors. Of course, the corresponding spike in the unit price must be addressed as well.
Finally, there is the defense sector and their prodigious need for high performance AWD motorcycles. For a while, the latter had gone out of style in favor of four-wheel all-terrain vehicles, but the off-road motorcycles are making a steady and determined comeback. Longtime patrons of these motorcycles, the US army’s special operations units, are realigning their interest and inducting these robust vehicles back into their ranks. Obviously, this spells a world of opportunities for the vendor who can now cater to the eager civilian as well as the country’s military might, with a vehicle that can be minimally modified for the aforementioned tasks.
Market insights will help vendors strategize better
In the off-road motorcycles market, no bend in the road can be taken lightly. Sourcing high quality market research reports will help the vendors avoid the pain of collating this information themselves, while opening their strategies to such necessities as the intensity of available competition, emerging market trends, favorable market drivers and challenges to be cautious about.
Thankfully, you can source one such report from Technavio, for FREE, from the link listed herein.
