2008 U.S. Motorcycle Sales Down: Dual-Purpose Up (Again)
U.S. MOTORCYCLE SALES, 1992-2008
They do a good job over webbikeworld.com with their annual “Motorcycle Sales” graph and survey. Yesterday they updated their “U.S. Motorcycle Sales, 1992 – 2008.”
Although the obvious picture is that overall annual sales are going down, what this graph does not show is that dual-purpose motorcycles are still the fastest growing [...]
Recommending a First Motorcycle
1) What would you recommend as a “first” motorcycle for a newbie?
2) With a gazillion bikes to choose from, how would you advise a friend, new to the world of motorcycling, on which bike to purchase?
3) Should it be a used bike or a new one?
You and I will likely agree on this advice: “Do [...]
2006 U.S. Motorcycles Sales
In March of 2007, the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) released their statistics for 2006 U.S. motorcycle sales. Here’s what they report:
2005
2006
% Change
Scooter
56,899
54,268
- 4.6%
Street
646,097
680,679
+ 5.4%
Dual
Sport
29,610
35,245
+ 19.0%
Off-Road
276,982
252,140
- 9.0%
Total
1,009,588
1,022,332
+ 1.3%
What you don’t see in these numbers is that 2006 marks the 14th year in a row for rising street bike purchases.
2006 is also the 4th year in a [...]
Death Valley: Divine Motorcycle Riding
Death Valley National Park is the hottest, driest, and lowest of all the national parks. Located in eastern, Central California, and about 2 hours west of Las Vegas, it’s also the largest national park in the lower 48 states (second only to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Southern Alaska).
At 282 feet below [...]
Honda XR650L, Kawasaki KLR650 or Suzuki DR650S?
Sooooo, considering a dual-purpose motorcycle, are you?
They sure aren’t for everyone. See the earlier post on the good and bad for this category.
If you remain undaunted by the inherent compromise between street and dirt that these bikes offer, then which would best serve your future?
You probably won’t go wrong with either of these 2007 [...]
Dual-Purpose Motorcycles & Double-Edged Swords
Dual-purpose motorcycles: love ‘em or hate ‘em, but they serve a place in the grand scheme of our motorcycle universe. In the March 2007 issue of Rider Magazine, Clement Salvadori writes a fine article entitled, “The Great Compromise” that compares a few of the prime contenders for dual purpose dominance.
Clement’s comparison of the Honda XR650L, [...]
Twisted Grip Personality Test
