Naysayers constantly cry the cruiser market will dry up soon, as the bikes appeal most to an aging population. But, the market is proving them wrong again and again.
Take this week’s third-quarter financial news from Harley-Davidson and Polaris. Critics have panned Harley-Davidson’s retro-themed lineup for years, saying the company’s lack of technical development will doom them.
But, the sales figures don’t agree. Those old-fashioned air-cooled V-twins are selling well, even in today’s crappy economic climate. In fact, the latest figures from Milwaukee put the Bar and Shield’s third quarter sales up 5.1 per cent internationally, and up 5.4 per cent in the U.S. over 2010’s 3Q sales.
That looks good, but it’s nowhere close to Victory’s massive growth. Asphalt and Rubber is claiming Victory’s seen a 77 per cent jump in Q3 sales over their 2010 numbers. Just imagine how they’d be doing if everybody wasn’t worried about a recession …
