Canadian sales numbers up so far

It looks as if 2013 might be a decent year for motorcycles sales staff.

So far, sales numbers are up in Canada in both January and February for street-legal motorcycles (off-road machines and competition bikes didn’t see an upswing in numbers).

February’s sales numbers were up 8.9 per cent over 2012’s results, selling 2,030 machines (including off-road and competition). Last February, Canadian dealers sold 1,863 machines. Year-to-date numbers for Canada are at 3,560 machines sold so far, while last year, dealers had only sold 3,193.

Dual sport bikes and scooters saw the greatest percentage increases in February; dual sports saw a 22.44 per cent jump in sales (up to 141 sold, from 128), and scooters saw a 21.21 per cent increase (up to 93, from 58). The lion’s share of bikes sold was in the street bike category, which rose 16.79 per cent, from 1,132 bikes sold last February to 1,331 sold in the second month of 2013.

Going forward, as always, the weather in the spring will have a big impact on sales. Wet, miserable weather hampers bike sales, while fair weather is a great incentive to buy. You can bet dealers are hoping for bluebird days for the next few months.