Canadian motorcycle sales continue to do well in spite of COVID-19, with the country’s first year-over-year monthly comparison now available. At this point, the numbers look like 2021 will be a far better year than 2020, according to the latest numbers from the Motorcycle & Moped Industry Council (MMIC).
The coronavirus pandemic really picked up steam in Canada in March of 2020, with businesses starting to close down, including some motorcycle dealerships. Now, it’s a year later, so we can get our first comparison to a full month’s sales, and hopefully get an idea of how this year’s sales will go.
The news is good, so far.Last month, street bike sales were up 120 percent over 2020’s numbers. Offroad recreation bikes sales rose 309 percent, competition dirt bike sales rose 125 percent, minibike sales rose 188 percent. Overall, sales were up 135 percent; year-to-date, sales are up 75 percent, with 6,465 more bikes sold than last year.
The only province that didn’t see growth was Newfoundland. The MMIC said there were no change from 2020’s numbers in Newfoundland. Every other province saw double-digit or triple-digit growth. New Brunswick rose 234 percent, the highest growth in the country.
What’s next? With an early spring, dealers are no doubt hopeful for continued strong sales. However, with constant supply chain issues, there may be considerable difficulty meeting demand. To sell bikes, first you must have bikes to sell. Already, dealers are complaining that they aren’t getting what they’ve ordered. If you want to buy a new bike this season, you should consider acting sooner rather than later.
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