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2021 Was BMW Motorrad's Best Sales Year In Company History

bigjohnsd

bigjohnsd

'21 R1250 GS Adv
Despite the lurching, emotional rollercoaster ride that was 2020, motorcycle OEMs, including BMW Motorrad, mostly had very good years. After all, it’s not difficult to understand why both new and returning riders would want to get on some bikes and ride very far away from things for a while, is it? Perhaps it shouldn’t surprise us to learn that 2021 was even better for BMW.

https://www.rideapart.com/news/561350/bmw-motorrad-2021-sales-record/
 
Most motorcycle manufacturers sold every single bike they made. I know someone at BMW corporate is wishing they could have made 10K more bikes to sell because they would have sold them...or dealers looking at empty show room floors thinking of all that lost commission they missed out on from people who walked in to buy a bike and left empty-handed.

Industry topic, it shows why Harley was so smart to create a used market arm. I'd like to see BMW follow suit.

https://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/story/news/harley-davidson-now-has-a-certified-pre-owned-program/

Harley now has a CPO program and I bet, given how many new bikes just aren't available how well this did. People walk into an HD dealer, they know the bike has a warranty and was serviced by the book. it costs more but has more trust and faith by the customer. BMW could get into that as a way to beef up sales even when it comes to used bikes that come in on trade.

Anyway, it's good to see the industry is healthy.
 
I wonder if BMW will send Debbie and I a gift for helping them have a record year :)
 
bigjohnsd said:
Despite the lurching, emotional rollercoaster ride that was 2020, motorcycle OEMs, including BMW Motorrad, mostly had very good years. After all, it’s not difficult to understand why both new and returning riders would want to get on some bikes and ride very far away from things for a while, is it? Perhaps it shouldn’t surprise us to learn that 2021 was even better for BMW.

https://www.rideapart.com/news/561350/bmw-motorrad-2021-sales-record/
Click to expand...

This is amazing. I was doing research for a project recently, and BMW sold about 68,000 bikes (all models but excluding the R26 and R27 singles) from 1955 through 1969 with a big drop in sales in the later years. Then they introduced the Slash 5 series and sold 69,000 of those bikes from 1970 through 1973. Now nearly 200k a year. Combine this good news with record setting sales for other brands, and this is great news for the motorcycle industry and culture, and a great opportunity for growth for owners groups.
 
GREGFEELER said:
This is amazing. I was doing research for a project recently, and BMW sold about 68,000 bikes (all models but excluding the R26 and R27 singles) from 1955 through 1969 with a big drop in sales in the later years. Then they introduced the Slash 5 series and sold 69,000 of those bikes from 1970 through 1973. Now nearly 200k a year. Combine this good news with record setting sales for other brands, and this is great news for the motorcycle industry and culture, and a great opportunity for growth for owners groups.
Click to expand...

Maybe good news now, but perhaps signals a slump in sales in the years to come. Most potential buyers have bought their bike, a significant number of them have buyer's remorse, so there is a glut of barely used bikes on the market.
 
akbeemer said:
Maybe good news now, but perhaps signals a slump in sales in the years to come. Most potential buyers have bought their bike, a significant number of them have buyer's remorse, so there is a glut of barely used bikes on the market.
Click to expand...

Where are you getting your information that "a significant number of them have buyer's remorse"?
 
GREGFEELER said:
Where are you getting your information that "a significant number of them have buyer's remorse"?
Click to expand...

Perhaps more so in Harley ranks. However, there doesn’t appear to be any large number of used BMW’s on CycleTrader and other resources. I don’t see buyers’ remorse, if anything, maybe an aging demographic especially for heavier bikes. And while BMW bikes aren’t necessarily lite, they do, in general, represent the lighter side of touring bikes, especially the R1200 series. IMHO.
 
GREGFEELER said:
Where are you getting your information that "a significant number of them have buyer's remorse"?
Click to expand...

Sorry, it was poorly written. This line, "Most potential buyers have bought their bike, a significant number of them have buyer's remorse, so there is a glut of barely used bikes on the market.", is intended to describe the potential outcome of the exceptionally good motorcycle sales year that could lead to a slump in sales in the coming years.
 
akbeemer said:
Sorry, it was poorly written. This line, "Most potential buyers have bought their bike, a significant number of them have buyer's remorse, so there is a glut of barely used bikes on the market.", is intended to describe the potential outcome of the exceptionally good motorcycle sales year that could lead to a slump in sales in the coming years.
Click to expand...

I would need more data before predicting anything from this - like all the demographic information (age, income, home zip code, existing or new rider, etc.). But, given that brands as diverse as KTM, Ducatti, Harley, and BMW (and BMW says not only the GS, but the RTs, R18's, and S1000R) says to me that demand is across most bike market segments, and those segments have *some* correlation to buyer demographics. In this article: https://www.rideapart.com/news/560361/ducati-records-highest-sales-2021/ about Ducati's record 2021 sales says:

"After accounting for the last quarter of the year, the brand moved 59,447 units in all of 2021. That’s a new record for the 95-year-old company, which marks a 24-percent increase in sales over 2020 and a 12-percent bump over 2019 figures. While the record-setting numbers are exciting, the brand has even more irons in the fire for 2022 and beyond."​
That would say that - at least for Ducati - 2021 wasn't the venting of pent up COVID induced demand, but more likely a trend.

This article: https://www.motorcyclesdata.com/2021/04/08/world-motorcycles-market/ about world wide motorcycle sales says this:

"In these countries the motorcycles industry is crucial and the 2021/2022 will report a strong recovery while the rest of the World will keep the already positive trend, resulting in the achievement of a huge year on year increase in the 2021 with the following year projected to establish the new all time record."
​

I've seen a lot worse news about motorcycle sales since the Housing Bubble Bust in 2007/8/9. :clap
 
With the world population being well over twice what it was in 1970 and much of that population clamoring for the material advantages of a Western lifestyle, sales of luxury items such as large motorcycles should be up!
As the world economic markets continue to climb, more wealth will be available to populations and hopefully more motorcycles will continue to be sold along with cars and other life enhancing items. There are always market fluctuations, but it is overall long term trends that matter. On a worldwide level, sales should continue to climb until a war, major depression, or massive natural calamity occurs to destroy the wealth that has been built.
 
Last edited:
DaveSlash5 said:
With the world population being well over twice what it was in 1970 and much of that population clamoring for the material advantages of a Western lifestyle, sales of luxury items such as large motorcycles should be up!
As the world economic markets continue to climb, more wealth will be available to populations and hopefully more motorcycles will continue to be sold along with cars and other life enhancing items. There are always market fluctuations, but it is overall long term trends that matter. On a worldwide level, sales should continue to climb until a war, major depression, or massive natural calamity occurs to destroy the wealth that has been built.
Click to expand...

Perhaps all of those things *should* have propelled motorcycle sales, but they were not. From the Housing Bubble Bust until 2020 M/C sales in the US were half of what they were before that recession. Then, in 2020 they jump by 50% and appear to have been up even more in 2021. Other things are going on, by whatever they are, this is good news for anyone who want's to see motorcycling to continue.
 

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GREGFEELER said:
Perhaps all of those things *should* have propelled motorcycle sales, but they were not. From the Housing Bubble Bust until 2020 M/C sales in the US were half of what they were before that recession. Then, in 2020 they jump by 50% and appear to have been up even more in 2021. Other things are going on, by whatever they are, this is good news for anyone who want's to see motorcycling to continue.
Click to expand...

A picture is worth a thousand words. Thanks for sharing that.
 
GREGFEELER said:
Adam, you are welcome. This dramatic multi-year increase in motorcycle sales represents a great opportunity for clubs like the MOA.
Click to expand...

Maybe, Greg. If we can avoid alienating younger riders who don't dress like us or think like us, which alas, we have been known to do in the past.
 
PGlaves said:
Maybe, Greg. If we can avoid alienating younger riders who don't dress like us or think like us, which alas, we have been known to do in the past.
Click to expand...

^THIS.
Some people should lose their superiority complex. Seen plenty of people who come to a rally not on a BMW simply because they can't afford it. However making them uncomfortable about that, or their riding gear, sends the wrong message. Being on two wheels regardless of make and model is more important IMHO. YMMV
 
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