The powersports market is slowly but steadily inching its way upwards as spring finally arrives. The rate of increase is a little slower than normal, probably due to a still hesitant economy, but the overall seasonal trend is still upwards with one surprising exception.

First for the bad news: snowmobile prices have dropped substantially, as expected. We mentioned that last month’s two percent decline would most likely seem minor when the latest auction results were in, and we were not wrong. Prices for sleds are definitely headed down, and fast. The segment dropped 6.5 percent during March for the April market guide. The lack of snow in many areas, coupled with the end of winter, means continued weak demand for these units until next fall.

The most surprising vehicle segment this month is the ATVs, which are down significantly at 3.5 percent. ATVs normally increase in value at this time of year, but by smaller amounts than most of the street and off-road motorcycle segments. Stay tuned next month to see whether this is a one-time adjustment, or part of a larger trend.

Personal watercraft and jet boats are not surprisingly up by 1.4 percent this month. With warm weather on the way, prices for these units should be headed even higher next month.

For the majority of street bikes, cruisers, scooters and off-road bikes, prices are up .9 percent to 1.3 percent, depending on the segment. While these increases are not large for the time of year, they do represent a continuation of the overall upwards pricing trends that we have seen for the past few months. The numbers should be taken as a sign that dealers have confidence in stocking its showrooms as customers start to return in bulk this time of year.