This month’s downturn comes amidst otherwise positive news of late, as several powersports lenders have reported early loan payoffs and higher originations in the trade publications, usually signaling a strong market. This has been a welcome bit of upbeat news in the industry while the manufacturers have been reporting a mixed at best sales environment for new units so far this year.
The only exceptions to the large overall declines this month are the Watercraft and Snowmobiles, the former declining only slightly, and the latter rising just a bit.
“Whether it’s the end of summer, recent economic news (yield curve inversion, anyone) or other factors at play, prices have taken a big hit this month nearly across the board as all of the motorcycle and off-road segments are down significantly,” said Scott Yarbrough, senior analyst of motorcycle and powersports at Black Book.
The biggest movers this month are the scooters, down nearly seven percent. They have been really strong for most of this spring and summer, so a large drop may be nothing more than a correction for these units, and the reason for their outsized decline compared to other segments.
Cruisers also take a big hit this month, especially the metric units, down nearly four percent, while the domestic v-twins are down about a half a percent less. All of the other main segments we follow, ATVs, off-road bikes, dual sports, street bikes and utility vehicles, are down roughly three percent. For the off-road segments this is particularly noteworthy as they usually appreciate at this time of year as hunters and campers begin their seasons.
Link: Black Book
