NADAguides.com is seeing new shopping and research trends in the motorcycle market. Their findings show growing consumer interest in trikes and touring scooters.
 
After a few years of slumping sales due to economic issues, consumer interest and sales of motorcycles are finally seeing gradual increases. According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, year-to-date motorcycle sales are up 3.6 percent. Consumer traffic on NADAguides.com shows consumer interest and research increasing by 15 percent from the second quarter of 2011 to the second quarter of 2012.  
 
Among the motorcycle segments registering the most interest are touring scooters or “step-through” chassis models. Industry sales of touring scooters are up 5.6 percent year-to-date and have recorded a year over year traffic increase on NADAguides.com of 24 percent from the second quarter of 2011 to the second quarter of 2012. Top touring scooter brands searched on NADAguides.com include models from Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha and Vespa, making up 96 percent of the traffic in the segment.
 
NADAguides analysts note that trikes or three-wheel motorcycles are also gaining in popularity, registering a year over year increase of traffic on the site up 27 percent from the second quarter of 2011 to the second quarter of 2012. Appealing primarily to the baby boomer generation, three-wheel motorcycles offer more stability, more comfort for long trips and can be customized and outfitted with a variety of convenience packages, such as independent suspension, disc brakes, upgraded audio, large lockable storage and more. Top trike or three-wheel motorcycle brands searched on NADAguides.com include models from Can-Am, Harley-Davidson, Boss Hoss and Lehman Trikes, making up 93 percent of the traffic in the segment.
 
“Over the past five years, we’ve seen a shift in popularity towards trikes/three-wheel motorcycles and touring scooters," said Motorcycle Market/Data Analyst Alex Lezama. "Touring scooters provide a good starting point for consumers who are new to motorcycling because they have more stability and are easy to mount and dismount. Also, more and more consumers have been going to aftermarket companies to retrofit their bikes into three-wheelers, so OEMs now offer trike models and/or trike kits to cater to that market. We’ve seen a definite spike in interest for these types of motorcycles over the past six months and it will most likely continue in that direction in the coming months.”