NADAguides' Analysts Seeing New Trends in the New Motorcycle Shopping Market

COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

News Highlights

• NADAguides, the most comprehensive new and used powersports pricing and information resource online, is seeing new shopping and research trends in the motorcycle market in particular – showing traffic, continual growth and consumer interest in trikes and touring scooters with step through chassis.  
• 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 paints an even more robust picture showing consumer interest and research growing 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 comfort and 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. 

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Key Quotes

• Alex Lezama, Motorcycle Market/Data Analysts at NADAguides.com: "Over the past five years we've seen a shift in popularity towards trikes/three-wheel motorcycles and touring scooters. 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 after-market 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."

About NADAguides.com

NADAguides.com (http://www.nadaguides.com/) is the largest publisher of the most market-reflective vehicle pricing and information available for automotive, classic cars, motorcycles, boats, RVs, and manufactured homes. NADAguides.com offers in-depth shopping and research tools including, a broad range of data, products and services, informational articles, as well as tips and advice. NADAguides.com also produces software, mobile applications, raw data, web services, web-syndicated products and print guidebooks.  NADAguides.com is an alliance partner of NADA Services Corporation.

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SOURCE NADAguides