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Easier Riders

Flaring Fuel Prices Pump Up Motorcycle Sales

By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com

August 20, 2006
Not everybody is screaming bloody murder over rising gasoline prices. Motorcycle makers are ecstatic.

According to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, more than 350,000 people will take its new-rider course in 2006 -- a 10 per cent increase over the year before. So many people want to ride that there's a waiting list for spots in the class. The wait can sometimes take months.

Waiting is a good idea, says safety expert Hugh Hurt Jr., an accident researcher. Hurt, professor emeritus of safety science at USC, insists that new riders know what they're doing on the road. The combination of older riders and bigger motorcycles can be deadly even before alcohol is added to the mix, he suggested.

The Motorcycle Industry Council, also based in California, knows the number of riders is rising rapidly. Sales of motorcycles and scooters climbed 8 per cent in the first quarter of 2006, compared to the same period of last year, and is expected to continue its upward spiral.

One manufacturer, Vento Motorcycles, reported a 33 per cent increase in April and May alone. Vento makes scooters and smaller motorcycles that are especially good for beginners.

Because of rising fuel prices, there are a lot more novices on motorcycles.

In fact, the American Motorcyclist Association reports that 35 per cent of motorcycle owners plan to be on their bikes more as a direct result of pumped-up prices at the pump. One driver, Bill Menzel of North Bergen, NJ, took a 9,000-mile vacation trip by motorcycle last month -- the longest he had ever tried.

Another, Vincent Stone of Los Angeles, said he switched from van to cycle because of the enormous difference in fill-up prices: $85 for the van as opposed to $13 for the motorcycle.

The typical motorcycle gets 50 miles per gallon of gas, while the average passenger car gets less than half of that -- 22.4 miles.

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