[sandeepmohan]

Harley Davidson dominance does surprise me. The most impractical (for our market) of the lot sells the most. Then again, to say that you arrived on a Harley Davidson versus a Tramp (Triumph) is a pretty big deal in our country.

Royal Enfield 650 Twins are imported? I thought they were made right here. The title on the graph is a little confusing.

Kawasaki's position does not surprise me. They too had a pretty early head start in the market and do have some very practical options out there. The Versys still stands as the most sought after Touring/Adventure motorcycle.

I am pretty sure the Royal Enfield Twins will be a cause for concern for Triumph even though they do not directly compete. The parallel Twins give you a lot for the money. As someone who was once saving up to buy a Triumph T120, the Interceptor seem to have everything I want at a much lower cost.

KTM India seem to be snoring. Their ability to manufacturer right here gives them the ability to price their motorcycles well. If they put their mind on giving us even a 390 Adventure, I bet that it would fly off shelves and scare the daylights out of other competing products. On the other hand, I am wondering if there is some strategy also at play here by Bajaj, by delaying the launch, as that would eat into Kawasaki's sales, and I bet they make more money on the Jap than the cheap Austrian.

Interesting stats and graphs. Thanks for sharing.

[noo.b]

I am certain that Bajaj - KTM are keeping a close eye on the numbers of the Z900, wonder how this will impact the pricing of the upcoming 790.

Given the product and huge fanbase of KTM I am sure the 790 will take a big chunk out of the z900's sales, as long as there is a slight pricing advantage.

[VellVector]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

[*]Harley Davidson Fatboy and Fat Bob sell exceptionally well given the price points. Fatboy still remains 'THE' Harley Davidson for many.

The new Fat Bob is drawing in a lot of younger buyers and dealers are having no problems moving them. The Fat Boy still remains the face of Harley in India and with good reason, the bike is an exceptional machine that cannot be explained until ridden.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

[*]10 units of the 50 lakhs worth CVO Limited is another achievement!.

Add to that the 36 units of the Road Glide and the Street Glide with ex-showrooms of over 30L each it really is an impressive figure.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

[*]The most interesting figure however - is 35 units of the Honda Goldwing - the massive boat on two wheels. I believe Harley Davidson would be very worried about this one.

I think Honda has shot itself in the foot with the Gold Wing a bit with their refusal to sell the manual transmission in India. It was number one on my list before I picked up the Road Glide but when it finally launched it was automatic only.

A couple of other riders I know have also stayed away because of the DCT. Another problem is these bikes don't seem to be Honda's priority and making up the percentage of their market that they do - it makes sense. But dropping 40L for a non-priority bike is uncomfortable for some.

Originally Posted by tarik.arora

35 units of Goldwing. Dont know what to say. A 30 lac rupee motorcycle bringing in such numbers is a testimony to the fact that we Indians can do anything for exclusivity.

It's no longer just for exclusivity that people are buying these bikes. There are many riders especially on Harleys taking these tourers and ridding them cross country.

Just for example a couple of months back HD celebrated the first Indian to cover 200,000 KM in India (on a HD Street Glide).

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Harley Davidson dominance does surprise me. The most impractical (for our market) of the lot sells the most. Then again, to say that you arrived on a Harley Davidson versus a Tramp (Triumph) is a pretty big deal in our country.

Aside from brand value, Harley is selling the HOG experience. Harley groups are very active with weekly rides and meetups.

With HD India organizing the five big rallies every year and the riding challenges, HD keeps their riders involved and makes more money off them every year with subscriptions for the HOG memberships.

Most other brands are done with their customers as soon as they sell the bike.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by tarik.arora

Slower numbers for Versys 650 is a surprise as it is a very competent product and is priced exceptionally well. The Suzuki counterpart may have a better hardware but Versys has a very established name. Lets see how 2019 turns out to be for these two.

Not really surprised IMO, as a Versys owner. The 840mm seat height itself sends many customers over to Vulcan S/ Ninja 650/ Ninja 100 options. Remaining few will be convinced about the all-round abilities of the bike - but will need to decide between the VStrom 650 and Versys 650. The former has the edge these days.

But are the numbers 0 for all past months as Autopunditz reported? I don't think so and we have proof for it. Believe the numbers for Versys and Vulcan S have reduced, so it is getting reported along with Z650.

Originally Posted by tarik.arora

A 30 lac rupee motorcycle bringing in such numbers is a testimony to the fact that we Indians can do anything for exclusivity.

Reliability more than exclusivity IMO.

There were Harley buyers looking to upgrade, but not satisfied with the brand to consider the inhouse options - Goldwing came in as a perfect upgrade for them. And let's not forget - it is considered an extremely competent machine internationally as well.

Originally Posted by Ironhide

The tidbits of info/ data and insights lend perspective to us otherwise uninformed readers.

Thank you. Worth the time and effort spent compiling then!

Originally Posted by //M

I am a little surprised seeing the sheer numbers of the Hayabusa and the Fatboy.

Same here. I think we tend to overlook the numbers during the monthly discussions, but over a full year - the dominance is pretty evident.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Harley Davidson dominance does surprise me. The most impractical (for our market) of the lot sells the most. Then again, to say that you arrived on a Harley Davidson versus a Tramp (Triumph) is a pretty big deal in our country.

Although I agree with your view, one point is that Harley did try the hardest to capture the initial market.

Not only did they make the first committed move (Kawasaki back then was playing very safe with Bajaj), even now they have the widest sales and service network, with an existing customer base that tends to upgrade within the family. Bangalore for example has three HD dealerships, under two separate ownerships, and a lot of HOG events being conducted both under official and private group channels.

[tarik.arora]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The 840mm seat height itself sends many customers over to Vulcan S/ Ninja 650/ Ninja 100 options. Remaining few will be convinced about the all-round abilities of the bike - but will need to decide between the VStrom 650 and Versys 650. The former has the edge these days.


Reliability more than exclusivity IMO. There were Harley buyers looking to upgrade, but not satisfied with the brand to consider the inhouse options - Goldwing came in as a perfect upgrade for them. And let's not forget - it is considered an extremely competent machine internationally as well.

Your seat height theory definitely makes sense. The Versys is too tall for anyone shorter that 5'10".

Regarding the Goldwing, i never looked at it this way. I always assumed that any bike that costs such a bomb is purely brought for exclusivity / bragging rights
Honda being an Honda is definitely reliable and easier to maintain than a similarly priced HD.

[neil.jericho]

Excellent thread CD, I know this must have taken a lot of time to compile. I really appreciate the effort taken to put all of these numbers together in easy to understand formats. These joint figures combined with the details in the monthly sales thread provides a wealth of information on the market.


Some observations from my side with the caveat to readers that these are all dispatches and not actually sales figures. There is a big difference. If you see the December 2018 sales thread, Kawasaki didnt dispatch any Versys 650s in the second half of the year but dealers were selling the bikes in the last quarter of 2018. That means dealers are sitting on piled up inventory i.e. dispatches from Q1 and Q2 of last year. So the unsold inventory from the 2018 dispatch numbers in this thread (again I say, dispatches and not sales!) will carry forward to 2019 and skew those numbers a bit. With that said


- If we keep in mind that the Harley Davidson Street Rod is actually a mildly tarted up and improved Street 750 (fatter forks, wider MRF tires, difference in rake, larger rear wheel, 7 horsepower more and 3 more NM of torque Link https://evoindia.com/harley-davidson...vs-street-rod/), then it draws obvious comparisons to the Street Triple S and RS. With the Triumph, the top of the line RS also gets better forks, better tires, difference in rake, 12 more HP and 5 more NM of torque plus others like 3 additional ride modes, 3 levels of traction control, bi directional quick shifter, TFT screen, etc. (Link - https://www.zigwheels.com/news-featu...fferent/28934/). So if I were creating this thread, I would have actually clubbed the sales of the Street Rod and Street 750 together in post number 1, just as the Tiger 800 XR and XC as well as Street Triple S and RS. When we do that, the total figure from HD's entry level motorcycles adds up to 1,979 units which is astounding especially when you consider they dispatched only 4 units in December 2018. That is easily more than double that of the next highest dispatched competitor.


- Coming to the Royal Enfield 650 twins, I think its safe to say that they will dominate the charts in 2019.


- The Z900 total dispatch numbers paint a potentially false narrative when linked to sales because they dispatched 78 units in December out of 393 for the year which is 19.8% of total annual dispatches. As pointed out in the December dispatches thread, Kawasaki is aggressively pushing a 0% interest scheme on its Z900 (among others) so dealers will definitely be sitting on this inventory in Q1 of 2019.


- The Ninja 1000 finally seems to have balanced out in the demand supply equation. Earlier dealers didnt even have test ride bikes as they all had sales backlogs. 2019 will be a good test for the Ninja 1000. Will it sustain these figures?


- Not a great year for the Street Triple S as Triumph has priced it out of the park and its not value for money. Its predecessor arguably was. As an entry level naked sports bike, it is facing tough competition from the above mentioned Z900 and Suzuki's GSX S750. The Street Triple RS has brought in some good dispatch figures for Triumph, because it offers a lot of kit for the price. Now when we consider that the RS wasnt available in the first 4 months of 2018, then the real picture of the performance in the showrooms between the entry level S (which should ideally be bringing in the volumes) and the RS emerges.


- The Triumph Street Twin also had some aggressive 0% interest schemes in Q4 of the year which would have helped its numbers. With the Interceptor just getting warmed up to play, 2019 will be a tough year for this model.


- Other manufacturers must really envy Suzuki. They dont have test ride bikes of the Hayabusa (at least the last time I checked) and they just need to launch a new paint scheme every MY and they still manage to do good numbers.


- More dispatches in the year for the Vulcan 650 against the Z650 makes me confident that dealers are sitting on a lot of unsold inventory. The Vulcan didnt have any dispatches since June 2018. Kawasaki is providing the same 0% interest scheme for the Vulcan as well. Expect dealers to come off their high horses in 2019 and give good discounts, Anzen Kawasaki is already offering free accessories worth Rs 46,000 till the end of Februrary. The offer is visible on social media.


- The heading top 20 profitable models by revenue is misleading since many of these dispatched bikes are not sold. I would safely assume all ZX10Rs dispatched have found good homes already whereas many Vulcans are still sitting in dealer warehouses gathering dust and will likely be sold on discounts. So Top 20 motorcycles by revenue (without the word profitability) is a better heading.


- Having the actual dispatch figures in the first chart of post 2, along with the percentages, like you have in the first chart in post 4 would have been most helpful. Also would it be possible to have 2016, 2017 and 2018 pie chart data side by side? That way we can how the market dynamics have changed especially since some manufacturers have gone aggressive in recent times.


- The first chart on post #3 is fantastic and really gives a clear picture of how the market stacks up. Im quite impressed by the number of HD dispatches towards the higher end of the spectrum, this clearly is their let the owners upgrade philosophy at work. I usually dont comment on HD as Im not too well versed with their motorcycles, but from a business perspective, HD is the perfect example of how to do things right. They have a well established dealer network. They have a huge range of upto date motorycles including affordable entry level 750s (Street and Street Rod). They encourage group rides and meets. They take reasonably good care of their customers from what I hear. So upgrading within the HD family is usually a given. That said, there are concerns about HDs lineup globally and it will be interesting to see if they can reinvent themselves and come ouf stronger than ever.

Compare that to say the Triumph world, where many Street Triple owners can upgrade to the very different Tiger if they want to stay in the Triumph family. There is no sign of the Daytona globally and the still missing in India Speed Triple is a head scratcher. Kawasaki has done well in bringing a healthy range of motorcycles to encourage upgrading (N300 to N650 to N1000 or ZX6R to ZX10R or V650 to V1000 etc) but they dont take good care of their customers and hence Kawasaki owners will be the first ones to tell you to not buy one. Honda is the best in pampering their customers with excellent affordable service but they dont have volumes or the variety of models on offer today. For years, many of us TBHPians have been crying out for the 500 cc bikes from Honda. Sigh! That said, they are setting the foundation for a long term Rahul Dravid-esque innings in this segment that should off in the long run.

[//M]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Some observations from my side with the caveat to readers that these are all dispatches and not actually sales figures. There is a big difference.

Even the monthly car sales figures are dispatch numbers only, not exact sales figures. But we have to consider dispatch figures only as exact sales figures are very difficult to determine.

Most big bike manufacturers dispatch the bikes for only a few months in a year, more so in case of CBUs. The dealers stock the inventory and sell the motorcycles over a period of time.

[peus017]

Surprisingly Yamaha doesn't make it to the list

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Royal Enfield 650 Twins are imported? I thought they were made right here. The title on the graph is a little confusing.

Considered under the broad classification of superbikes. Being made in India, the price is pretty affordable compared to anything else in the list - but internationally the closest rival seems to be the Triumph range itself.

Originally Posted by noo.b

Given the product and huge fanbase of KTM I am sure the 790 will take a big chunk out of the z900's sales, as long as there is a slight pricing advantage.

I'm not yet convinced, specially considering the rumoured price points. It has very less bragging rights - considering the common KTM design language and parallel twin engine. Price ofcourse will be a big decider.

Originally Posted by VellVector

Add to that the 36 units of the Road Glide and the Street Glide with ex-showrooms of over 30L each it really is an impressive figure.

True. Infact I overlooked this figure, thanks to the CVO numbers next to it.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Some observations from my side with the caveat to readers that these are all dispatches and not actually sales figures.

Which is why an yearly analysis makes sense as against monthly ones. The differences tend to square out even over a longer period.

Thanks as always for adding your insights.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

If you see the December 2018 sales thread, Kawasaki didnt dispatch any Versys 650s in the second half of the year but dealers were selling the bikes in the last quarter of 2018. That means dealers are sitting on piled up inventory i.e. dispatches from Q1 and Q2 of last year. So the unsold inventory from the 2018 dispatch numbers in this thread (again I say, dispatches and not sales!) will carry forward to 2019 and skew those numbers a bit.

Doubt if this is the case. MY2019 version was launched only in October and few deliveries have also happened. This couldn't have been dispatched to dealers before June. I suspect the numbers are clubbed along with Z650 - because the little Z is not as popular on the road as the numbers suggest.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

- If we keep in mind that the Harley Davidson Street Rod is actually a mildly tarted up and improved Street 750, then it draws obvious comparisons to the Street Triple S and RS.

True that it is a mild derivative of the Street 750, but due to the differences in looks, and more importantly the riding geometry - many do consider it a different model with a different appeal. The riding feel of the Street Rod is vastly different from the laid back cruiser 750, whereas the RS is a hardcore version of the S. There is also an R internationally which is midway between these two.

But yes - together the Street platform is doing very well indeed. Harley - Where are the 500s?

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Having the actual dispatch figures in the first chart of post 2, along with the percentages, like you have in the first chart in post 4 would have been most helpful. Also would it be possible to have 2016, 2017 and 2018 pie chart data side by side?

Don't have the full past data, I'm working on manually collecting this and might take some time to complete. Will try to complete soon.

Originally Posted by peus017

Surprisingly Yamaha doesn't make it to the list

No data available for their premium bikes above R3.

[Turbo Head]

There must be some error in compilation of this data, I can't find even a single Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade on the sales chart. Atleast 5 bikes are sold in my close circle in 2018.

[Joxster]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The low volume market for Superbikes and Imports in the country doesn’t allow for a meaningful monthly analysis of their sales data. However, the same over a longer period of a full year makes for a healthy discussion - and with that goal in mind, below is the 2018 annual report and analysis of the premium two wheeler market in India.

A fantastic analysis and report, CD! Gives a real picture on the reality of the premium biking segment in India.
Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done mate

Originally Posted by Turbo Head

There must be some error in compilation of this data, I can't find even a single Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade on the sales chart. Atleast 5 bikes are sold in my close circle in 2018.

They must have been dispatched to dealers before 2018. Please read the disclaimer at the beginning of this report below.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

• These manufacturer-reported sales numbers are factory dispatches to dealerships. They are NOT retail sales figures to end customers.

Cheers

[Kuldeep31]

Thanks for this highly meticulous and extremely thorough report. Harley Davidson’s feat is truly remarkable and shows Indian consumers affinity for cruisers. Also the fact that high bracket sales involve delivering continuous experiences (HOG), Harley has been able to develop a niche clientele by delivering such exclusive experiences to their consumers. I am highly surprised not to find any bike from Yamaha stable considering the head start that it had over many other players. What for Suzuki once it stops selling the evergreen Hayabusa?
Will be interesting once KTM launches the 790. It will eat into the sales of z900, z 650 among others if priced competitively.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Doubt if this is the case. MY2019 version was launched only in October and few deliveries have also happened. This couldn't have been dispatched to dealers before June. I suspect the numbers are clubbed along with Z650 - because the little Z is not as popular on the road as the numbers suggest.

Very interesting, you could be right. If you said, you suspected it was mixed with the Vulcan 650 counts, I would have found that even more believable Im surprised why manufacturers are reporting wrong numbers to SIAM though. We know Honda is incorrect, I feel the Africa Twin numbers might be underquoted as well.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

True that it is a mild derivative of the Street 750, but due to the differences in looks, and more importantly the riding geometry - many do consider it a different model with a different appeal. The riding feel of the Street Rod is vastly different from the laid back cruiser 750, whereas the RS is a hardcore version of the S. There is also an R internationally which is midway between these two.

But yes - together the Street platform is doing very well indeed. Harley - Where are the 500s?

From what I have seen, all the points you mentioned in favour of differentiating the Street Rod (except change in looks) hold even more true for the Street Triple RS and S. In feel they are two vastly different bikes, the braking for example on the RS, is single finger controllable and feel is amazing. The suspension is also a whole different beast on the RS, it was too stiff for me to enjoy riding in the real world. Though I haven't ridden the Street 750 and Street Rod, I strongly feel the Triple S and RS have an even bigger difference between them compared to the HDs.


Also too late to bring in the 500s. It will completely dilute the 750s brand value. If it aint broke, don't fix it.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Don't have the full past data, I'm working on manually collecting this and might take some time to complete. Will try to complete soon.

Originally Posted by Turbo Head

There must be some error in compilation of this data, I can't find even a single Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade on the sales chart. Atleast 5 bikes are sold in my close circle in 2018.

Definitely an error in Honda's numbers specifically with the Fireblade. I dug out delivery photos from social media a couple of months ago to prove that the numbers provided to AutoPunditz was wrong.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by VellVector

Aside from brand value, Harley is selling the HOG experience. Harley groups are very active with weekly rides and meetups. Most other brands are done with their customers as soon as they sell the bike.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

and a lot of HOG events being conducted both under official and private group channels.

Very true, especially on the last sentence from VellVector. This is what sets HD apart from the rest and is quite telling in any part of the world.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Considered under the broad classification of superbikes.

Noted.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Im quite impressed by the number of HD dispatches towards the higher end of the spectrum, this clearly is their let the owners upgrade philosophy at work.

They sure are spoilt for choice when it comes to upgrades. 16 models to choose and customize like there is no end to it. Besides; if you want to make yourself "Heard", you can't go wrong with a Harley.

[noo.b]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I'm not yet convinced, specially considering the rumoured price points. It has very less bragging rights - considering the common KTM design language and parallel twin engine. Price of course will be a big decider.

The design language is common i agree but the z 900 is no looker either, i suppose it sells primarily due to its price point and the fact that its an inline 4.

Most international reviews seem to rate the duke 790 just below the Street Triple RS, which is now 13ish on OTR here ans thats a lot.

I get your drift when you say it hasn't got much in terms of bragging rights however it has some aces up its sleeve like traction control, super motard mode, cornering ABS and the service backup that KTM offers.

But at the end of it all it isnt an inline 4 and a lot of buyers will be put off by its sound for sure so thats definitely going to play a part too. A testament to that is so many new z900s up for sale for not being loud enough