[RodRowdyBiker]

I personally think that premium bike sales will continue to increase. I think the time to buy a high end bike has never been better. The era of ICE motorcycles will come to an end sometime in the next 10-15 years and now is the time to enjoy these amazing machines.

[GTO]

Believe it or not, premium segments are lesser affected than the lower ones in times of a slowdown. Of course, they take a hit too, but the effect is far lesser than the lower segments. Case in point = among cars, the segment with the biggest decline is that of entry-level hatchbacks. On the other hand, there are still waiting periods for S-Class' and Range Rovers. I guess this is to do with the fact that wealthier customers have accumulated $$$ & have a sufficient cushion around them to weather downturns.

Originally Posted by RodRowdyBiker

The era of ICE motorcycles will come to an end sometime in the next 10-15 years and now is the time to enjoy these amazing machines.

No man, 10 years is way too soon. Electric vehicles are coming, but petrol ones aren't going to exactly die in 10 years. The two will happily co-exist.

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by GTO

Believe it or not, premium segments are lesser affected than the lower ones in times of a slowdown. Of course, they take a hit too, but the effect is far lesser than the lower segments.

+1, Take the case of Ducati, they've increased the price of the offerings across the board.

I purchased on Feb. 2019, Now the price has increased by more than 10%.

A similar scenario is present across all the brands.

[bigron]

Not much actually. The volumes are minimal to start with.

Also, there are MOSTLY two kinds of buyers of premium bikes in India. One whose daddy is the sponserer and second who saves up just to buy the bike.

A slowdown does not affect either.

[Nilesh5417]

Hasn't the slowdown for individual brands probably set-in a couple of years ago? The size of the market may have expanded slightly but I feel the pie has been split into many more pieces as more and more brands launched in India. Gone are the days when the only options you had were Kwackers or Triumph.
Pune's Ducati showroom first moved into a smaller place and now I hear it's mostly changing hands. Dream Bikes shut their Phoenix Market City showroom. And the used market is flush with sparingly or lovingly used bikes. The RE twins have probably only made it worse since last year for the likes of Street750 or Street Twin.

[AWD]

To find an answer to Superbike sales one would have to dwell into the psychology of a Superbike buyer. As we all know superbikes are im-practical for use on Indian road & conditions, due to their weight, speed, heat they emit, inadequate road infra, low GC, etc. Practically during a slowdown the sales should take a hit as the consumers belonging to sectors which have slowed down should postpone their purchases. Since its an im-practical move to begin with, impracticality shall follow in most spheres. Hence the sales may not go down.

[bevivek]

I also feel that since buyers of Super-bikes are generally well off, they would be better placed to ride out a down turn. In fact they may view the down turn with its 'deals' as a good opportunity to get a super bike at a lower than usual price. Call it 'Value bike purchasing' :-)

Of course the best way to check this would be to go through T-BHP Moderator Crazy Driver's monthly posts on bike sales going back to last year, find out sales of all the superbikes, add them all up to see what the total sales of the premium segment has been month on month down to now and see how the tea leaves fall.

[gkveda]

As many people have already said, it only the middle class or lower middle class that suffers from Slow down.

There is a sanskrit Subhashita that says,

aśvaṃ naiva gajaṃ naiva vyāghraṃ naiva ca naiva ca ।
ajāputraṃ baliṃ dadyāt devo durbalaghātakaḥ

Meaning: Neither Horse, Elephant, Tiger nor any other strong animal, that is given as "Naivedyam" to God, it is a weak "Goat Calf". Even God seems to be fond of killing only Weak


Since Poor and lower middle class are the ones that get affected by slow down (Which is volume in our country) and anyway, they do not aim to pick up super bikes and all they want is max 150 cc bikes, super bike sales do not get affected.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by bevivek

I also feel that since buyers of Super-bikes are generally well off, they would be better placed to ride out a down turn.

Originally Posted by gkveda

As many people have already said, it only the middle class or lower middle class that suffers from Slow down.

Guys, the bikes that we broadly classify as 'superbikes' here, start from 5 lakhs onwards. I know there are rich superbike owners as well - but atleast 50% people I know (myself included) are from the middle class only! Ofcourse there wouldn't be any confusion if we were discussing which car most of us drive instead, mine being a very old Punto for example - and most friends I have in my 'super'biking circle drive similar hatchbacks, with only a couple of exceptions.

Biking is just a matter of priorities for many and very hard-earned income and loans go into funding it - not just a way to dispose off excess income.

Originally Posted by bevivek

In fact they may view the downturn with its 'deals' as a good opportunity to get a superbike at a lower than usual price. Call it 'Value bike purchasing' :-)

The real value IMHO is the price-performance ratio compared to the astronomically priced cars of the modern era! Almost no one from the middle class in this country can dream of affording a proper performance car anyday soon (BMWs maybe someday with a lifetime of savings! - but the real Ms, AMGs, Porches, Lambos, etc are beyond dreaming capacity as well!)

Today, a Maruti Suzuki Swift petrol (a typical middleclass hatchback) costs 7.97L. Buying an inline4, 125ps, 3.5 seconds to 100, sexy Kawasaki Z900 costs 10k less!

Originally Posted by bevivek

Of course the best way to check this would be to go through T-BHP Moderator Crazy Driver's monthly posts on bike sales going back to last year, find out sales of all the superbikes, add them all up to see what the total sales of the premium segment has been month on month down to now and see how the tea leaves fall.

Thank you. But since the numbers are less, monthly dispatches for these bikes don't reveal a true trend IMHO. Last year I had created a YOY analysis (2018 Annual Report Card - Superbikes & Imports), and will do so again next Jan! Should be a clear verdict by then?

[mohansrides]

Originally Posted by gkveda

..Meaning: Neither Horse, Elephant, Tiger nor any other strong animal, that is given as "Naivedyam" to God, it is a weak "Goat Calf". Even God seems to be fond of killing only Weak
....

Very interesting sir. Thanks for that nugget. Yes, survival of the fittest appears to be the divine order too. Kind of antithetical in the overall sense.

[aghate]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Biking is just a matter of priorities for many and very hard-earned income and loans go into funding it - not just a way to dispose off excess income.

Today, a Maruti Suzuki Swift petrol (a typical middleclass hatchback) costs 7.97L. Buying an inline4, 125ps, 3.5 seconds to 100, sexy Kawasaki Z900 costs 10k less!

Exactly my thoughts! I mean today I can get a used 4-5 year old Honda City at half it's original price and then plonk the other half of the money on a decent middle weight sports bike to enjoy the performance aspect with a 10th of the price of the performance Ms and AMGs. For middle class citizens that is the only way for now. Dated till the used car prices fall off the cliff in the near future.

[//HB]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

+1, Take the case of Ducati, they've increased the price of the offerings across the board.

I purchased on Feb. 2019, Now the price has increased by more than 10%.

A similar scenario is present across all the brands.

This would also have a connect on the rupee depreciation in recent months.

Originally Posted by bigron

Also, there are MOSTLY two kinds of buyers of premium bikes in India. One whose daddy is the sponserer and second who saves up just to buy the bike.

You missed a 3rd category; as also mentioned by Crazy Driver below - the ordinary folks who somehow make the dream purchase, primarily driven by passion.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I know there are rich superbike owners as well - but atleast 50% people I know (myself included) are from the middle class only!

Biking is just a matter of priorities for many and very hard-earned income and loans go into funding it - not just a way to dispose off excess income.

True - I've known a few examples myself

[AtheK]

what i have also observed is the real scene of superbiking is hot in pre owned market. The new one won't be selling off the showrooms at a fast pace, but the ones exchanging hands in pre owned market are in good numbers.

It's like an addiction, you get a single cylinder, you want a two cylinder very quickly and so on. You outgrow (super)bikes much faster then cars, so you look for an upgrade. The best way to upgrade is pre owned, as you get bikes with hardly any miles done on them at 30-40% discount. I think that is the market that will heat up even more with the slow down, you can actually look at some good decent deals.

[bigron]

Originally Posted by //HB

You missed a 3rd category; as also mentioned by Crazy Driver below - the ordinary folks who somehow make the dream purchase, primarily driven by passion.

Someone who is saving his earnings to buy a bike falls into the second category I mentioned.

[superbad]

The reason for premium cars & bike sales to be unaffected by downturns is because customers buy them as a lifestyle vehicle, & thus plan finances & maintenance accordingly. In short, the rich will always have the moolah to spend on these things.