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Motorcycle Manufacturers Struggle with Declining Sales

The global financial crisis continues to affect motorcycle manufacturers, no matter of what type of bikes they build. Though many say the cruiser market has been recording the biggest decline, the off-road and dual sport motorcycle models have also been recording a significant economic slowdown.

BMW Motorrad, KTM, Yamaha, Harley-Davidson and Victory motorcycles have all reported dramatic declines in sales in their financial statements, as being showed by Dealernews via Clutch and Chrome.

BMW Motorrad's revenue for the first six months of 2009 was down 15.1 percent, compared to the same period last year. However, the company remains optimistic.

"We have had tremendous interest in this bike since it was first unveiled in Monza earlier this year," commented Todd Andersen, Marketing Manager, BMW Motorrad USA, was quoted by clutchandchrome.com.

"The S 1000 RR represents an entirely new dimension for BMW Motorrad and the sport bike segment. At this price, we expect a significant number of customers to take advantage of our Pre-Sale program. In fact, all of our first month’s production has already been sold through this program."

Moreover, KTM anticipates motorcycle and ATV sales could fall 28.5 to 30 percent for its fiscal year ending August 31. The Austrian manufacturer is mostly known for its off-road motorcycles range, though it has recently extended to street motorcycle production.

Yamaha is also struggling with financial problems, as the company’s motorcycle sales fell 27 percent in 2009, compared to the same period last year. Even worse, their Marine, ATV or automobile sales fell with 51 percent.

Yamaha has already announced some of its cost reduction plans, which include cutting down motorcycle production to 250,000 over the next three years.
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