The Toronto Star reports that sales of motorcycles in Canada had steady growth in 2004, with each province shows increases averaging 5 to 7%.

Low interest rates and high price of oil is seen as the primary reason. Bob Ramsay of the Motorcycle & Moped Industry Council said that sales of cruisers, custom, and touring bikes are expected to grow, while sales of sportbikes are likely to remain constant. But scooters and off-road bikes are expected to the fastest of all.

The article also goes on to explain why Harley Davidson does so well in selling bikes. High resale value has always been used to explain HD's success. But like the article points out:

Of course, when you're bending your favourite steed through a set of corners on a beautiful summer day, are you thinking, "Man, I really appreciate the resale value of this motorcycle"?

I imagine Americans are more into the "image-thing" than Canadians, but then Americans have always been the trend-setters. Perhaps Canadians are just now discovering what it's all about.

Labels: Canada Motorcycle Sales