Eight Percent of American Households Have a Motorcycle, a Record High

A strong used motorcycle market means more bikes in more homes.

byEric Brandt|
Motorcycles photo
Share

0

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

The amount of homes in the United States with at least one motorcycle in the garage has reached 8.02 percent according to a recent poll from the Motorcycle Industry Council. That's the highest figure ever measured by the MIC's study, which has been conducted for decades. It's also a healthy increase over 6.94 percent, which was recorded just five years ago.

This means out of more than 126 million U.S. households, more than 10 million of them have motorcycles. MIC credits this increase to a strengthening used motorcycle market which has plenty of good options for modern, high-quality motorcycles at affordable prices. 

“The annual pre-owned market is actually three times larger than the new market. Used bikes appeal to many riders because there are so many options in terms of price and style,” Secretary and Treasurer of the MIC Board of Directors Jim Woodruff said in a press release.

So, how many of those households have more than one motorcycle? While it might seem common for enthusiasts to have more bikes than there are people in their home, the average number of bikes per garage is 1.3, up slightly from 1.23 in 2014. That means fewer than half of homes with a motorcycle have multiple bikes.

This study comes in spite of “experts” claiming that motorcycling is dying in the U.S. because of Millennials...or whatever. The MIC is serving up proof that just because people are buying new motorcycles at a slower rate than they used to doesn’t mean people aren’t interested in bikes. The used market has simply gotten so good that the new market is having a hard time competing.

stripe
Motorcycles