Did you know that many – if not most – bike dealerships are reporting a sales slump compared to the same month last year?
When the market hits consistent lows, companies tend to be influenced to punt out product models that are:
- Easier to conform to emissions and noise compliance
- More accessible
- (Potentially) more applicable to multiple bike genres
For brands like Honda, Damon, and Husqvarna, the above tendencies are already integrated into their own projects, hence the following list of stuff to ogle for today’s news perusal:
- Powersports Sales (YoY), and what this means for future bike models
- Damon’s looking for additional capital to fund the final push to market
- Husqvarna’s continuing to invest in EV performance with the Pioneer
- Honda’s following up on “CBR400R Four ” filings with trademark paperwork showing “CBR500R Four”
Let’s get chomping on what the data is saying about present (and maybe future) bike buys, yeah?
Industry Insider: Powersports Dealers Say Sales are Down 6.3%
75% of Dealers Mark the Eighth Month of Sales Decline
While it’s certainly not pleasurable to report a sales slump for our industry, this one’s a goodie and connected to all kinds of projections for 2025.
According to a report completed by BMO Capital Markets found on LinkedIn, 74% of dealers reported a year-over-year decline in new unit sales. This figure represents eight straight months of sales decline, with many of these dealers reporting that they had too many of the following machines in inventory:
- ATVs
- Heavyweight motorcycles
- Off-road bikes
- Snowmobiles
Factors associated with sky-high inventory levels include inflation, high interest rates choking dealer profit, and the general idea that we may be hitting a recession; to add to the above, some dealers have marked brands pushing for excess inventory while remaining lean on overall brand support, marking the reason why so many locations are finding themselves stuffed to the gills with bikes.
For those of you curious, this survey DID list that sport bikes and off-road models were among the most affected segments in these sales declines. Here’s a list of the more interesting particulars to keep in mind as we barrel ahead into the new year:
- Dealers are looking for manufacturers to lower prices on new products to ensure all parties benefit from a nice profit.
- Some dealers have found that their Service Centers are bringing in more revenue than ever before.
- Spring is projected to bring in additional sales, per usual.
For additional information, feel free to check out the survey for yourselves and let us know what you think.
What do you think of the BMO Capital Markets Powersports Dealer Survey?
Electric Everything: Damon Motors Seeks Additional Capital “to Fund Our Path to Production”
Recent Release Stays Transparent on Company Goals While Showing Off New Motorcycle
-and right on the heels of BMO’s Dealer survey comes news from Damon on how their company is doing and what lies ahead for the luxury EV bike brand.
For those of you wanting a refresher, Damon Motors is an electric bike brand built on the bones of a software company. Headed by CEO Jay Jiraud, Damon Motors has been making headlines for years with their eye-catching machines, the HyperSport and HyperFighter, now joining a new model: The “HyperLite,” anticipated to hit markets by mid-2026 (via sec.gov).
Thanks to a press release from the company, we now have an answer to the million-dollar question: What is going on with Damon Motors, and how close are they to releasing their bikes to market?
According to a letter from the CEO, Damon Motors is currently celebrating the following completion percentages for the following manufacturing processes:
- Progress in vehicle mechanics is 90% complete
- Progress in power electronics is 90% complete
- Progress in mechanical and cooling systems is 90% complete
- Progress of battery system development is 70% complete
The above is accompanied by Jiraud’s words on the matter:
| “… These achievements are significant steps forward but remain subject to risks, including the availability of sufficient financing to execute the Company’s plans.
…With adequate funding, the project is expected to progress to the pre-production stage, starting with validation and design confirmation, where we’ll aim to make a run of pre-production prototypes and test them against our design requirements and regulations to confirm the designs before we release [them] to tooling. Ordering all the tools [required for] our first run of parts… will be the next big milestone, subject to our ability to raise sufficient capital to make this substantial investment. This pre-production phase has an estimated completion of late 2025. ” – Jay Jiraud, CEO, Damon Motors. Press release published November 26, 2024. |
In other words, Damon Motors hasn’t yet landed sufficient monies to punt out their machines despite being backed by Fukuta Motors, NXP Semiconductor, Molicel, and a completed merger with Grafiti Holdings.
The silver lining: Despite their tight grip on beautiful products, Damon Motors is still alive and kicking with some decent potential for a hefty Deux Ex Machina to swoop in and provide the final funding required to make it to market. We can’t say the same for Energica, CAKE, or Fuell, let alone the list of additional marques on the cusp of a Chapter 11 insolvency.
For those desiring the closest possible look at Damon Motors, their current state, and trajectories for the coming years, we redirect your focus to Damon’s entry in the official website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
What do you think of Damon’s recent press release?
Husqvarna Debuts EV Enduro Bike: Meet the Pioneer
New Zero-Emission Enduro Bike Completes Husqie’s EV Trifecta
It’s official: We have a new zero-emission machine from Husqvarna!
Readers who kept tabs on filings from other areas of the ‘net might be familiar with the reference to a “Pioneer,” originally aired out via filings sourced from the ever-incomparable Dennis Chung at Motorcycle.com.
Today, we now know this machine to be a model capable of the following specifications (per Husqvarna and The Pack):
- An 11 kW (14.8hp) motor
- 5.5 kWh (7.3hp) battery juice
- A running time of up to three hours
- 19.2 kW (25.8hp) peak power
- 37.6 Nm (27.7lbs-ft) of torque
- A top speed of 95 km/h (59.6mph)
- WMTC range of up to 137km (85 miles)=
Thanks to some new brain-squeezing in the Husqie lab, the Pioneer’s chromium-molybdenum chassis carries both the battery and motor as load-bearing elements. Additionally, Husqvarna tells us that the Pioneer carries the following componentry:
- WP XACT forks complete with adjustable compression and rebound
- A WP XPLOR PDS rear shock complete with high and low-speed compression, rebound, and preload adjustment
- Michelin Enduro Medium rubber
- ProTaper handlebars
- Braktec brakes
Suspension travel, by the way, features 250mm of travel at the front and 240mm at the rear, respectively.
To the above, we add three ride modes, as well as Traction Control – to be activated in tandem with the aforementioned Ride Modes – as well as three levels of energy recuperation for the battery.
Since this is an EV machine, riders will be able to swap out the Pioneer’s battery for a fully-charged spare; while the first recharges via a standard household supply (the included 660W charger), the swapping process itself only takes a purported 10 minutes.
Readers will remember that the Pioneer was connected somewhat to KTM’s release of the Freeride E-XC; despite Husqvarna keeping pricing a mystery for the Pioneer, we can estimate that the bike’s purchase potential will range somewhere around the Freeride’s MSRP of $11,499 USD.
What do you think of Husqvarna’s Pioneer?
Honda Files Trademark for “CBR500R Four”
News Accompanies Previous Paperwork for “CBR400R Four”
Remember when Dennis Chung found paperwork showing that Honda was working on a CBR400R Four?
Well, we now have info that tells us the CBR400R Four may very well have a sibling incubating in the same lab.
According to Dennis Chung’s findings on Motorcycle.com, Honda has filed trademark papers for a “CBR500R Four,” adding to the rumor that Honda’s working on a new middleweight range… possibly even a range housing four-cylinder engines.
We’re told that the papers were filed at the beginning of this month, and Chung is almost completely certain that this bike duo is being created with licensing classes in mind – specifically, the classes present in global markets versus Japan’s markets.
Here’s Chung’s quote on the matter:
| “While it might seem odd to file for two names for both a 400 and 500, it’s important to remember that Japan and some other markets offer a licensing class for 400cc and smaller motorcycles. This has led Honda to produce a 500 for the global market and a 400 in Japan, as was the case with the existing two-cylinder CBR500R/CBR400R.
The two recent filings suggest this will again be the case with the four-cylinder models… As is usually the case, a trademark filing only confirms that a model is in development, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it will progress to being a full production model.” – Dennis Chung, Content Creator, Motorcycle.com |
As for competitors, a four-cylinder midweight duo would likely be vying for space on podiums similar to that of Kawasaki’s Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R.
IMPORTANT: While Kawi’s machines have been detuned for certain markets, Honda’s decision to go big in displacement could offer more yank at lower engine revs, thereby cutting down on overall rev racket and sliding under the noise compliance regulations.
More punt for the same regulation approvals, pretty as you please.
Chung reminds us that Honda has previously given us brilliant feats of yank like the 399cc inline-four-powered CB400 Super Four/Super Bol d’Or. These bikes were around until 2022, so to see something similar return to markets would be fun, indeed.
Would you like to see Honda debut a CBR400/500R Four duo?