A positive by-product of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be a renewed interest in the open road, with motorcycle rider training on the increase across the world.
It is understandable that as lockdowns ease, people have a renewed interest in outdoor activities and place more value on freedom. And isn’t that what motorcycling is all about?
COVID safe
Riding a bike is also commensurate with the COVID hygiene requirements of social distancing, wearing a face covering and protecting your fingers from contact with germs.
Is it any wonder that sales of new motorcycles are starting to rebound, used motorbike demand is up and rider training is increasing?
Rise in learners
Stay Upright in Australia reports a 20% increase in demand across their locations (NSW, Victoria, Queensland and ACT) since the lockdown started to ease.
New licence approvals in Queensland (the only state that answered our queries) shows a massive rise in the past couple of months.
In the first six months of 2019, there were 3901 pre-learner certificates granted and 4040 RE licences granted.
In the first six months of this year, which includes three months of lockdown, pre learners were up 34% to 5242 and RE licences up 19% to 4819.
The months of May and June are usually slow for rider licences as the country gets colder.
Last year there were only 1305 licences approved in May and June, while this year it’s 2002, a massive rise of 61% in the two months since lockdown measures started to ease.
Stay Upright GM Annaliesse Cawood says there is no sign of the trend letting up.
In Australia, motorcycle sales rebounded 24.5% in the second quarter over the same period in 2019, representing a huge turn-around over the first quarter when sales were down 2.5%.
But the biggest rises are in learner-approved motorcycles.
Learner-approved motorcycle sales Q2With all these new riders coming to our roads, Stay Upright has also called for motorists to exercise patience, look twice for riders and check their blind spots.