John Shaw, of Shaw Motorcycles in Whangārei, has seen a 25 per cent spike in motorcycle sales since the Covid-19 lockdown. Photo / Michael Cunningham
John Shaw, of Shaw Motorcycles in Whangārei, has seen a 25 per cent spike in motorcycle sales since the Covid-19 lockdown. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Northland motorcycle retailers are seeing record sales under international travel restrictions, prompting a safety warning ahead of the festive season.
John Shaw, of Shaw Motorcycles in Whangārei, has seen a 25 per cent spike in motorcycle sales across their Kawasaki and Harley Davidson ranges since the Covid-19 lockdown earlier thisyear.
"We've been at the stage when we've only had a few machines left on the floor and it makes my shop looks terrible. People ask you, 'Are you closing?'," he said.
Shaw, who has been in the industry for three decades, said most people buying bikes were past riders - largely older men - looking to rekindle their passion for riding given overseas travel had vanished.
"I think it's just the freedom thing, motorcycling is a kind of thing that does tend to get into your blood a little bit and even if you've been without a bike for a few years, you still have that hankering to own one again."
Shaw, who has been in the industry for three decades, said many were rekindling their passion for riding. Photo / Michael Cunningham
In addition to bumper sales, Shaw said the number of people booking repairs had increased substantially with many people wanting to restore old bikes.
However, Covid-19's impact on travel has also negatively impacted the industry, severely limiting access to new stock and delaying overseas transport.
"For years, we've been telling people three to six weeks to get stuff out of Japan, it's now three to six months, so it has had a big effect," Shaw said.
Shaw expressed concern for his business if stock access issues persisted, but believed solutions would be found.
Kaiwaka Motorcycles owner Matt Dowson said motorcycle and lawnmower sales were "better than ever" - about 20 per cent higher than normal.
"We've done more in 11 months than we've done in 12 months in any other year and the sales have far exceeded supply.
"If we had better supply, our sales would be up even more."
Awanui Day in 2017 saw plenty of motorbikes hit the streets. Photo / File
Dowson echoed Shaw regarding stock access and said he would sometimes have half the number of bikes or ride-on lawnmowers than he normally would.
"The more popular ride-ons are not due until the end of March, there's nothing we can do and normally that sort of thing would have been four weeks."
Kaitaia Motorcycles owner David Travers, who normally specialises in off-road and kids bikes, said he had seen a significant increase in Harley Davidson, Yamaha and Suzuki road bike sales since lockdown.
Travers had also experienced similar pains with stock access which had forced him to offer customers alternatives to what might be their preferred option.
Nationally, 8114 motorcycles had been sold up to November. It was expected to reach 9000 by the end of the year, which would be the highest in a decade.
According to the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), there had been 16.5 per cent fewer motorcycle accident claims than in 2019, which pointed to a decrease in riders on roads thanks to lockdown restrictions.
In October, a Northland man was flown to Whangārei Hospital by rescue helicopter after two motorbikes crashed on Ninety Mile Beach. Photo / File
Northland's road toll was 28, as reported by the Northland Road Safety website. Of those, four were motorcyclists. The region's road toll last year was 29.
In Northland, there had been 1187 motorcycle-related accidents in the past five years, which cost more than $27 million.
ACC injury prevention team manager David Keilty was the former coordinator of Ride Forever, an ACC initiative which has provided training and information for motorcyclists since 2012.
Since then more than 25,000 riders had taken part which saw 27 per cent fewer accident claims from those who did the course compared to those who didn't.
However, Keilty expressed concern when asked about the rise in bikes on the road.
"More bikes on the road certainly has the propensity to lead to more crashes and more deaths."
Keilty believed this conveyed the importance of riders taking the Ride Forever course and for car drivers to follow the message 'Look Again', which referenced how drivers should check twice for motorcyclists.
• Take your time, it's not a race • Don't forgo your protective equipment just because the weather is warm • Make sure your tyres and your bike are in top condition • Take care on bends and intersections as they are the most common sites of crashes • Complete the Ride Forever course
