More classics on the road than ever before, says Avon Tyres
With motorcyclists feeling the pinch of world-wide recession, sales data from Avon Tyres for the first half of 2011 shows an increasing trend towards the number of older bikes being kept on the road. The trend indicates two things, according to Avon – riders are keeping their older bikes on the road for longer to help combat the economic downturn but it could also illustrate a wider appreciation by classic bike owners for the gems they have hidden in their garages. Rather than refurbishing their bike and keeping it locked away to be preserved and merely admired, Avon reckons that riders are choosing more and more to actively enjoy their rides. And, as a result, the Company’s wide range of suitable tyres for classic and older bikes is enjoying a surge in sales.
Avon’s Global Motorcycle sales manager Graham Matcham explains: “One of Avon’s strengths is that we have a great product in every segment and from our sales data there seems to be a wider range of bikes out there on the road. We are seeing an increase in sales of size segments that you’d see on bikes around from 20 to 40 years ago. This leads us to believe that you are seeing older bikes on the road, anything from vintage machines through to modern classics from the 1980s. People want to enjoy older bikes more and are perhaps finding it harder to justify spending out on a new machine.”
Sales of Avon’s popular Roadrider tyre were up 16.5 per cent in 2010 compared to 2009, showing that more motorcycles from the 1970s-1990s are being kept on the road, rather than being trailered to classic bike shows. This is also reflected in sales of motorcycle magazines. Bauer Media’s Classic Bike magazine is the only registered ABC title to see an increase in readership in 2010, and Bauer has seen fit to move new title ‘Practical Sportsbikes’ from quarterly to monthly for 2011. This magazine concentrates on motorcycles from the 1970s to the 1990s.
Editor Jim Moore explains the upturn in this sector of the market place, “The pull of nostalgia and the desire to own and ride something less high-tech and more hands-on than the current crop of Japanese and Italian sportsbikes has seen a huge boost in popularity for bikes from the ’70s and ’80s. This in turn has dramatically increased the market for sticky tyres in ‘older’ often skinnier sizes, such as Avon’s excellent Roadrider.”
Matcham agrees: “The modern classic scene is buoyant and this is good news for us, as our Roadrider range helps us in this segment thanks to the variety of sizes it covers. With the Roadrider range we listened to our dealers. We decided to produce a comprehensive range of crossply tyres, which fit a large number of new and old motorcycles. The benefit of this product is that they are all V speed rated, with a number of universal fitments, which allows the retailer to carry a lower amount of stock, but still service and supply a large number of bikes. Thanks to this approach in the 2010 Dealer News awards these tyres received a Certificate of Merit, showing that the dealers and retailers appreciated what we’d achieved.”
In 2011, Avon Tyres is celebrating their centenary of making motorcycle tyres and currently they are the only manufacturer of road-going motorcycle tyres based in the UK. The actual history of Avon Tyres goes back to 1885, when a former cloth mill in Melksham, Wiltshire, was turned into a rubber goods factory. Over the last century, famous motorcycle racers such as Geoff Duke, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Barry Sheene have raced and won on Avon Tyres. The firm has won 13 Supersport and four Production class championships on two wheels as well as Isle of Man TT victories on both three and two wheels. In recent years Avon Tyres have also become the choice in classic motorcycle racing, with riders such as 1987 500cc GP champion Wayne Gardner winning events on Avon rubber.
Related news:
Comments