Online interest in bikes and scooters spikes

Motorcycle buying interest at NADAguides.com increased 48 percent in March compared to March 2007, the company said in a recent press release. The company, a vehicle pricing and information Web site, says it believes this growth in interest is an indicator consumers are increasingly considering motorcycles as “daily drivers” versus luxury purchases as concern grows over soaring fuel prices.

The company defines an increase in motorcycle buying interest as the number of new motorcycle prices provided to consumers at its Web site.

“We believe the current state of the economy, coupled with recent summer fuel price predictions, has caused consumer mindset about motorcycles to shift,” said Lenny Sims, motorcycle editor and vice president of operations at NADAguides.com. “In our opinion, motorcycles have become attractive options as primary vehicles for daily drivers — due to their fuel efficiency — and are no longer considered just a luxury, ‘secondary-vehicle’ purchase.”

The increase in buying interest, spurred by an interest in motorcycle fuel economy, should help offset sales declines of on-highway bikes in the coming months, as consumers who research motorcycle values at NADAguides.com are typically in the 30-90-day purchasing cycle, Sims said.

Motorcycle buying interest in March was spread across a variety of bikes and scooters, according to NADAguides.com.