Image: Supplied.

Australian motorcycle sales have continued to surge through the third quarter of 2020 despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with dirt bike sales increasing by near 40 percent year-to-date in comparison to the same period last year.

In total, 31,776 new off-road models have been sold, which is a 39.9 percent rise compared to the 22,718 sold between January-September in 2019. Overall, the market has gone up by 26.6 percent with 79,623 vehicles sold across all segments.

“Achieving such a strong sales performance in the current market conditions is simply remarkable,” stated Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) CEO Tony Weber. “And it is due, for the most part, to the rising popularity of off-road bikes and strong demand for OHVs (up 44.4 percent). Off-road bikes have grown in popularity as people turn to close-to-home recreational pursuits during the pandemic restrictions.”

For the first time, however, the FCAI’s published data doesn’t include results from brands individually or comparative top 10 lists, which previously detailed what the highest-selling models were in each segment. This abbreviated approach falls inline with figures released in the United States and Europe.

While dirt bikes continue to lead the way in terms of the industry’s marketshare locally, road bike sales have increased by 8.2 percent to 25,556 sales, scooter sales have declined by 4.5 percent and OHV sales are up by 44.4 percent in total.