2025 might be the Year Of The Deal

[Lightcycle]

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Been reading a lot of material about the decline of motorcycle sales post-COVID, resulting in huge discounts and incentives from manufacturers and dealers. Economic downturn, loan rejections, over-production, repos:

And not just KTM either. Although, this is a KTM-specific article:

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When KTM’s insolvency proceedings revealed the Austrian motorcycle giant was sitting on a year’s worth of unsold inventory, the obvious question was: why not offload them at steep discounts to chip away at that €440 million liquidity gap? Well, it seems the answer is finally here—KTM might be gearing up for a clearance sale, offering a potential silver lining for fans of Austrian engineering amidst the chaos.

The Alpine Creditors Association (AKV) has issued a press statement following the first creditor's meeting concerning KTM AG's ongoing insolvency proceedings. Among the measures proposed to address KTM’s financial woes is a sweeping clearance sale through its retail network. While dates and specifics are still under wraps, other recommended measures appear to be in progress.

Rumors are swirling that KTM’s halo bikes, like the razor-sharp 450 SMR and the beastly Super Duke 1390 R Evo, could be included in the discounts. For those who’ve long admired KTM’s high-performance machines but balked at their premium price tags, this might be the chance to snag one without annihilating the savings account.

But before you rush to place an order, it’s worth pausing to consider the risks. KTM’s current state is anything but stable. Reports of halted production, withdrawal from racing, unpaid employees, and even murmurs of relocating manufacturing facilities cast a shadow over the company’s future. This raises serious questions about after-sale support, warranty fulfillment, and even the long-term viability of owning one of these bikes.

And then there’s KTM’s reliability track record—hardly glowing. Recurring issues, particularly with camshafts, have plagued their bikes for years. Factor in the uncertainty surrounding post-sale service, and any savings from a discounted KTM could quickly evaporate if major repairs are needed. Not to mention the potential resale value nosedive that could accompany the brand’s financial instability.

Still, for the bold and the lucky, this fire sale could represent the deal of a lifetime. If KTM manages to pull through, and the bikes prove reliable, those discounted machines might turn into collector’s items—or at the very least, fantastic value for money. For now, though, it’s a gamble. A gamble with the odds heavily stacked against certainty.

So, is this KTM’s way of making lemonade out of its insolvency lemons, or a desperate move in a losing game? That’s for you—and the creditors—to decide.

Here are some other non-KTM models that are collecting spiderwebs on the showroom floor, destined for big discounts, apologies for the AI narration:

Kawasaki Vulcan S
Indian FTR
Triumph Rocket 3
Suzuki Katana
Indian Challenger
Honda Gold Wing
Harley-Davidson Road Glide

Average days-on-lot for the above hovering between 180-290 days. I know some motorcycles at my local dealerships have been there for over a year!

Declines in new bike prices should also trickle down to the massively overinflated used market, and I'm seeing some 1-2 year old KTM/Husqvarna recently lower their prices on FB in response to KTM's fire sale.

Anything catching your eye these days? If the right deal came by, what would you pull the trigger on and for what price? New or old.

There's a few of us with KTM 890s and we all agreed that if a new 890 Adventure R dips to $9000, we'd all chip in to buy a donor bike. Full wheel sets alone are $4K and we're always damaging rims on the trails.

Bike would obviously be kept in my garage... of course...

 

[PrivatePilot]

Average days-on-lot for the above hovering between 180-290 days. I know some motorcycles at my local dealerships have been there for over a year!

I deliver for Kawasaki and see a lot of bikes going to a lot of dealers still, so stuff is still selling in some areas.

I also see some still sitting in their boxes in their storage spots many months later however, so it goes both ways.

I delivered a VN1700 (Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager) to a dealer last summer and just noticed a week ago that it had finally moved from where they'd been storing it and went for assembly - someone bought it for spring delivery.

They also had a poor lonely Vulcan 900 that had been sitting on their showroom floor for over 2 years. It finally sold last summer.

But, all that said, I deliver a LOT of bikes that do seem to be moving, but the fast movers now seem to be the ADV segments. Cruisers and touring seem dead. Who knows what it'll take to revive those two segments - the GenX'ers reaching retirement age I suspect, as the boomers are aging out of riding now and not buying much in that segment anymore.

 

[Fuzzbuster]

I like the katana! Insurance is too expensive for most people. Actually everything is too expensive for everyone!

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