Motorcycle Industry News - The Times, They Are A-Changin

After such a morbid '10 season for the motorcycle industry, it's nice to see the manufacturers gearing up for '11 with a bevy of new models. There's plenty to be excited about: the new Kawasaki ZX-10R on the cover of this issue, the new Suzuki GSX-R750 and GSX-R600, more new bikes from Honda, Aprilia, Ducati, MV Agusta, KTM...definitely a far cry from the very cautious and conservative attitude of last year.

It was especially nice to see Suzuki emerge from its defensive bunker status of '10 (American Suzuki chose to only import a few off-road models last year in order to help clear unsold inventory, and like many other OEMs, did not hold an annual dealer meeting) with a much more optimistic attitude at its '11 dealer meeting in Las Vegas. While still a bit more subdued than years past when bike sales were climbing at healthy rates and confidence was dripping from every participant's breath, there seemed to be an air of relief and guarded enthusiasm among the dealers present at this year's convention. Suzuki even brought in an economist to give an explanation of the financial system's health, and why most experts are saying the economy is rebounding yet job growth is slower to recover (a story that's too long for this column).

Unfortunately, the effects of the global economic downturn will be felt for years to come. The incredibly rapid two-year development cycle we've been enjoying in the supersport category due to its ultra-competitive nature will be replaced by a more relaxed three- or four-year new model rotation for the foreseeable future, as much slower sales reduce the importance of maintaining (or attaining) performance dominance in each class. The OEMs actually have the next generation models ready to roll on demand, but slowing down the development cycle allows them to save huge amounts of money in R&D and production costs.

Speaking of R&D costs, Ducati Corse (the internal racing department of the Ducati factory) will surely be burning the midnight oil to ensure that the Desmosedici GP11 MotoGP bike will meet the needs of its newest rider: Valentino Rossi. The nine-time world champion's signing with the Borgo Panigale factory has already become one of the most anticipated and overly hyped sensations in motorcycle racing. Italian travel agencies were selling package tours to Valencia in order to allow fans to watch Rossi as he took his first laps on the Desmosedici at the post-season test following the season-ending MotoGP there. It's a match made in heaven for Italian race fans, Ducati fans, Rossi fans - and MotoGP organizers Dorna, as well as Ducati itself, which certainly stands to profit immensely from the association with the legendary rider.

Rossi is easily the most popular rider in motorcycle racing, and his then-sensational move to Yamaha back in '04 not only resulted in four world MotoGP titles for the manufacturer, but also massive brand recognition around the world. The effect of Rossi's popularity on any product associated with him cannot be discounted, and Yamaha has surely enjoyed increased sales during their seven-year association together. Rossi's move to Ducati wasn't exactly without compensation; it's rumored that Ducati MotoGP team sponsor Marlboro ponied up a two-year contract worth $24 million in order to help convince him to make the move. It will be interesting to see how Rossi gets along with the Desmosedici, a bike whose recalcitrant behavior has resisted taming by all but Casey Stoner, who has moved to Honda for '11.