Forget Teslas, Everyone Wants to Be an Easy Rider
Consumers across the globe are buying up two-wheelers for a quick commute or a cross-country ride.
Head out on the highway.
Photographer: Bettmann/Bettmann via Getty Images
Motorbike riders are taking to the roads again, snapping up models ranging from luxurious Harley-Davidsons to commuter Hondas in record numbers, and challenging the current wave of electric vehicles. Yet even the humble two-wheeler must grapple with the same challenges as its four-wheel counterpart, including rising costs, a slowing global economy and chip shortages.
Honda Motor Co. and Yamaha Motor Co., the world’s two-largest motorbike makers by revenue, emerged from a disastrous pandemic-hit 2020 to post two years of explosive growth. The Japanese giants were joined by Indian leaders Bajaj Auto Ltd., Hero MotoCorp Ltd., and TVS Motor Co. Each posted record revenue and they are on track to continue that momentum this year.