We've heard for months that motocross and off-road bike sales gained a significant boost during pandemic times. Now we have some hard data to back up the stories. The Motorcycle Industry Council [which represents manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and retailers] has announced powersports sales were up 18 percent in 2020, but the off-road segment was up a whopping 46.5 percent!

Here's an MIC press release with more. 

IRVINE, California — New-model powersports sales increased 18.4 percent in 2020, with motorcycle and scooter sales rising 11.4 percent, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council Retail Sales Report.

"Overall, the industry had a good year under difficult circumstances," said Erik Pritchard, president and CEO of the MIC. "The COVID-19 pandemic forced all of us to be nimble and to make the changes we needed to survive. In the end, many in the industry saw strong growth, and now our opportunity is to keep all of these new riders riding and to inspire even more people to join us on two, three, and four wheels."

The MIC Retail Sales Reporting System gathers new motorcycle, scooter, and ATV retail sales data from 14 leading manufacturers and distributors in the U.S., providing a strong indicator of sales trends.

Sales of on-highway motorcycles, which include scooters and dual-purpose bikes, were steady compared with 2019, while interest in off-highway motorcycles spiked, with sales up 46.5 percent year-over-year. Off-highway motorcycles include dirt bikes, trail bikes, competition motorcycles, and other motorized two-wheelers that cannot be used on public roads. Sales of ATVs also jumped, rising 33.8 percent over 2019.

"We are happy to see that more people are getting the chance to enjoy the outdoors and find new adventures with motorcycles," Pritchard said. "As many riders know, motorcycles and scooters are not only fun, efficient ways to commute, they open up many recreational opportunities."

"We encourage all new riders to continue with training and education whenever possible," Pritchard said. "The Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic RiderCourse and the MSF DirtBike School are great places to start if you are new to motorcycling. For more experienced riders, advanced courses are available. The ATV Safety Institute also offers safety training for adults and kids ages 6 and up."

The Motorcycle Industry Council exists to preserve, protect, and promote motorcycling through government relations, communications, media relations, statistics and research, aftermarket programs, data communications standards, and involvement in technical and regulatory issues. As a not-for-profit national industry association, the MIC seeks to support motorcyclists by representing manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and retailers of motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, ROVs, motorcycle/ATV/ROV parts, accessories, and related services, and members of allied trades such as insurance, finance and investment companies, media companies, and consultants.

The MIC is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with a government relations office in metropolitan Washington, D.C. First called the MIC in 1970, the organization has been in operation since 1914. Keep up with the industry association on Twitter @followMIC.