A snapshot of key motorcycle industry share performance at close of trading on Friday 22 May
USA
Fending off trouble from every direction, Harley-Davidson has unveiled a radical “Back to the Bricks” strategic plan to restore performance and deliver profitable growth. Harley president and CEO Artie Starrs claims: “Back to the Bricks builds on our core strengths and competitive advantages, and will harness the passion of our riders to benefit the company, our dealers and shareholders.” The first brick had some impact, though, keeping Harley’s share price safely in the 20-buck zone.
Meanwhile, Harley’s electric motorcycle spin-off LiveWire is eager to boost its pathetic share price with the acquisition of Dust Moto, an upstart in the rapidly expanding electric off-road market. Once this transaction is completed, LiveWire CEO Karim Donnez says he is set to advance Dust’s electric dirt bike platform towards production, leveraging LiveWire’s engineering capabilities, manufacturing scale and global marketing network.
Polaris Inc stood out by shrugging off President Trump’s typical sneers about climate change and environmental issues in its annual 2025 “Geared for Good” report, highlighting the company’s ongoing efforts to support its people, riders and communities instead. “Doing business, the right way and being thoughtful stewards of our industry and the outdoors is core to what we are at Polaris,” explained Polaris vice president Holly Spaeth, who also heads up brand and powersports marketing, and acts as corporate responsibility committee chair for the business. “This year’s report reflects our commitments, how we’re welcoming more people into powersports, investing in our communities and making progress towards our long-term environmental goals,” said Spaeth. A demonstration came from the Polaris plant at Goupil in France, which makes electric utility vehicles and is roofed by an 8000m2 solar array generating twice the facility’s annual energy needs.
EUROPE
Bajaj Mobility stock float has started to creep upwards with its Dax listing in Frankfurt and Wiener Börse presence in Vienna, respectively knocking on the door of €19.76 and €19.78. Higher volume share trading above 20 euros could now be imminent. But KTM sales volume in European markets still remains weak. The brand’s UK registrations in April only amounted to 358 units, for instance. Piaggio Group, on the other hand, managed to creep upwards with the Italian scooter giant’s Milan-quoted shares briefly reaching €1.711 towards the end of May, presumably driven by a better investment mood. BMW had a particularly grim month in May, with Frankfurt punters hammering its shares as the Chinese EV invasion continues to suck the life out of Teutonic alternatives.
JAPAN
Honda swallowed its anticipated $10 billion EV writedown with aplomb, along with an operating loss of $7.96bn on automobiles in general, but signalling a move into hybrids lifted investors into bullish territory. A 17.9% motorcycle revenue increase and associated operating profit 14.6% up also helped to lift the post-results mood and hike its share price at the weekly close. Yamaha – which is now well into its new calendar year – was also a keen investor proposition. Suzuki is also basking in a relatively good annual performance, and that was reflected in the monthly positive response for its share price. Kawasaki was the solitary loser once more, now dabbling in fashionable robotics alongside its extended portfolio of often questionable industrial products.
INDIA
India’s state-owned fuel retailers raised petrol and diesel prices twice in less than a week as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi made it clear to the country’s 1.5 billion citizens – large numbers of whom rely on motorcycles and scooters for their daily transport – that he can no longer shield them from economic fall-out of the war in the Gulf.
Initially, investors favouring motorcycle manufacturers remained robust but then Mumbai quotations dipped sharply and every bike brand took a hammering without exception. TVS Motor was especially unlucky, having just unveiled the global roll-out of its Norton Manx R superbike with prices ranging from £20,250 to £38,750. Given the Indian rupee currency had just slipped to a record low on drastically elevated oil prices, there won’t be many indigenous customers joining that purchase queue.
CHINA
Yadea is the world’s largest producer of battery-powered scooters and motorcycles (that you’ve probably never heard of), and surging oil prices triggered by the Iran war have just given it a tremendous boost in the direction of the UK and Europe.
The company was founded by senior vice president Wang Jiazhong, with its HQ in Wuxi, eastern China, and its shares are listed in Hong Kong. Besides six Yadea factories in China, it also has plants in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, Brazil and Mexico. Wang Jiazhong, who learned his trade in motorcycle maintenance while serving in the Chinese army and launched the motorcycle business in 1997, is now planning to build a factory in Hungary “as European demand increases”. He is targeting overseas sales of 450,000 units this year, up from 310,000. Watch this space. Our recent invasion of petrolhead Chinese motorcycles may be just a flash in the pan.