Citing the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Kyodo News reported that 233,059 motorcycles with displacement of 51 cc or more were shipped nationwide from January to November in 2021, up 20.6 percent from the corresponding period in 2020.
People of different age groups have been riding motorcycles as a leisure activity or a transportation method, even though such vehicles had become less popular before the pandemic partly due to exhaust gas restrictions.
A number of middle-aged or older people who used to ride motorcycles as a hobby bought motorcycles in the past year, as a Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. official cited a striking increase in customers in their 50s and 60s.
Meanwhile, demand among younger people has grown as well.
Suzuki Motor Corp. said its GSX250R sports model became popular among young people, with sales in the January-October period for 2021 surging 40 percent from the corresponding months in 2020.
Honda Motor Co. sold over 30,000 units of its PCX scooter in 2021, surpassing its 24,000-units annual target.
"Compared with before the pandemic, orders have nearly doubled," a manager of the company's outlet in Tokyo said. "There is an increase among people in their 20s and 30s."
Meanwhile, Yamaha Motor Co. said more than half of the customers for its YZF-R25 model were in their teens or 20s.
"The rapid surge in demand will likely settle down once the coronavirus pandemic subsides," Yamaha Motor President Yoshihiro Hidaka said.
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