Motorbike market in Japan: the growing trends!

Motorbike market in Japan: the growing trends!

A motorbike is a great mode of transportation. It’s easy to get around, fun, fuel-efficient and your insurance payments are low. Motorbikes are popular among the young and the old, the poor and the privileged because they have a vibe no other four-wheeled car can offer!

In Japan, the motorbike industry has four dominant leaders – Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki. These four market leaders manufacture a wide range of motorbikes for the JDM and international markets. Japan has one of the largest two-wheeler markets in the world and these four giants dominate one-third of the complete global market. According to research the Japanese market manufactures more than five hundred thousand motorbikes, annually. The motor companies in Japan focus on building bikes with big engines with a cylinder capacity of 250cc or above. However, the local market prefers bikes that have a cylinder capacity of 50cc or below making it evident that these big bikes are mostly produced for the export markets. This is one reason people prefer to buy motorbikes from Japanese auto auctions since the locally used bikes usually come in great condition.

Japanese motorbikes in the global markets
Japan’s key export market for motorbikes is Europe and North America. The largest portions are split between these two continents. Interestingly, to fulfill the local demand for engines with lower capacity, the Japanese exports bikes from other regions of Asia.

Pioneers in the world motorcycle industry
It’s not surprising that Japan enjoys huge success in the motorcycle manufacturing industry in the world. This story began after WWII when the local markets shifted their focus from war machinery to day-to-day technology. With international funds coming into the local market, the Japanese government began investing in companies with innovative thinking. This is when Honda and Suzuki started manufacturing motorized pedal bikes creating a stepping-stone to the country’s progressive motorbike industry.

The domestic motorcycle industry
The Japanese big four may be mesmerizing the world with their innovative designs and technology however, in the domestic market it’s taking a different turn. The user demography of motorbikes in Japan is not the young folk similar to the world market. There is a decrease seen in the recreational market for motorbikes. With an increase in environmental awareness in Japan, the use of motorbikes ‘just for fun’ is expected to decrease. While the local motorbike industry in Japan tends to stagnate, there is a steady demand growing for bicycles and e-bikes. The uses of bicycles are in demand not only for environment-friendliness but also to promote healthy lifestyle habits such as cycling to work.

Understanding the local demands, the Big Four has already started manufacturing electronic bikes and of course, bicycles to fulfill this requirement.

With the increasing popularity of bicycles and bike-sharing services along with environmental conscious buyers in Japan, there is a drastic shift in the local market for motorbikes. To fulfill these growing demands the Big Four is working on green technology so that the local needs can be met locally. This shift in demand is not only applicable for Japan but with the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing environmentally conscious markets, even the international market has a high demand for e-bikes.