Motorcycle manufacturers launch new models or major upgrades to the previous variants yearly to attract more customers. They target the peak season to introduce newer models for motorcyclists during summer or spring or at special racing or motorcycle rallies. However, it varies for each manufacturer.
When Do New Motorcycle Models Come Out? Harley Davidson mainly introduces new motorcycle models in August and January every year. Yamaha launches the latest editions on special occasions like Grand Prix racing, mainly in November or February. Honda keeps on announcing new variants almost every month throughout the year. New models of Kawasaki come out in October, November, and August, and Zero motorcycles in July.
This article will guide motorcycle enthusiasts regarding the expected dates for announcing new variants for several leading manufacturers in the US market.
When do manufacturers introduce new motorcycle models?
Motorcycle manufacturers introduce new models of their popular bikes every year with upgraded features and improvements in their performance.
Mostly spring and summer are when several events related to the motorcycling community occur, and it is also an opportunity to announce or launch new variants. Here is a list of top motorcycle brands in the USA and the most probable dates of their new releases:
Harley Davidson models
Harley Davidson mainly introduces new models during the annual dealers’ meeting. Mostly it happens in August before the start of various events involving bikers.
However, there are few exceptions every year when they announce new models in November or January when one of the largest motorcyclists’ rallies takes place in the USA.
Therefore, despite the announcement in August or November, you will get the latest variants in dealerships after a few months, according to their availability and the number of pre-orders.
For example, despite the earlier announcement, Harley Davidson launched the Pan America 1250 Special Touring motorcycle in February 2021.
Yamaha motorcycles
Yamaha also announces its new motorcycles on special occasions like Grand Prix racing, mainly in November or February.
For example, special editions of YZF-R1 and YZF-R7 are available from November 2021 and YZF-R7 from February 2022. Other new sports bike models like YZF-R6 GYTR are available with dealers from April 2022 despite the early announcement.
Suzuki motorcycles
Suzuki USA announces its new lineup in the spring or fall of every year or before any racing championship like MotoAmerica and MotoGP championships.
For 2022 models, it has announced the latest 2022 variants of its sportbike like GSX-R1000, GSX-R1000R, GSX-R750, GSX-R600, and its street models like SV650 in September 2021.
Furthermore, in the Adventure family, they have announced the models V-Strom 650 and 650XT, and DR650S and DR-Z400S in the DualSport family.
Honda motorcycles
Honda is the leading motorbike manufacturer in the US market, and it keeps announcing new variants throughout the year. It launched the 2022 Navi miniMOTO in the USA in January 2022.
Moreover, it announced CRF450R, CRF450X, and CRF450RL models in March 2021. In September 2021, it introduced CB500X, CB500F and CB500R variants.
Kawasaki
Kawasaki also announces different models of its motorcycles throughout the year, specifically in October and August. It also unveils new versions at the EICMA motorcycle show held in November.
It has announced variants like Z650RS, the special edition of Z900RS, KLR650, and W800 in October 2021. Models revealed in November 2021 were sport tourer bikes H2 SX and Ninja 1000 SX.
Zero motorcycles
Zero motorcycles unveil new models for the American market mostly during the summer, the peak month for motorcyclists. It launched the latest model of electric bike FXE in July 2021.
It also unveiled the upgraded models of its three new bikes in September 2021, including Zero S and dual-sport models DS and DSR. They have also introduced some variants for 2023 with improved features.
Indian motorcycles
Indian motorcycles are the first manufacturer in the industry for the American market. It has unveiled its redesigned and upgraded latest models for 2022 in April 2021.
In the Chief family, they have launched models like Chief, Chief Bobber, Super Chief, Chief Bobber Dark Horse, and Super Chief Limited.
In the FTR1200 family, you can buy new variants like FTR1200S, FTR1200R Carbon, and FTR1200 Rally. They have also introduced a new model of electric bike Indian eFTR JR, according to EPA guidelines.
Ducati motorcycles
Ducati introduces its new variants through its world premiere in the month of September-November. The 2023 lineup, it is in progress in the form of episodes.
For 2022, its latest models are DesertX, Diavel 1260, the 1260S, XDiavel Dark, S, and Black Star, and Hypermotard 950 models unveiled in September 2021. There are also several other models of Ducati motorcycles in the North American lineup.
You can buy these models from dealerships after a month or two of their launch date or as announced by the manufacturer.
Do all motorcycle models get a new variant each year?
There is no specific rule for the launch of newer models of every brand in the lineup. It depends on the number of sales, customer feedback, and upgradable features.
If a variant does not do well in the market, has some design flaws, and receives negative customer reviews, the manufacturer will shelve the project and discontinue its production.
Sometimes, it becomes inevitable for them to stop newer models from competing with other manufacturers by introducing a completely new model.
When do manufacturers introduce special editions of their motorcycles?
Manufacturers introduce special editions of their motorcycles on special occasions to pay tribute to some historical event or as a memory of some achievements during their history.
Some of them also collaborate with sports teams or government institutes to launch special editions of their bikes. For example, Harley Davidson introduced the Fatboy anniversary edition in 2020 and Captain America-Easy Rider models.
Indian motorcycle introduced Roadmaster Elite limited edition with superior features for 200 customers only. They also launched special editions of Chief motorcycles on its 100th anniversary.
What is the best time for customers to buy a new motorcycle?
The best time to buy a new bike is when there is an off-season for bikers. It means there is less demand during that period, and you will get the best deals as dealerships will be eager to increase their sales to fulfill their monthly targets.
Moreover, you should focus on the winter season, the start of a fiscal year, or before the launch of a new version.
With the arrival of new variants in the market, dealerships will put a sale on last year’s models to create room for newer models.
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