Manufacturers crank up year-end promotions to move motorcycle inventory

This is the time of year when we're bombarded with messages enticing us to buy: 20% off this! Special financing on that! (And yes, I know, you may have received a text message or e-mail or two from us this season. We're in business, too.)

Beyond the usual frenzy to sell in the holiday season at the end of the year, there are also some other factors at play right now. Consumers, especially at the lower end of the wealth and income spectrums, are still feeling squeezed by inflation, particularly in the prices of necessities. While overall U.S. unemployment remains relatively low, layoffs spiked in October, increasing nervousness among consumers. Interest rates remain higher than in recent years, though not terribly high by historical standards, and that reduces affordability for buyers who need financing. These macroeconomic factors also affect the retail motorcycle landscape, which in recent years has been characterized by dealers being burdened by too much inventory and manufacturers taking steps to reduce that pressure. As National Powersports Auctions noted in its most recent monthly report, dealer inventory "remains stubbornly elevated compared to last fall. Dealers are carrying more units into the slow season than they'd prefer."

What happens when a business has too much inventory? Promotions! Deals! Special financing offers!

If you're one of the U.S. consumers not feeling terribly squeezed by the macroeconomic factors cited above, and you'd like to gift yourself a new motorcycle this holiday season, it's not a bad time to do so. Just about every manufacturer is offering some kind of incentive or promotional offer and that's on top of whatever urgency your local dealer feels to make a deal right now and move some dusty stuff off the showroom floor. Here's a quick look at the current promotional offers you can take advantage of if you're shopping for a new motorcycle.

Markdowns, incentives, and offers on new motorcycles

Let's start not with one of the biggest sellers but with one of the biggest markdowns. LiveWire really needs to move some motorcycles. The Harley-Davidson spin-off that four years ago projected it would sell more than 50,000 electric motorcycles in 2025 is currently on track to sell fewer than 500 motorcycles this year.

LiveWire's "Twist & Go Promo" began in late August with big markdowns and you only have a few days left, as the company says the offer ends Sunday. The discounts pushed the least expensive model, the LiveWire S2 Del Mar, into four figures, with an MSRP of $9,999, 38% off its previous $16,249 price. At the top of the range, the LiveWire One, which listed for $29,799 when it came out as a Harley-Davidson model in 2020, is now on sale for $16,499, down from its previous 2025 list price of $22,799.

Over at the mother ship, Harley-Davidson is trying to counteract some of the sting of interest rates with 3.99% financing on its most expensive touring models, as well as extended terms. You can finance a Grand American Touring model for up to eight years and a Sportster for up to seven. You may want to consult your financial advisor about the wisdom of financing a depreciating asset for that period of time, but it is one way to lower your monthly payment.

The other American motorcycle company, Indian, also has some offers good through the end of the year. You can get rebates of $1,000 to $1,500, depending on the model, and financing for three years at 4.99%. And for those of you grumbling that you would have bought an FTR if Indian hadn't killed it, you still have a chance. Leftover new models are still available and you get $500 in accessories if you buy one.

Honda is offering 3.99% financing on touring, cruiser, motocross, trail, and trials bikes, which might lower your payment on anything from a Gold Wing, with one of the comfiest seats in the business, to a Montessa that doesn't even have a seat. Through the end of the year, Kawasaki has cut prices on many of its models, ranging from $250 off a Z125 Pro to $4,000 off a Ninja 7 Hybrid. Suzuki offers financing as low as 1.99% on some models and $250 off for military and first responders.

Triumph has a range of offers, with as much as a $1,500 rebate and interest rates as low as 0% for three years, depending on the model. Through the end of the year, BMW has financing offers as low as 0% on leftover 2024 models and 0.9% on select 2025 models. Ducati's offers include financing rates of 0% on Multistrada, DesertX, Monster, Hypermotard, and Scrambler models, plus 4.9% on others. Aprilia is offering $500 off the Tuono 457. KTM is offering 2.99% financing on certain models through year's end. Buying a new, leftover model from the previous year is a always a good way to save, and some manufacturers are making the savings official with rebates. Moto Guzzi is offering $500 to $1,500 off on leftover 2024 models and Royal Enfield is offering rebates of up to $800 or 0% financing on leftovers.

In our first ride review of the new Zero XE and XB off-road electric motorcycles, we noted that through November the company was offering a lower price with no "import fee" added. Zero has extended that pricing through the end of the year and is also offering $0 down, 0% financing.

While manufacturers almost always have some kind of promotional offer available (active-duty military, veterans, and first responders should check for standing offers, for example), company executives have commented recently that more incentives and promotions are being used currently to try to reduce dealer inventories to a level that isn't financially stressing dealerships. For you as the consumer, that means that if you're thinking of getting a new motorcycle as a holiday gift for yourself, it's a good time to consider your options.

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