Things looked bad for the Canadian motorcycle industry last spring. By April, most of the country was under some sort of lockdown, including many motorcycle dealerships.

Along with the general worry over the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on health and the economy, moto-industry insiders were specifically concerned over the lockdown timing.

Motorcycling is tied to the seasons in Canada. Even in British Columbia and southern Ontario, the warmest parts of the country, most riders put their bikes away in the fall and bring them out for spring – and spring is also the busiest selling season for new bikes, and new gear. Dealers feared the lockdown would torpedo that sales boost, and potentially put them out of business.

We did see sales flatline in April, but we didn’t see lots of dealers going out of business. What did happen was weird, and unexpected.