Those out of the know might assume that Harley-Davidson is the best-selling brand in the US, but anyone who has any clue about the industry knows its sales are plummeting. Riders in the know might assume that Honda is the best-selling brand, as it is in many countries, and as it was in the US in 2024, and you'd have been right if Kawasaki hadn't had such a phenomenal sales year. But how did this seemingly come out of nowhere for Team Green?
Those of you in the know won't be surprised that the drama surrounding Harley-Davidson in the boardroom and elsewhere was going to hurt the brand, but just how much might surprise some of you. Harley went from being the second-best-selling brand to the third-best-selling manufacturer. Harley just lost out on being the best-selling manufacturer after losing 15.9% in sales compared to the same time last year.
Honda looked poised to be the top-selling brand in the US, as it was in 2024, despite recording an 8% drop in sales. Now, an 8% sales drop is significant, but only half that of its closest rival, Harley-Davidson, which was just shy of 16%, and close to the market average of a 6.5% drop when compared to last year. It would've taken a monumental year from another top brand to knock Honda off the top spot. Enter Kawasaki.
While almost every brand has been a victim of uncertain economic times in the US, barring Indian Motorcycle, which saw a 4.9% sales increase, and for some reason was still sold off to a VC by Polaris, Kawasaki absolutely crushed it, achieving a year-over-year sales increase of 14.2%. The question surrounding why one brand is dominating so much more than any other seems tough to answer, but it's not when you consider Kawasaki's lineup.
Team Green makes some of, if not the best, entry-level motorcycles across multiple platforms, namely the Kawasaki Ninja 500. So it's hardly any surprise that riders who enter the industry aboard a Ninja 500 or bought a Ninja 400 a few years ago and want to step up, stick to the brand they know and trust. Last year, Kawasaki's Z650 was the #1 best-selling model in the US, and other Kawasakis that were a step up in other categories, like the KLR650, Vulcan S, and ZX-6R, were all close to the top of the sales charts in their niches.
Kawasaki is, and has been, getting it right where most riders enter the market—an entry-level sporty bike. The next bike won't always be a sporty step up, but if they've had a good experience with their first Kawasaki, you can bet it'll be near the top of the list of brands when it comes to choosing their next bike.
