This is the future of motorcycles whether you like it or not ...

[Grumpy Goat]

He needs to reconcile his thesis with the fact that the premium manufacturers had record sales last year.

I don't know ... it's all relative. Not sure what "record sales" means if the previous record was set for one's self, in other words if a premium manufacturer sold 100 bikes the previous year and this year they sold 150, is that "record sales" ...? Not knocking what you're saying. 

Motorcycle riders are a niche market here, and have been in decline in recent years, or so we have been told. In a country where motorcycling is a luxury (as opposed to a transportation necessity e.g. think Asia) people are looking at other things to spend their money on and so the cheaper motorcycles (luxuries) will do better, especially if they are not crap and/or come with a good warranty. We've seen it before.