A drop in fuel prices has heralded the end of a boom in scooter sales.
Last July, when the price of petrol peaked at $2.19 a litre, motorbike retailers around Dunedin enjoyed record sales with many suppliers selling out of stock nationwide as sales increased by as much as 100%.
The Motor Trade Association recorded a peak in sales in June but with current petrol prices, people had stopped buying them, corporate and public affairs manager Steve Downes said.
"Fuel prices are what dictated the increase in sales so maybe they dictated the decrease as well," Mr Downes said.
McIver and Veitch, which recorded a 100% increase in winter sales and whose supplier, Suzuki, had sold out of stock nationwide in July, was now back to normal summer sales, owner Dean Veitch said.
"There is not as much inquiry, but there are still consistent sales," he said.
He put the change in the market down to the drop in petrol prices.
Motorcycle Replacements sales manager Bill Munro agreed, but said scooters were still selling like "hot cakes".
"They are still selling, not as fast, but they still are," he said.
During winter, about five motorcycles were sold each week.
That had dropped to two, which was normal for this time of year.
He said he believed petrol prices were not such a big issue now.
Motorcycles were selling well and people did not seem to be put off by the state of the economy, he said.
It also appeared to be easier to talk people into buying larger, more expensive scooters, he said.
Dunedin was "a hilly little town", and the extra power came in handy.
Sales at Honda Otago had "dropped back dramatically compared to what they were", owner Wayne Pocklington said.
"All people who were going to change have changed," he said.
However, he expected sales to rise again when tertiary students returned to the city.
Mr Downes said MTA had seen an 8% increase in registration of under 60cc motorbikes, commonly known as scooters, in 2008 compared with 2007.
In December, 794 scooters were registered in New Zealand, 2% up on the 2007 figure of 777.
