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Bike sales slide by a quarter in September

NMDA 11/10/2017


“Demand for motorcycles continued its downward trend in September – marking 9 consecutive months of decline in the market”, said Stephen Latham, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) which represents motorcycle retailers across the UK.

Registrations in September fell by -23.6% compared to the same period last year and the year-to-date decline currently stands at -15.7%. 12,228 bikes were registered in the month compared with 16,002 units in September 2016.
Motorcycles in all power sectors declined, with the exception of 651 – 1000cc machines which showed a slight increase of 1.3%.

The entry level 51 – 125cc market marked a huge decline of -36.4% and heavy high powered machines power 1000cc declined -26.7%. This is often a more secure, stable market that has established mature riders who are less affected by the highs and lows of the economy. This sector was also unaffected by the issues caused by the Euro 3 and Euro 4 pre registrations at the beginning of the year.
Latham continued, “The uncertainty in the economy, the devaluation of sterling and the slow pace of progress in Brexit talks are all factors which have led to riders holding off purchasing new bikes this year, and there is a worry amongst dealers about achieving their manufacturer’s year-end targets.

“Although the overall market was down, there were a few brands that performed well in the month. The Honda CFR 1000 registered 523 units making it the bestselling model in September. Lexmoto who have missed out for many months with their shortage of new euro4 stock, jumped back into the top-ten in sixth place with 578 registrations – possibly helped aby their new 50cc HUNTER scooter that retails for just over £1,000.

“In September, Honda registered 2,845 new bikes, Yamaha sold 1,581, followed by BMW with 1,305 machines registered.

“With the year-to-date registrations at 85,507 units, it is now a waiting game to see whether or not we can reach the 115,000 target by the end of the year, however this level of business would mean 10,000 bikes a month would now need to be registered in what is typical the quietest quarter of the year in the run up to Christmas.”

 

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

Results taken from the Motor Cycle Industry Association Press Statistics September – New Motorcycle registrations.

About the RMI

The Retail Motor Industry represents the interests of operators in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man providing sales and services to motorists and businesses. The RMI has a formal association with the independent Scottish Motor Trade Association which represents the retail motor industry in Scotland.