Growth in motorcycle sales provides dealers’ relief

“It is encouraging to see motorcycle registrations bounce back with a 4.3% growth in July following June’s decline”, said Stephen Latham, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) which represents motorcycle retailers across the UK.
 
Motorcycle registrations rose by 4.3% in July following the double-digit decline of -11% in June. A total of 9,916 machines were put on UK roads last month. Year to date, 69,381 motorcycles have been sold.
 
Positively, the sub-50cc moped market grew by 29.6% in July with 617 units, compared with only 476 a year ago in the same month. Demand in this segment of the market increased by 19.4% this year, potentially indicating that younger riders are entering the world of motorcycling.
 
The majority of motorcycle types saw an increase in registrations in July with the usual exceptions of the sport/tour derivatives that declined by -33%, this sector is now down by -23.6% year to date.
 
Demand for mid-weight machines 126-650cc improved significantly by 25.5% in the month and 14.3% year to date. This increase seems to indicate that more riders are considering acquiring power two wheelers for commuting purposes.
 
In July, Honda continued to outperform all other brands with 1,903 machines registered. Yamaha was second with 906 sales, followed by Kawasaki in third place with 759 motorcycles. Lexmoto in sixth position and Royal Enfield in ninth were the two new names in the top ten brands. These two brands’ increase in registrations pushed Piaggio and Ducati away from their usual positions.
 
Latham continued, “With the disruption of Brexit and the rise in prices caused by Sterling devaluation, dealers remain uncertain about the motorcycle market. However, sales are up 3.1% from last year and dealers are hopeful that the positive trend will continue”.