Motorcycle registrations stabilise in May

“Power Two Wheelers (PTWs) have shown a positive year-on-year increase of 340% (13,398 units), however it is important to note that dealers were in the midst of a national lockdown and restricted trading during the same period last year”, said Paddy O’Connell, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) which represents PTW dealers in the UK, commenting on the latest MCIA’s figures.

MCIA’s latest registration figures showed year to date, PTWs are down almost -10% (42,242 units) compared to pre-pandemic figures in 2019 where sales totalled 47,882 units. With the first part of this year hindered by further lockdowns, a 123% month-on-month increase compared to May 2019 (10,871 units) is welcome news.

May saw sales of ePTWs carrying on their upward trend, specifically the lower power output (1-4KW) iterations, which achieved sales of 427 units. When compared to figures for their closest internal combustion engines (ICE) equivalent, the 0-50cc segment sold 927 units. ePTWs are now making up 46% of this section, in comparison to 29.2% last month.

Once again, it was Sports Tourers that have failed to catch-up so far this year. This sector is down -33.1% down on year to date figures compared to 2020. Interestingly, Supersports have made headway over the same period and have caught up and surpassed their 2020 year-to date performance (+ 5.8%). Kawasaki’s Ninja 1000 SX helped this by registering a further 118 units.

Larger engine scooters (51-125cc) were dominated by the Yamaha NMAX 125 with a stellar 659 registered units, more than doubling the numbers for any other single model, from any category. Naked bikes continue to lead the motorcycle sector with 4,567 registrations in May. Honda’s commuter and learner friendly CBF125 gained 304 registrations, followed by the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 (189 units) and Triumph’s recently launched Trident 660 (163 units).

Paddy O’Connell added, “With order banks continuing to grow, the main issue to consider will be manufacturer supply. With all major brands largely being in the same situation, this may seem like a favourable situation for dealers to hold on to margins.

“The NMDA continues to encourage members to get behind the #DestinationDealer campaign. This initiative is to help dealers reconnect with their customers and remind them that Motorcycle and Scooter showrooms are not just a place to transact, they are also a place to chat, have a coffee, look at the new products and meet up with like-minded people”.