According to recent figures released by the Motorcycle Industry Association, there were more ‘commuter sized’ motorcycles and scooters sold in 2015 than any other year since records began back in 1983.
Registrations of new powered two wheelers in the UK were up more than 12% last year, when compared with those in 2014, which just sneaked beyond the 100,000 unit barrier. In total last year, 114,160 new motorcycles and scooters were sold at dealers across the country – the highest annual total since 2008.
Include in those figures were 43,700 new learner legal motorcycles and scooters between 101 – 125cc, popular with commuters.
In the final four months of the year, budget brand Lexmoto were consistently the 3rd highest selling brand in the UK, behind Honda and Yamaha, a spot that prior to September was occupied by Triumph on most occasions.
Whether this is an indication that the quality of Chinese built bikes has improved, or that new riders are gravitating towards lower priced entry level machines, it hopefully means we are seeing more new blood taking to 2-wheels for the first time, with a view to moving on to larger capacity machines when the time comes.
Commenting on the new motorcycle sales Steve Kenward, CEO of the MCIA said; “We’re seeing an increase in sales of new motorcycles of all sizes, but our records show that we’ve never seen as many bikes of this size sold before. We think it is likely that they are being used for commuting, as they are economical to run and easy to park.
“Motorcycle dealers have been reporting an increase in families swapping a second car for a motorcycle, to beat the misery of sitting in traffic during rush hour. Motorcycles and scooters can filter through slow moving traffic and are tremendous fun, with riders tending to rate their commute more enjoyable than other transport users”.
Back in 2011, there was a dramatic fall in the sale of new motorcycles in all sizes, but small signs of recovery began in 2011, in line with a rise in the price of petrol. Of course, petrol has now fallen in price, below £1 a litre is most places, but this just means that riding a motorcycle is even better value!
The MCIA predicts unit sales to hit around 124,000 in 2016, so dealers can expect even better sales figures this year!
