According to figures recently released by The Motor Cycle Industry Association, total UK registrations of new motorcycles, scooters and mopeds were up by 10.4% this January when compared with January 2013, which can only be good news for the UK market.
In January 2014 total registrations hit 4517 units compared with 4092 units the previous January, with the 651cc – 1000cc engine band seeing the biggest jump with a 16.6% rise, which translated into an additional 99 units sold when compared with January of last year. The 126cc – 650cc and over 1000cc engine bands also saw similar rises of 14.9% (97 additional units) and 15.8% (75 additional units) respectively.
In terms of units, the greatest volume of new vehicle registrations came in the 51cc – 125cc engine bracket with a total of 1895 new units registered this January. This was an increase of 11.1% on January last year, which translated into an additional 189 units.
However, the number of new two wheelers up to and including 50cc machines which were registered in January has fallen by 5.3% (a 35 unit drop) when compared with January 2013, the only engine band to see a drop in registrations in this most recent set of statistics.
By far the most popular manufacturer was Honda, who saw 983 unit registrations in January, followed by Yamaha (482 units) and Triumph (301 units).
The Honda PCX125 was the most popular model with a total of 95 registrations in January, with their CBF125M also proving popular with a total of 83 units registered.
Most Popular Motorcycle In January 2014 By Style:
- Adventure Sport – Honda NC750X
- Custom – Lexmoto HT125-8 Vixen
- Naked – Honda CBF125M
- Scooter – Honda PCX125
- Sport/Tour – Kawasaki Z1000SX
- Supersport – Yamaha YZFR125
- Touring – Harley-Davidson ElectraGlide
- Trail/Enduro – Honda CRF250L
With only a months worth of sales information to refer too, it is impossible to say if this is a sign of things to come but we can certainly hope so. Last January saw much of the UK affected by snow and very low temperatures, but this year has seen record rainfall so the weather may not necessarily be the reason behind the rise in registrations.
We have been working hard on our 2014 catalogue for several months now, and information like this is always invaluable to us when planning our updated range along with our own sales data. We are able to ensure that we have a comprehensive range in stock, so that our trade customers have access to all their two wheel tyre requirements under one roof, with options to suit all riders and budgets. We can also ensure we have ample stocks of the most popular patterns and sizes for the biggest selling bikes.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the numbers as they unfold during the first months of 2014, but these could well be the first tentative signs of an upturn in the UK market!
