Motorcycle market holds up well despite dip in August

The faltering UK economy caught up with the motorcycle market last month, with only the fourth monthly dip in sales so far this year. Following a 22 per cent increase in the market in July, total registrations for powered two wheelers (PTWs) in August were 12.3 per cent down on last year at 10,104 units, according to figures from the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI).

The PTW market is still performing well in contrast to the car market, which suffered an almost 19 per cent slump last month. Over the first eight months of the year, 97,655 PTWs have been registered, down just 0.5 per cent on the same period last year compared to the car market which has seen a 3.8 per cent drop.

“The market is very volatile, “said the MCI’s Craig Carey-Clinch. “The industry has seen strong months this year in February, April, June and July, but clearly, people are being very cautious about their spending – and the appalling weather in August and this year hasn’t done us any favours. It could be that the new September registrations will provide a boost, but overall, a drop so far this year of less than one per cent is a very strong performance.”

Registrations of scooters and mopeds fell by 10.8 per cent and 12 per cent respectively after showing strong growth throughout the year. In the first eight months, the scooter and moped categories are up by 3.6 per cent and 7.2 per cent, reflecting the increasing interest in low cost commuter-type bikes.

All types of bikes showed falls in August, with the exception of the ‘naked’ category with a 0.9 per cent increase. So far this year, the growth has been in the adventure sport, naked and touring categories – again indicating demand for everyday, practical bikes.

The best selling bikes in August were the Yamaha YBR 125 and YZF R125 with Yamaha the best-selling make with 1,472 units. Honda and Suzuki were the next best-selling makes.

“We know that demand for bike tests is at an all-time high, and that dealers are reporting interest from new riders looking for lower cost transport,” added Carey-Clinch. “But the industry is concerned by the lack of progress of the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) in securing new test centres in time for the changes in test procedures due to be implemented at the end of September.”

The MCI and other motorcycle organisations have called for a six month delay to the implementation of the new test because of the DSA’s failure to secure enough ‘multi-purpose’ test centres. Only 39 of the new test centres, nationwide, will be open by the time of the changes, against a planned network of 66. This compares with over 200 current test centres which will be closed when the Directive is implemented.