Motorcycle market holds up well despite economic gloom

Motorcycle sales in September dropped by 9.7 per cent – less than half the 21.2 per cent monthly decline recorded yesterday by the UK car industry. Total registrations of powered two wheelers (PTWs) last month were 16,431 against 18,204 a year ago, according to figures from the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI).

While the motorcycle market is clearly not immune to the effects of the credit crunch and enormous economic uncertainty, this was a better performance than in August when the market dipped by 12.3 per cent. To the end of September this year, the PTW market is down by just 2 per cent, while the UK car market has declined by over 7.5 per cent.

“Given the all-pervading gloom and daily doses of bad economic news, a drop this year of only 2 per cent not only shows the resilience of motorcycle manufacturers and dealers, but also reflects that people are looking to save money and time by using PTWs,” said Craig Carey-Clinch of the MCI. “Under the circumstances, this is still a strong performance with certain categories of PTW doing very well.

“However, given the emerging evidence that the economy is slipping into decline, it is clear that the government needs to act to restore consumer confidence in the economy and boost demand.

“This is why today, the MCI is joining the growing calls for a cut in interest rates. Although the need to keep inflation low is still key, the continued fiscal focus on this sole goal risks much wider damage to the UK economy and jobs.”

Moped registrations for the month were 7.5 per cent up with almost the same percentage increase year to date. Scooters were 2 per cent up on the month and 3.3 per cent up over the first nine months. The MCI believes that this is further evidence of people switching to PTWs for their daily commute in order to save time and money.

Most motorcycle categories recorded monthly dips with the exception of the touring class with a 2.2 per cent gain. So far this year, adventure sport, naked and touring categories have grown, with the biggest declines in the supersport and trail/enduro categories.

The biggest-selling bike in September was the Suzuki GSXR 1000, with 347 registrations. Honda was the biggest-selling manufacturer with 2,359, closely followed by Yamaha (2,342) and Suzuki with 1,966.