Bike Sales Down Although Sports Bikes Making a Comeback!

The UK's new motorcycle market continued its downward trend in September, with the total number of new bikes registered 13.8 per cent down compared to last year.

The year-on-year (YoY) number saw an 11.3 per cent drop in adventure bike sales, a segment which is normally a lynchpin of the UK bike market. Another sector to take a big hit was the custom segment, dropping 23.5 per cent YoY, while scooters, normally another strong market, fell a whopping 28.4 per cent.

Some areas saw growth, though, with competition bikes (which would encompass off-road motocross bikes through to things like the Yamaha R1 Race and GYTR) seeing an uplift in sales to the tune of 4.4 per cent. Likewise, the road sport segment saw growth, with an upturn of 8.9 per cent. While the gains made in each of these sectors is a sliver of positive news, it is worth noting that the total sales in each is low, with competition bikes moving from 549 to 573, modern classics from 1,269 to 1,307, and road sport from 926 to 1,008 when looking at the YoY comparison. The slide in sales, which started in July and has steadily continued, means that the Year to Date number for new bike registrations is down 3.7 per cent on this point in 2023.

The best-performing bikes in September were mostly familiar names, with BMW’s R1300 GS being the best-performing 1,000cc+ bike with 177 units shifted. The best-performing custom was the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 with 63 bikes registered, while the Triumph Speed 400 was the best-performing modern classic with 112 bikes registered with the MCIA.