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March bike sales drop 11.8%
Source: Insidebikes | Carole Nash » Bike News - Wednesday, 14th April 2010, 8:49 GMTThe latest new machine registration figures for March 2010 show the decline in new motorcycle, scooter and moped sales across the UK shows little sign of ending, reports Alastair Walker. Overall, two-wheeler registrations in March were down 11.8%, with mopeds down 11.3% and scooters dropping by some 8.3%. On the upside, the March falls were less than the rolling three month average decline of around 20%, so the better weather in March, plus the new registration letter, seem to have perked up the market slightly. BMW dealers have reason to celebrate this month with the new S1000RR posting 385 registrations, making the top bike in its class. The R1200RT also did well, with 212 units being taxed and made ready for the road in March. BMW were in 4th place in the manufacturer league table in March, just behind Suzuki and ahead of Triumph and Kawasaki. Honda were the most popular marque last month, with 2,354 units on the road, with Yamaha just behind them. Honda’s VFR1200 picked up another 190 registrations in March, following its successful launch in February and 458 CBF125 machines were logged with the DVLA, almost as many as the entire Piaggio range for the month ( 581 units ). The market is most definitely being dominated by older riders, as Custom, Touring and Sports-Touring class bikes remained static in terms of registrations, whilst Supersport, Adventure Sport and Trail machines fell sharply, in fact the Supersport class fell by a whopping 27% in March, although at 2900-odd units, it is still a large chunk of the UK motorcycle market. Small machines continue to struggle, despite the recession and rapidly rising fuel prices. 50cc mopeds and scooters were down 11.3% in March. In hard economic times you would expect car drivers to consider using a moped for commuting, but it doesn’t seem to be happening. On the upside, 50cc-125cc class machines posted a modest 3% rise in March, although they’ve dropped 16% on average in the opening quarter of 2010. Despite the UK industry association calling for a scrappage scheme aimed at encouragng sales of small, fuel-efficient bikes and scooters, there seems no chance of that happening, regardless of who wins the general election. A similar scheme in Italy boosted sub-125cc, Euro 3 compliant class machines in 2009. Is the MCIA’s Get On campaign enough, post your ideas on promoting the fun, fuel saving and freedom from traffic jams that biking offers here; Read article
VFR1200 boosts Feb bike sales
Source: Insidebikes | Carole Nash » Bike News - Tuesday, 9th March 2010, 11:37 GMTHonda’s VFR1200 boosted the February new motorcycle sales total, with a healthy 97 units snapped up, reports Alastair Walker. The MCIA recently released last month’s sales statistics and Honda’s impressive performance from Feb 13th onwards, when the bike was launched, helped bump up the sports-tourer segment by 59%. Elsewhere the market continued its relentlessly downward spiral. Custom bikes dropped by 6%, whilst touring and trail machines fell by 12%, relatively modest reductions considering the weather, rising unemployment and the end of the 15% VAT rate in 2010. But other sectors like adventure touring were off 20%, mopeds dropped 28%, naked bikes fell 35% and supersports fell by an alarming 45%. Total two-wheeler registrations last month were 3197, down 23% and the one positive note is that figure is smaller than the huge drop in January, which saw many dealerships deserted as snowfalls affected daily life. One interesting figure is that the VFR1200 notched up 97 sales in two weeks, whilst BMW’s new sportbike the S1000RR could only manage 30 sales in the entire month. This despite rave reviews in the motorcycle press for the new BMW and lukewarm reports on the new Honda. Could it be that today’s sportbikes are almost all too uncomfortable for today’s 50-something motorcycle buyer, or is the depreciation suffered by sportbikes the main factor? Perhaps the most worrying trend in the new machine registration figures is the lack of sales for mopeds and scooters. The recessions of the 70s and 80s both saw large increases in small motorcycle and scooter sales, but the younger generation, and commuters, seemed to have more or less abandoned the idea of motorcycling. Those are arguably two social trends which will see motorcycling in the UK become a pastime for pensioners within a decade. Unless something is done, and soon. Read article
January bike sales gloom
Source: Insidebikes | Carole Nash - Wednesday, 10th February 2010, 11:01 GMTThe heavy snows of January, and VAT rising to 17.5%, reduced UK consumer demand generally, but new motorcycle and scooter sales were especially hard hit, reports Alastair Walker. Overall, new motorcycle sales fell by 42%, moped scooters were down 37% and scooters above 50cc fell by 35%. In an attempt to put some positive spin on the dismal sales figures the MCIA claim that more commuters are turning to two wheels, with seven of the January top ten machines being under 125cc. The MCIA also note that Touring class motorcycle sales only dropped by 22%, which is better than the huge falls of 50% for Custom, 56% for Supersport and 47% for Naked bikes. insidebikes spoke to two dealers who both agreed that `January was a write-off, people who are snowed in don’t buy bikes.’ Another dealer said he was concentrating on used bike sales in 2010, as selling new machines was barely profitable; `We are struggling to make £300-£350 on a new bike sale, and the overheads on the showroom are in the region of 50K per year.’ However, the poor January weather didn’t deter fans of the BMW marque, with 50 units of the new S1000RR recorded and 51 unit sales for the R1200RT touring model. Maybe BMW riders are just that bit better at coping with adverse weather. Another interesting detail in the January sales figures is that Direct Bikes sold 131 machines over the internet, mostly 50cc scooters. That puts them ahead of Aprilia, who have an expensive dealer network to maintain. Maybe the future for commuter mopeds and scooters lies in online sales, with service centres sold as a low cost franchise. If February doesn’t bring too much snow, everyone in the industry will be hoping that buyers will return in significant numbers. If not, 2010 looks like being another year of pain for the UK motorcycle market. Read article
