Sportsbikes down and commuter sales up as new trend develops in UK motorcycle market
SALES OF motorcycles in the UK for 2008 ended the year down just 3.4 per cent, according to figures released the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI).
A total of 139,715 motorcyles, mopeds and scooters were registered in 2008, with figures for December showing a 19.1 per cent decline to 6,706 registrations for the month.
The figures show the seeming stability of the UK bike market compared to the UK car market, which plunged 11.3 per cent last year.
An upturn in the sales of commuters and a drop in sportsbike sales was rvealed in the figures; the high performance supersport sector now only accounts for under 17 per cent of the market. That said, the year’s top selling model was the Honda CBR 1000RR, but five of the best-selling models of the year were small-capacity motorcycles, mopeds and scooters with engines of less than 125cc.
The biggest-selling manufacturer in 2008 was Honda with 20,107 registrations, followed by Yamaha (17,031) and Suzuki (16,132).
