The DfT has just released is full 2015 new model registration figures and we’ve been trawling through them to work out what’s selling best of all.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. Virtually identical bikes can be registered under a range of different names and as a result it’s not as simple as cutting and pasting the ten most-registered machines.
We’ve scoured the list and combined models that deserve to be together. For instance, going by DVLA registrations, the outgoing Triumph Bonneville 865 is listed separately under its Newchurch, Centennial, Spirit, Steve McQueen, T100 and SE designations despite all being effectively variations on the same model. Similarly, the Tiger 800 is registered under no fewer than 11 different names.
So the figures you read here might not tally precisely with the ones that you’ll find elsewhere, but we like to think they’re a more accurate representation of the models that are selling best in the UK at the moment.
It’s also worth noting that during 2015 an incredible 13,371 bikes were registered with their model names missing from the forms. That’s more than 10% of all bikes sold in the UK that year, so it’s safe to assume that the actual sales of all the bikes on this list might be up to 10% higher than the given figures.
Other notable factoids? You might be surprised to hear that if this was a top 20 listing, the Harley Davidson XL883 would be included in 12th place, with 818 registered. And the BMW R1200 NineT, seen as something of a boutique buy, is actually a strong seller with nearly 700 registrations in 2015.
We’re looking here at bikes over 125cc. If we were to include the smaller machines we’d have the Honda PCX125 (2091 sales), Yamaha MT 125 (1653), Honda Vision (1565) and Honda CB125 (1457) right up there. The Yamaha R125 (1309), Honda CBR125 (1235), Yamaha YBR125 (1098) and Honda CBF125 (1019) also break the thousand sales mark.
One final note: Honda is still the UK’s best-selling manufacturer but it doesn’t have a single machine in the top 10 for bikes over 125cc. The NC750X nearly made it but was pushed back into 11th place.
Suzuki, you’ll note, is nowhere to be seen either. None of its bikes even came close.
10: BMW S 1000 RR – 872
Remember when superbikes used to dominate the top-sellers list in the UK? Those days are long gone, and now the only one of the 1000cc, 200bhp machines so often splashed on the front pages of bike magazines to make the top 10 list is BMW’s S1000RR. Bet BMW is wishing it had been in on the superbike game a decade ago when top-selling models could easily pass 2000 bikes per year.
THE DfT has just released full 2015 new model registration figures and we’ve been trawling through them to work out what’s selling best of all.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. Virtually identical bikes can be registered under a range of different names and as a result it’s not as simple as cutting and pasting the 10 most-registered machines.
We’ve scoured the list and combined models that deserve to be together. For instance, going by DVLA registrations, the outgoing Triumph Bonneville 865 is listed separately under its Newchurch, Centennial, Spirit, Steve McQueen, T100 and SE designations despite all being effectively variations on the same model. Similarly, the Tiger 800 is registered under no fewer than 11 different names.
So the figures you read here might not tally precisely with the ones that you’ll find elsewhere, but we like to think they’re a more accurate representation of the models that are selling best in the UK at the moment.
It’s also worth noting that during 2015 an incredible 13,371 bikes were registered with their model names missing from the forms. That’s more than 10% of all bikes sold in the UK that year, so it’s safe to assume that the actual sales of all the bikes on this list might be up to 10% higher than the given figures.
Other notable factoids? You might be surprised to hear that if this was a top 20 listing, the Harley Davidson XL883 would be included in 12th place, with 818 registered. And the BMW R1200 NineT, seen as something of a boutique buy, is actually a strong seller with nearly 700 registrations in 2015.
We’re looking here at bikes over 125cc. If we were to include the smaller machines we’d have the Honda PCX125 (2091 sales), Yamaha MT125 (1653), Honda Vision (1565) and Honda CB125F (1457) right up there. The Yamaha R125 (1309), Honda CBR125 (1235), Yamaha YBR125 (1098) and Honda CBF125 (1019) also break the thousand sales mark.
One final note: Honda is still the UK’s best-selling manufacturer but it doesn’t have a single machine in the top 10 for bikes over 125cc. The NC750X nearly made it but was pushed back into 11th place.
Suzuki, you’ll note, is nowhere to be seen either. None of its bikes even came close.
10: BMW S 1000 RR – 872
Remember when superbikes used to dominate the top-sellers list in the UK? Those days are long gone, and now the only one of the 1000cc, 200hp machines so often splashed on the front pages of bike magazines to make the top 10 list is BMW’s S1000RR. Bet BMW is wishing it had been in on the superbike game a decade ago when top-selling models could easily pass 2,000 bikes per year.
9: Yamaha MT-09 – 998
Yamaha’s MT-09 was a top seller last year and it’s still performing impressively well – the ABS version’s 2015 registrations were actually up on 2014 figures (692 vs 624), and overall the combined ABS and non-ABS models are only 124 down on the previous year. Yamaha won’t be too worried about that, since it’s now also got the faired MT-09 Tracer on offer – more on that bike later…
8: Ducati Scrambler – 1,002
Given that the Ducati Scrambler wasn’t even available until the second quarter of 2015, its appearance on this list is a seriously impressive achievement. In case you’re wondering, the basic ‘Icon’ version is the most popular, with 452 sales, followed by the Classic (224), Full Throttle (196) and Urban Enduro (130).
7: Kawasaki Z1000SX – 1,040
When it was first launched, the Z1000SX seemed like something of an afterthought – a Z1000 with a fairing slapped on. But it’s been a consistent strong seller for Kawasaki ever since its launch and is the only one of the firm’s bikes to make it onto this list.
6: Triumph Bonneville – 1,157
As mentioned earlier, we’ve combined Bonneville figures to reach this total but that’s fair since the bikes are much the same. We didn’t include the Scrambler (323) or America (225), though, as they’re notably different. Had we included them the Bonnie would have been in 2nd place overall! Not bad for a bike in its last year of production. Interestingly, despite not officially being on sale at the time, 46 of the new 2016 Street Twins and nine T120s were also registered in 2015 (again, not counted in our main figure).
5: Triumph Street Triple (all versions) – 1,440
Triumph is on a roll, and the Street Triple is another machine that’s selling incredibly well given that it’s due for replacement soon. Our figure combines the base model, the ‘R’ version and the ‘RX’ – after all, they’re all much the same bike underneath. Interestingly the R and RX both outsold the entry-level bike.
4: Yamaha MT-09 Tracer – 1,517
Here’s why Yamaha won’t be worried that the sales of the MT-09 naked triple slipped by around 100 during 2015. Its new MT-09 Tracer model – which we’ve counted as a separate machine since it’s fairing means it’s got quite a different appeal to the naked version – has done far better than the original one ever did. Had we combined the Tracer and naked MT-09, the total would have been enough for 2nd spot.
3: Triumph Tiger 800 (all versions) – 1,575
As mentioned earlier, the official registration figures list no fewer than 11 different model names for the Tiger 800, but we’ve opted to combine them all given that they’re effectively different trim levels on the same basic bike. Together, the Tiger 800s become yet another best-seller for Triumph, giving the firm its third appearance in the top 10 list.
2: Yamaha MT-07 – 1,622
If ever there was proof that making a decent, simple bike and sticking the right price tag on it was a straightforward recipe for success, the MT-07 is it. Can you imagine how well Yamaha will do when it’s got up to speed and has the forthcoming MT-07 Tracer and the MT-07-based Ténéré replacement on sale as well?
1: BMW R1200GS (and Adventure) – 2,701
BMW is Bryan Adams and the R1200GS is that bloody song from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. It just can’t be shifted from the number one spot in the charts. We’ve combined the GS and Adventure, but even taken individually the two models would have been high on the list (the BMW sold 1,411 base GSes and the Adventure achieved 1,290 registrations). It was tempting to separate them just to get a different number one, but that wouldn’t have been fair. So now, to play us out, it’s BMW with '(Everything I Do) I Do It For You, R1200GS…'
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