Chinese motorcycle sales on the rise
..motorcycle buyers voting with their wallets
CHINESE motorcycle sales are rising in the UK.
There were 16.5% more Chinese motorcycle and scooter registrations in the first half of 2012 compared to the first half of 2011, accounting for almost 17% of all new motorcycle and moped sales.
The leading Chinese brand was Lexmoto, selling 1517 units in the first half of this year, putting them eighth in the list of top-selling manufacturers. Honda hold the number one spot, with 7173 units, but Lexmoto sit well above brands like Aprilia who are 13th in the list, with 501 units sold.
It's not just Chinese brands that are doing well, Taiwanese brands are also on the rise. SYM sold 791 motorcycles in the first half of the year and 304 scooters, just behind Honda who sold 333 scooters in the same time period.
Direct Bikes, a company that imports scooters and sells directly to the public, claim to sell the UK's most popular scooter, the DB50QT-11 which sells for £499 but they require some assembly, need to be registered and only come with a one-year parts-only warranty.
Does the saying 'buy cheap, buy twice' still apply?
