New bike registrations continue to slide

THE head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA), Stephen Latham has claimed that motorcycle sales for the month of June have slid again, in what is becoming a worrying trend for motorcycle sales in 2019.

Going against the idea that a decent summer has a positive effect on motorcycle sales, the UK saw a total number of new motorcycle sales of 11,643 bikes in June 2019, a drop of 1,446 when compared to the same period last year. With most size bikes seeing declines, it was only the 50cc moped and the trail/enduro segment that saw any growth, with a 1.7% and 15.8% increase respectively.

The report posted on the Retail Motor Industry (RMI) website also claims that Honda is still top of the pops with punters, shifting 2,129 units in June. The Japanese giant is hotly followed by Triumph who moved 1,324 bikes, with BMW in third place with 1,154 motorcycles sold. The big mover in the top five is Yamaha who dropped to fourth behind place with 1,119 bikes sold.

The head of the NMDA, Stephen Latham, said, “Motorcycle registrations declined -11% in June for the second consecutive month this year.”

He does though refer to decent visitor numbers to dealerships in the UK, although just not enough new bike sales being made. He also cites Brexit – and the uncertainty that the situation brings – as the main reason behind the two-month downturn in sales. He said, “Although motorcycle dealers are still getting plenty of footfall in their showrooms, there is still hesitance from customers who are putting off larger purchases until uncertainty around Brexit and other political concerns have been clarified.”

Are you in the market for a new motorcycle? Does the UK leaving the EU make you nervous about parting with large sums of money, or tying yourself up in complex finance agreements at this time?

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