NEW motorcycle (motorcycles, scooters, and L-category bikes) new vehicle registration figures have dropped in the last month for the first time in quite a long time.
The MCIA’s official new motorcycle registration data shows a drop of 6 percent for the month of October 2022, despite the UK market’s year-to-date growth remaining strong at 2.8 percent. While Covid-19 was a driving force behind the growth of new motorcycle ownership in the last two years, it now seems that the increase in the cost of living, and the fact we are now in the run-up to Christmas, is finally taking its toll on new motorbike sales.
Despite the drop, the MCIA reports that the UK market still outperformed two of its biggest neighbouring markets, Germany and Italy, and even outperformed the MCIA’s own in-house forecast for the month of October.
Electric bikes really were the big winner last month, as fuel costs push road users to more cost-effective means of getting from A to B. That sector has grown year-to-date by a massive 13.7 percent, going some way to prove that certain riders, the time is now for switching to electric power.
Scooters are still the UK’s biggest seller, shifting just over 2,000 units last month, closely followed by naked motorbikes, 1,730, and then adventure bikes, 1,074. The venerable BMW R 1250 GS Adventure remains the biggest seller in the ADV category, with the Royal Enfield Classic 350 topping the modern classic segment, and the Honda CBF 125 M showing as the most popular naked bike. The highly entertaining Yamaha R7 topped the road sports segment, shifting 55 units in October alone. The highest-selling bike in the electric segment is confirmed as the Super Soco CPX, with that bike moving 40 units in the month of October.
