New motorcycle sales surge in July

JULY saw a huge surge in new motorcycle sales, with almost every segment of motorcycling seeing double-digit growth or better in July.

The statistics, released by the MCIA, shows that new motorcycle sales across the board saw a 42% increase when compared to the same period last year. That’s 14,000 new bikes leaving dealerships in the month of July. Trail enduro and dual-sport bikes were particular success stories, with 62.7% and 47.6% year-on-year growth respectively.

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Meanwhile, scooters did even better, with a 56.6% surge in year-on-year growth in the 125cc step-through motorcycle sector. The MCIA also noted that training schools have been “reporting record levels of first-time riders taking their CBT training”, so industry observers believe that a reluctance to use public transport during the COVID-19 pandemic is seeing many people switching to two-wheels instead.

The welcome news regarding new motorcycle sales is no doubt linked to the UK motorcycle industry’s Unlock You Freedom campaign, aimed at promoting motorcycles and scooters as the ultimate answer to commuting in a socially distanced way.

The July sales news is sharply at odds with the results from the beginning of the year, with the new bike bounce back starting as soon as the dealerships could open again. In all, 12,520 units were shifted in June 2020, compared with 11.038 units in June 2019. It has also helped take the sting out of the tough to look at Year To Date figures, reducing the gap to user 25% (the difference of 1,700 units).