Motorcycle registrations decline 16% in November

A recurring theme towards the end of 2008 has been that of difficult times. Barely a day passes in the automotive industry where news of a factory pausing production or ceasing operations altogether is not reported, and sales of new cars in the UK took a hammering in November. For this month the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders recorded 100,333 sales, a staggering drop of 36.8 per cent compared with November 2007. And while comparing favourably to this sobering statistic, November registration figures for two wheeled vehicles show this sector of the market is also not immune to the economic downturn.

Figures released by the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI) show that, following a solid October when motorcycle registrations were up by 4 per cent on the same month last year, registrations were 16 per cent down in November. A total of 7,517 mopeds, scooters and motorcycles were registered during the month, compared with 8,947 in November 2007. Over the first 11 months of 2008, registrations were 2.4 per cent down, with 133,009 new powered two-wheelers (PTWs) registered.

Most two-wheel categories suffered declines, although perhaps surprisingly the largest drop was observed at the budget end of the market, the 0 to 50cc engine size segment, where sales decreased 24.1 per cent in November. This was closely followed by the over 1000cc segment, which contracted 24.0 per cent. In terms of bike type, sales of naked bikes were the most depressed, down 27.5 per cent in November. Scooter sales also suffered, dropping 22.6 per cent to 2,804 units, although this category was home to the largest selling two-wheeler, the Yamaha XC 125. Sales growth was seen in the moped (excluding scooters), supersport, touring and ‘unspecified’ categories, which saw sales increases of 4.8 per cent, 5.3 per cent, 4.0 per cent and 7.8 per cent respectively during the month. In the year to November 2008, mopeds (excluding scooters) witnessed the greatest sales growth, up 11.9 per cent with a total of 2,875 new registrations, followed by touring cycles, sales of which grew 11.7 per cent to 3,861.

“This is a disappointing although not unexpected result, and we are renewing the call on government and local authorities, to support the industry’s ability to provide affordable and practical transport solutions in these difficult economic times,” said MCI chief executive Steve Kenward. “Dealers, suppliers and manufacturers are braced for a volatile and challenging 2009, but PTW use is more relevant than ever and must be viewed as a serious and practical alternative to the use of cars and public transport. PTWs are part of the solution to the problems of congestion and pollution and should not be ignored or treated as an afterthought.

“The motorcycle industry is still holding up very well, and I am encouraged by the upbeat mood of the International Motorcycle Show at the NEC last week,” Kenward added in a December 8 statement.

The latest registration figures and their incongruity with talk of resurging interest in motorcycles for the daily commute can perhaps be explained by a phenomenon reported by the Bike Tyrestore – increasing sales of motorcycle cross ply tyres indicates that many motorcycles and scooters currently changing hands and being pressed into more regular service are older models; therefore much of the two-wheeled sector’s revived popularity is taking place under the radar. Statistics in the Department for Transport Compendium of Motorcycling Statistics, released in early December, may add weight to this argument. The report says that the number of people taking the motorcycling test increased to 88,000 in 2007/08, the highest number since 2000/01. According to the DfT, there are now approximately 1.26 million licensed motorcycles in Britain, and in 2006 riders travelled approximately 5.6 billion vehicle kilometres. In 2007, 45 per cent of the 146,000 machines registered for the first time had engine capacities of up to 150cc, and it is with tyres for these smaller two-wheelers that sales reportedly are currently the strongest.