Buoyant motorcycle sales continue in June

Commenting on statistics released by the Motor Cycle Industry Association, Stephen Latham, head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) which represents motorcycle retailers across the UK, said: “In spite of widespread concern over the referendum result, June registrations for new motorcycles were up 6.9 per cent over the same period last year”.

Overall demand for motorcycles was 66,009 units; up 7.4 per cent year-to-date – marking six continuous months of growth so far in 2016.

Latham continued, “With the summer months among us, June is typically a high volume month for bikes, with this June registering a strong figure of 14,137 machines – equating to 21.4 per cent of all the machines sold so far in the first six months of 2016. The sectors that showed the most significant growth were both naked bikes and scooters which were up 14.3 per cent and 17.3 per cent respectfully.

“Most power ranges showed signs of growth, even the sub 50cc sector which has been declining for several months now.  The 651 – 1000cc powered motorcycles were the only sector which showed a minor decline of just -0.8 per cent.

“As with previous months, Honda led the manufacturer brands with 2061 sales, followed closely by Yamaha who registered 1852 sales, and Triumph in third place with 1374 registrations. Yamaha took lead position in both the naked and 651-1000cc power sector with sales of 266 Yamaha MT-10 motorcycles. Unsurprisingly, Triumph led the field on the over 1000cc sector with its new Euro 4 1200cc Bonneville T120 which sold 173 machines to customers wanting the latest technology with traditional retro looks.

“There is a general feeling of confidence among dealers that the coming months will continue with the upward trend we’ve been seeing over months, plus the pressure to sell as many Euro 3 motorcycles prior to the January deadline seems to exude optimism for the remainder of the year.”