The European 'Bike Park'
Data released by ACEM at their recent 10th annual conference gives an interesting insight into the 'Bike Park' in Europe - the total number of Powered Two Wheelers on the road.
The most recent available full-year data is to the end of 2012 and it shows that while the number of bikes on the road has dipped, at 35,566,991 (25,738,753 of which are motorcycles) it has not collapsed in the downturn in anything like the way that sales of new units have done.
In 2011 the number was 37,738,799, and had actually grown annually each year to then from the 31,839,152 reported for 2005 (19,433,214 of which are reported as motorcycles).
Not surprisingly Italy has the largest PTW population at 8,582,796, of which 6,482,796 are motorcycles - which means that up to some 20 percent of the riding age population has a PTW of some kind.
The total 'Bike Park' figure in Italy has remained consistent at over 8m total PTW units ever since 2005, with the number of those being described in the data as motorcycles climbing steadily from just under 5m ever since then - meaning that the profile of the PTW market in Italy has shifted decisively towards larger displacement machines, by some 30 percent of the total since 2005.
The second largest PTW 'Bike Park' in Europe is in Germany, where the most recently available complete data (to end of 2011) puts the total of PTW's in use at 5,814,195, of which some two-thirds are motorcycles (3,908,072 in 2011).
The German market has remained consistently over 5m units, and with approximately the same proportion of motorcycles to mopeds ever since 2005.
Spain boasts Europe's third largest 'Bike Park', at 5,021,965 units in 2012 of which more than half (2,852,297) are motorcycles.
Although the split between motorcycles and lower cc 'mopeds' is much nearer 50/50 in Spain, the growth in motorcycle ownership as a proportion is clearly seen in ACEM's data, with growth from 1,805,827 (in a 4,066,267 total) resulting in the number of larger displacement machines overtaking 'mopeds' for the first time in 2008 and appearing to continue to grow in proportion and absolute number terms right up to 2012.
Fourth largest is France with 3,089,125 total PTWs (1,674,147 of which are motorcycles); down from peak PTW ownership of 3,857,000 in 2008.
Europe's 'Top Five' PTW 'Bike Parks' is completed by Turkey, at 2,657,722 units in 2012 (the available data from Turkey does not differentiate between motorcycles and 'mopeds'.
Poland is sixth at 2,207,556 total PTWs (1,107260 motorcycles); Greece is seventh at 1,776,435 total PTWs (a surprisingly high 1,556,435 of which are descibed as being motorcycles).
The UK and Dutch markets are pretty much of equal size in 'Bike Park' terms, with the United Kingdom (1,362,849) only slightly ahead of The Netherlands (1,210,729); though the displacement profiles of the two markets are very different - in the UK motorcycles are by far in the majority, whereas Dutch motorcycles are only some 100,000 or so more than 'mopeds'.
The tenth largest PTW 'Bike Park' in Europe is in the Czech Republic (976,911 total), where the market is split 50/50 between 'mopeds' and motorcycles.
In order, the next 10 'Bike Parks' in Europe are Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Croatia and Hungary.
