The latest data released by the motorcycle industry trade association in the UK (MCIA) shows new motorcycle registrations there for October at +19.27 percent (7,729 units - the best October figure for nearly a decade) and +15.35 percent for the year-to-date (94,214 - the best first nine months the UK has seen for nearly a decade).
In total PTW terms, October was +14.22 percent (8,504 units) and is +12.43 percent for the year-to-date (102,229 units). Total moped sales in the UK so far this year are down -13.4 percent at 8,015 units.
The 'Naked' style (+27.8 percent/27,425 units YTD) and Adventure Sport sectors (+25.5 percent/15,207 units) are the strongest growth markets in the UK, with Sports/Tour and traditional Touring models the primary sectors that are losing sales so far this year (-4.4 percent and -14.1 percent respectively).
In displacement terms the fastest growing part of the market in the UK is the 'middleweight' 651 - 1000cc market, which is +26.9 percent YTD. Total scooter sales in the UK (27,392 units YTD) are basically 'flat' at -0.0 percent.
Honda were market share leaders in the UK in October, selling 1.365 units; followed by Yamaha, Lexmoto, Triumph, Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, BMW, Piaggio, KTM and Suzuki.
The UK 'bike park' is now said to stand at 1.2 million units - a figure that has remained largely static since 2011; 34,600 people passed the motorcycle rider test in the UK in 2014/15 - which is some 4,000 more than in the previous 12 months; the MCIA says that some 4.6 billion km (2.8 billion miles) were ridden on two wheels on the roads of the UK in 2014 - a figure that has remained largely static since 2011.
