The latest data released by the motorcycle industry trade association in the UK (MCIA) shows that new motorcycle registrations for March 2016 were +1.89 percent, at 15,664 units, in a month shortened by Easter; at 25,314 units registrations in the UK are +8.49 percent for the year-to-date.
In total PTW terms March was +1.39 percent (16,509 units), and the total PTW market for the year-to-date in the UK is running at +7.67 percent (27,186 units). Total moped sales in the UK were down by -2.35 percent at 1,872 units for the first three months of the year.
The 'Naked' style (+3.9 percent/6,583 units YTD) is the largest motorcycle sector by style so far in 2016, with the custom market (+19.1 percent) the fastest growing sector so far this year in the UK (2,231 units YTD); the Adventure Sport market in the UK is +17.3 percent YTD at 4,729 units, with scooters +11.7 percent at 7,551 units YTD.
In displacement terms, as elsewhere in Europe, the largest sector in the UK is the 'middleweight' 651 - 1000cc market, which was +13.7 percent for the first three months of 2016.
Honda were market share leaders in the UK in March, selling 3,008 units; followed by Yamaha (1,060 units), BMW (1,688 units), then Triumph, Kawasaki, Lexmoto, Harley-Davidson, Suzuki, KTM and Piaggio. The highest selling motorcycle of greater than 125cc in the UK in March was Honda's new 'Africa Twin' again (431 units); the highest +1000cc bike was BMW’s R 1200 GS Adventure (264 units).
Triumph's Bonneville Street Twin (246 units) was the highest selling 'Naked' style bike, with the Kawasaki ZX10 R Ninja (174 units) and Z1000 SX (155 units) the highest selling Supersport and Sport/Tour models respectively.
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.
UK motorcycle registrations were +15.59 percent for 2015 at 104,813 units.
