The month of November is always a quiet month for new motorcycle registrations and this year was no exception with MCIA data showing only 6004 new machines going on the road, a reduction of 2.4% or 147 fewer units than the previous November, writes Steve Latham, head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association.
“With poor weather and being out-of-season for motorcycling the sales, this November equated to only 5.9% of the 102,413 motorcycles registered so far in the 11 months of 2019.
“Throughout November all the growth came in the low-powered scooters and motorcycles (0-50cc & 51-125cc), whereas sales of more powerful motorcycles declined modestly.
“Out of season it is more likely that lower-powered machines for commuting will continue selling as it is more of a necessity to have transport for work than for leisure use. This was further borne out by the budget/value brand Lexmoto being the third best seller in the month, with 506 registrations. Yamaha was in second position with a few more sales at 667 units and as usual the largest volume of registrations came from Honda, with 1396 new machines going on the road.
“Although registrations in November have been slightly disappointing, it was anticipated with all the economic and political uncertainty. Overall the market for motorcycle dealers has been stable in 2019 with 102,413 registrations year-to-date, up by 1.7% on the previous year where 100,674 machines went on the roads. Motorcycle dealers are hoping this positive position will continue in December and through into 2020 in what could prove to be a very challenging year for PTW dealers.