The fact that surplus pre-registered Euro 5 stock could be continuing to distort current registrations five months into this year is now tedious beyond belief. May’s overall headcount fell by 12.3% to 9800 units. Within that, motorcycles and scooters were 12% down to 9403; mopeds declined by 14.8%; and trikes plunged by 36.4% to 56. Petrol-fuelled registrations incurred a 13.5% retreat to 9403, while the electric cul-de-sac basked in a 30.6% increase to a hardly awe-inspiring 397 units.
Almost all of the internal combustion firmament where whatever’s left of dealer prosperity resides was spattered with negativity. The basic mobility and delivery sector spanning 0-125cc products dropped by 20.3% to 2933 units. “Best-sellers” — either Euro 5 compliant or derogated — were Honda PCX125 scooters, 280 of them. And at the opposite end of the spectrum, premium 1000cc-plus machines plummeted by 28.9% to 1280 units. Some 141 examples of the BMW R1300GS were flying the Motorrad leadership flag in this rarefied atmosphere.
In between these two extremes, it was very much a case of scratch and sniff. The bargain 126-500cc slot sank by 14.8% to 1742 units, headed up by Honda’s dirt-cheap GB350S. 501-750cc stuff faded by 3.2% to 1295 units with another Honda, the NC750X, taking the top step. The only sparkle of positivity came from a 7.3% increase in the 751-1000cc range, boosted by Honda’s attractive new CB1000 Hornet. But that’s hardly going to last, given anecdotal reports of disgruntled Honda dealers in desperate pursuit of slim stock availability.
Maybe we should just ignore pre-rag detritus and accept underlying significant market shrinkage instead? Certainly, the MCIA best-selling brands chart in May suggests that might now be afoot. Year-on-year, only three brands out of the ten achieved monthly gains. Honda was 7.4% up to 2084. Yamaha rose by 4.6% to 1127. And Ducati posted 3.3% growth to 280.
The serried ranks of losers began with Triumph, 31.4% down to 1014. BMW Motorrad fell by 21.2% to 788. Kawasaki was 19.4% adrift on 475. Lexmoto declined by 21.4% to 414. Royal Enfield was 20.9% down to 386. KTM, compounding its many other woes, plunged by 38.8% to 357. And finally, Suzuki retreated by 24.8% to 261.
During the five months of 2025 to date, total registrations have now fallen by 20.4% to 39,050 units. Motorcycles and scooters are 20.2% down to 37,267. Mopeds have shrunk by 23.5% to 1546. Trikes are 33.6% lower on 237. Taking the powertrain split, petrolhead products are 20.7% down to 37,764, while electric machines are 13.8% in arrears on a negligible 1286.