December and full-year MCIA registrations data concluding 2019 proved just as gloomy as most observers anticipated, BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
The final month was 2.9% down to 4995 units. Motorcycles took the most punishment, losing 5.6% to 3513. Scooters fell by 3% to 1060 and trikes dropped by 3.6% to just 27 machines. Mopeds put on 4.5% to 395.
As always during December, dealership opening hours and footfall were severely curtailed by Christmas and New Year holiday breaks. So the market swerved around all over the place. The key entry-level 51-125cc sector suffered a 17.9% plunge at just 1478 and 651-1000cc tackle sank by 11.6% to 927. Conversely, 126-650cc stuff was 9.5% up to 1160 and over-1000cc bikes added 14.7% to reach 969 — presumably by lurking in the big-ticket Xmas pressie delivery zone.
ERRATIC
Activity among the larger motorcycle style categories was equally erratic. Adventure Sport rolled backwards by 8.3%. And although 91 samples of BMW’s usual suspect — its R1250GS best-seller — topped the slot, they accounted for less than 20% of monthly sales for the brand. Naked still boasted the largest volume, rising by 3.7% to the only four-figure tally, but was headed up by the supremely niche CCM Spitfire.
Supersport executed a 25.5% dive. A 37-strong fleet of Ducati’s premium-priced Panigale V4 took almost 10% of this category’s meagre volume, usurping an obviously more economical, desirable and popular pole-sitter for speed-hungry bikers. For the past two months, Lexmoto’s LXR125 mini-missile has taken Supersport laurels, plating 90 bikes in October and 48 in November. Perhaps it’s simply out of stock?
Thin numbers exaggerated the woes or otherwise of major brands. Naturally, Honda was leader of the pack — but a painful 19.9% down on the previous December. BMW claimed runner-up laurels with a useful 17.3% rise. Yamaha in third fell by 9.4%. Triumph followed, boasting a 21.5% hike. KTM in fifth was positive too, by 1.8% — but in minimalist volumetric context, that equated to a mere half-dozen extra bikes.
Outside the top five, Kawasaki led from Lexmoto, on respective 11.8% and 4.9% increases. Then Suzuki in eighth unveiled the best performance of a mostly torrid year with a 40% jump. Ducati scrambled into ninth pace, 14.1% down despite all those gift-wrapped Panigales. Tail-end Charlie Harley-Davidson put on 6.6%.
FULL YEAR FIGURES
For the full year, registrations rose by 1.5% to 107,408, failing to make the MCIA’s wisely cautious forecast by 42 machines but beating my estimate by 0.5%.
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