Moving through February, there was initially a degree of optimism abroad, on the basis of things couldn’t get worse. But that has proved to be an illusion. The flood of Euro-5 products preregistered in the final weeks of last year, mostly now still swamping showrooms at distress discounts, has perpetuated a massive market distortion that is set to undermine new bike sales throughout the first quarter of 2025 – and potentially far beyond.
Total new registrations in February collapsed, 32.3% down to 3457 units. Within that, motorcycles (including over-50cc scooters) fell by 32.9% to 3215. Mopeds dropped by 12% to 227 and trikes took a 72.2% dive to just 15. The powertrain split had petrolhead products suffering a 32.8% decline to 3330 units while electric cul-de-sac residents shrivelled by 15.9% to a mere 127.
The ICE-powered firmament was uniformly lamentable. Sales in the 0-125cc basic mobility and fleet delivery slot fell by 32.7% to 1606 units. “Best-seller” in the 0-50cc bracket with Euro-5-plus compliance was Lexmoto’s distinctly verbose Diablo 50 LJ 50 QT-9M. Leading compliant 125cc machine was Honda’s PCX125 scooter, 116 of them – possibly derogated – no doubt competing for a slice of the sales action versus a host of similar pre-registered models.
The 126-500cc range dropped by 30.5% to 621 units. Some 51 representatives of Honda’s new bargain-basement GB350S took best-selling honours. Middleweight 501-750cc volume sank by 34.4% to 290, led by 38 Honda NC750X budget adventure tools. 751-1000cc kit was 35.5% down to 422. The unusual appearance of 32 BMW S1000XR steeds topped that particular pile. Finally, premium 1000cc-plus products copped a 32.6% retreat to 391 units, 50 of which were BMW R1300GS Adventure offerings, the current Motorrad cash cow.
The MCIA’s traditional best-selling brands chart had nothing in the way of year-on-year meaningful respite. Honda registrations had plunged by 36.6% to 688 units. Yamaha was 38.3% down to 453. Triumph slumped by 22.6% to 264. BMW Motorrad fell by 36.6% to 239. Lexmoto was 22.6% lower on 195. KTM, its dealers scratching around for stock and customers anyway, plummeted by 49.1% to 130. Kawasaki was 35.8% adrift at 115. And Royal Enfield completed the list of regulars with a 34.8% drop to 103. Multi-brand distributor MotoGB finalised the top ten thanks to input from 85 SYM and 77 Keeway products registered.
For what it’s worth, overall year-to-date 2025 registrations have now deteriorated by 31.3% to just 7658 units. And to conclude on some really bad news, there are consistent and credible rumours bouncing around our trade sources that stock availability, going forward through March’s crucial new-plate month and into the full-blown season, is likely to be impacted by unwelcome scarcities.