| Registrations by style (inc. hybrids) | ||||||
| Year to Date | ||||||
| MOPEDS | Sep 2024 | Sep 2023 | % Change | Sep 2024 | Sep 2023 | % Change |
| Moped Naked | 53 | 83 | -36.1% | 441 | 405 | 8.9% |
| Moped Other | 78 | 113 | -31.0% | 681 | 844 | -19.3% |
| Moped Scooters | 409 | 464 | -11.9% | 2898 | 2880 | 0.6% |
| Total Mopeds | 540 | 660 | -18.2% | 4020 | 4129 | -2.6% |
| MOTORCYCLES | ||||||
| Adventure | 2349 | 2648 | -11.3% | 18,261 | 17,791 | 2.6% |
| Competition | 573 | 549 | 4.4% | 4119 | 4824 | -14.6% |
| Custom | 735 | 961 | -23.5% | 5909 | 6497 | -9.1% |
| Modern Classic | 1307 | 1269 | 3.0% | 11,046 | 9548 | 15.7% |
| Naked | 2595 | 3113 | -16.6% | 18,609 | 21,304 | -12.7% |
| Road Sport | 1008 | 926 | 8.9% | 8476 | 7615 | 11.3% |
| Scooter | 2089 | 2918 | -28.4% | 17,409 | 19,158 | -9.1% |
| Touring | 309 | 331 | -6.6% | 1787 | 2226 | -19.7% |
| Unspecified | 4 | 15 | -73.3% | 181 | 165 | 9.7% |
| Total Motorcycles | 10,969 | 12,730 | -13.8% | 85,797 | 89,128 | -3.7% |
| TRICYCLES | ||||||
| Other | 40 | 42 | -4.8% | 294 | 316 | -7.0% |
| Scooter | 21 | 39 | -46.2% | 295 | 398 | -25.9% |
| Total Tricycles | 61 | 81 | -24.7% | 589 | 714 | -17.5% |
| Total Registrations | 11,570 | 13,471 | -14.1|% | 90,406 | 93,971 | -3.8% |
| Registrations by capacity (inc. hybrids) | ||||||
| Year to Date | ||||||
| ENGINE BAND | Sep 2024 | Sep 2023 | % Change | Sep 2024 | Sep 2023 | % Change |
| 0 – 50cc | 408 | 469 | -13.0% | 2761 | 2895 | -4.6% |
| 51 – 125cc | 3500 | 4472 | -21.7% | 27,615 | 29,830 | -7.4% |
| 126-500cc | 1839 | 1793 | 2.6% | 16,434 | 13,654 | 20.4% |
| 501 – 750cc | 1543 | 1498 | 3.0% | 10,817 | 11,560 | -6.4% |
| 751 – 1000cc | 2100 | 2521 | -16.7% | 15,583 | 17,067 | -8.7% |
| over 1000cc | 1814 | 2307 | -21.4% | 14,219 | 15,907 | -10.6% |
| Total Registrations | 11,204 | 13060 | -14.2% | 87,429 | 90,913 | -3.8% |
| Top ten brands | ||
| 1 | Honda | 2314 |
| 2 | Triumph | 1180 |
| 3 | BMW | 1146 |
| 4 | Yamaha | 1080 |
| 5 | Kawasaki | 576 |
| 6 | Suzuki | 559 |
| 7 | Royal Enfield | 495 |
| 8 | Lexmoto | 476 |
| 9 | KTM | 463 |
| 10 | Ducati | 218 |
Season-ending sales slump
So much for September’s traditional new-plate sales boost, to sign off the season in style. The MCIA’s application of “disappointing” was a staggering understatement. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.
Total monthly registrations fell by 14.1% to 11,570, a loss of 1901 units year-on-year. Motorcycles were 9.5% down to 8880. Over-50cc scooters plunged by 28.4% to 2089. Mopeds were 18.2% in arrears at 540 and trikes retreated by 24.7% to just 61, in both instances hardly worth counting. Petrolhead products incurred a 14.2% decline to 11,204. Battery-electric input shrank by 10.9% to a negligible 366. The winter of our discontent will hove into view shortly.
In detail, the up-to-125cc mobility and fleet delivery market shrivelled by 20.9% to 3908 units (408 of which were mopeds). A modest fleet of Honda PCX125 scooters, 294 of them, took its turn to claim that particular accolade — closely pursued by 269 Honda CB125F motorcycles. The recently face-saving budget 126-500cc sector only managed minimal 2.6% growth to 1839 this time around, headed up again by Triumph’s Speed 400. The Speed 400 tally of just 112 units included one bought by BDN’s registration correspondent, who plaintively complained that the original OTR price slightly under five grand had gone up by 200 quid since August. Some 63 samples of Royal Enfield’s Meteor 350 also got an honourable mention as best-selling Custom steed.
Marginal positivity could be found in the 501-750cc slot too, rising by a slim 3% to 1543. The Honda NC750X usurped Honda’s regular CBR600RR appearance as best-seller, although the Honda CBR650R wasn’t far behind. Then a consistent losing streak set in. 751-1000cc sales shrank by a painful 16.7% to 2100. A gaggle of budget-priced Honda CB750 Hornet twins led the field.
Finally, 1000cc-plus premium kit was most definitely on the back foot, 21.4% down to 1814. BMW Motorrad’s best-selling R1300GS flagship-maintained hegemony. But the brand’s imminent R1300GS Adventure replacement for the R1250GS Adventure was conspicuous by its absence. At least Q4 should see numbers massaged upwards by a host of new-model dealer demonstrators as the year-end approaches. Or maybe it’s a Q1 2025 surprise.
The MCIA best-selling brand chart sharply exposed the severity of September’s punishment year-on-year. Only two contenders out of ten enjoyed any growth whatsoever. While Honda remained undisputed market leader by a long way, its monthly sales volume dropped by 19.1%. And although runner-up Triumph was more than a thousand units adrift, the company added 4.3% in volume. BMW in third spot copped a 5.9% loss. Yamaha in fourth plunged by 27.4%. Kawasaki in fifth fell by 13.6% and Suzuki in sixth was 18% down. Royal Enfield in seventh dropped by 8.8%. And then Lexmoto in eighth briefly interrupted this doom-stricken flow with a 22.1% upwards lunge, albeit from a poor baseline 12 months earlier. There was no such mercy for KTM in ninth, though, its volume plummeting by 37.7% despite virtually every bike throughout its UK dealer network currently available on lavish distress discounts. Ducati, last on the list, wasn’t awash with glory either, given volume 25.6% in arrears.
Total YTD registrations now stand 3.8% down at 90,406 units. Within that, ICE machines are also 3.8% lower on 87,429 and generally irrelevant battery-electric products are 2.6% lower on 2977.
Roger Willis
BDN financial editor
