March Used Stats

Glass’s used market overview

Used sales and enquiry levels were quieter in January, largely a result of stronger new sales. Some dealers have continued with their winter sales later than normal. As with the new market, stock levels remain high and are also very different from the last few years. Some dealers and traders are not actively buying at present, which is unusual for the time of year. 

Although it is a little early in the season to see any major trends developing, there continues to be some evidence of a shift towards smaller and lighter machines. This is likely a result of an ageing rider demographic looking for an easier and more comfortable riding experience.

Outlook

January’s weather was typically mixed, with some colder and drier spells alternating with wetter periods.

February has started on a mild note, albeit the threat of a cold snap and some snow remains. Residual values have declined significantly since last summer, but Glass’s expects values to stabilise moving into March.

Paul McDonald
Leisure Vehicles Editor

New models pull in the traffic

It was clear from the jam-packed Devitt Insurance MCN London Motorcycle Show, held in mid-February at ExCeL London, that there’s a lot going on in the bike industry this year.

And that’s reflected on the MCN website, with the latest launches drawing loads of traffic. Specifically, the 2024 KTM 990 Duke is the most popular naked bike review, Suzuki’s new GSX-8R is the sportsbike review everyone’s looking at, and Honda’s CB500X replacement, the NX500, is the adventure bike of choice.

Over in the bikes for sale section, there is a surprise at the top of the charts: the mighty KTM 1290 Super Adventure R is the most viewed bike on our platform. That’s followed by the perennially popular Honda pairing – the Gold Wing and the NC750X. Honda accounts for 21% of all our bikes for sale, while naked bikes account for 20%.

Gareth Evans
Online editor, MCN

Bikes for Sale

Most viewed models

1. KTM 1290 Super Adventure R
2. Honda GL1800 Gold Wing
3. Honda NC750X
4. Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin
5. Yamaha R1
6. Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird
7. Honda VFR800
8. Honda CB500X
9. Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
10. Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa

MCN Reviews

Most viewed brands

1. Honda 18.2%
2. Suzuki 12.2%
3. Yamaha 10.8%
4. BMW 9.3%
5. Triumph 9.2%
6. Kawasaki 8.5%
7. Ducati 7.1%
8. KTM 6.3%
9. Harley-Davidson 3.0%
10. Royal Enfield 2.8%

End-of-year boost sees used sales rocket

As the end of year statistics roll in, we are able to take stock of the used bike market in 2023.

After the strong sales volume of used bikes in 2022, 2023 almost, but not quite, matched it, falling a mere 1% behind and a useful 7% higher than the pre-pandemic year of 2019. In part, this success was thanks to a significant boost in the number of secondhand sales in January, with Auto Trader figures indicating a 14% year-on-year improvement.

Despite the apparent uplift in sales, the average number of days it took to sell used stock in December increased to 48, the highest since 2019. A full 75% of the fastest-selling top-20 models were 125cc commuter fare.

Further analysis of Auto Trader’s website visitor demographic shows that there was an average of 2.6m visitors a month for the last quarter of 2023, with 62% of them looking to buy a bike in the next three month period – just in time to enjoy it as the days get longer and the temperatures become more conducive to enjoying two-wheeled transport.

Fastest selling bikes on Autotrader

Average number of days advertised before selling

1. Keeway Superlight 10.5
2. Lexmoto LXR125 11
3. Yamaha YBR125 12
4. Honda PCX125 13
5. Yamaha NMAX 125 14
6. Honda CB125F 14
7. Yamaha R6 15.5
8. Honda CBR125R 15.5
9. KTM Supermoto 16.5
10. KTM 125 Duke 18
11. Husqvarna Svartpilen 125 21
12. Kawasaki ER-6n 22.5
13. Yamaha R125 23.5
14. Yamaha WR125 25
15. Suzuki GSX-R1000 26
16. BMW F750 GS 26
17. Yamaha MT-125 27
18. Honda CBF125 27
19. Honda CB125R 28
20. Yamaha XSR125 29

Used market

Not much has changed over the latest research period, with large-scale buying of stock still muted and, consequently, no sign of trade price increases in the rush to populate showrooms with more stock that are already sufficiently stocked for at least the short term.

There are, as usual, exceptions to the rule, with some dealers having a reasonable few weeks or months, but the consistency is sparse. One explanation possibly causing this unusual pattern for the time of the year is that 2023 prices were still robust until halfway through the year when retail started to suffer across many industries.

Residual stock still in dealerships at a higher price than the market would suggest it should be, compounded by earlier, reducing demand left the “summer stock” hanging around long after the curtailed high selling season. Much depends on clearing this overage, wrongly priced inventory clearing into retail ownership, while space for new stock perhaps being the least worry, money tied up that is not available to invest in fresh stock is more of a concern. All this has led to another reduction in reported prices this month.