motorcycle news - Friday 9th January 2009
The latest motorcycle and insurance news from Wicked Quotes - the award winning motorcycle insurance specialist
Bike sales down by 3.4%
Sportsbikes sales are down and commuter sales are up as a new trend develops in UK motorcycle market.
Motorcycle sales in the UK for 2008 were just 3.4% down on 2007, according to figures released the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA).
A total of 139,715 motorcycles, mopeds and scooters were registered in 2008, with figures for December showing a 19.1% to 6,706 registrations.
Figures suggest a seeming stable UK bike market unlike the car market, which plunged 11.3% last year.
Figures indicate an upturn in commuter bike sales and a downturn in sportsbike - the high performance supersport sector now accounts for under 17% of the market. However, the year's top selling model was the Honda CBR 1000RR, but five of the best-selling models of the year were small-capacity motorcycles, mopeds and scooters with engines of less than 125cc.
The biggest-selling manufacturer in 2008 was Honda with 20,107 registrations, followed by Yamaha (17,031) and Suzuki (16,132).
[ 2009 motorcycle insurance news archive ]