United Kingdom
Motorcycle sales data released by the Motor Cycle Industry Association in the United Kingdom show that sales of motorcycles and mopeds in the first month of the 2011 year have shown notable improvements compared to this time last year.
Total UK registrations of all powered-two wheelers have increased by 25.5% compared to January 2010. A breakdown of the statistics shows that motorcycle sales have grown by 29.2% and mopeds by 10.6%.
Against a backdrop of world-wide economic difficulties the new UK figures for 2011 show signs that people are taking to two-wheels as the majority of motorbike sectors saw an increase in registrations this month with a trend emerging towards practical, everyday motorcycles.
The entry-level sector of motorcycles with a engine capacity of 50cc – 125cc have seen the biggest growth of 44.5%, supported by the UK motorcycle industry’s Get On campaign.
The three top growth areas by motorcycle sector are Adventure Sport (52%), Scooter (43%) and Supersport (41.5%). Scooter style motorcycles accounted for the highest number of registrations in January (958 motorcycles) followed by the Naked Bike sector (732).
The motorcycle brands registering the highest number of vehicles in Jan. were Honda, Yamaha and Triumph with the Honda CBF 125 cc accounting for the highest number of registrations across all styles.
Steve Kenward, UK Motorcycle Counsel CEO commented, "Time wasted in congestion and the massive costs of car ownership especially for younger people looking to get insured on a car make a powered-two wheeler increasingly attractive".
"A motorcycle or scooter is a real and viable alternative to a car, or public transport, and can cut journey times, is easier to park, costs less to run and helps reduce CO2 emissions. It makes more sense than ever for people to consider making the switch to this mode of transport. "
For people who don’t have a license, but are thinking about giving two-wheels a go, the motorcycle industry is making it easy for people to try out biking for free with a local training school.
The UK MCI celebrates 101 years of service in 2011. For more information about the Get On campaign or to sign up for a free one-hour ride go to www.geton.co.uk
