2015 UK Commuter-Sized Motorcycle Sales Sets Record
According the the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA), the representative organization for the UK’s motorcycle industry, the sale of commuter-sized motorcycles exceeded the number of units sold in a single year since record-keeping began in 1983. While this is good news for motorcycling, there’s more: the number of new registrations for all motorcycle displacements was up more than 12% from 2014.
By the MCIA’s calculation, commuter-sized motorcycles and scooters displace between 101–125cc, and in this category more than 43,700 bikes were sold. Steve Kenward, CEO of the MCIA, says these numbers reinforce the anecdotal evidence that motorcycle commuting is becoming more mainstream:
“We’re seeing an increase in sales of new motorcycles of all sizes, but our records show that we’ve never seen as many bikes of this size sold before. We think it is likely that they are being used for commuting, as they are economical to run and easy to park.
“Motorcycle dealers have been reporting an increase in families swapping a second car for a motorcycle, to beat the misery of sitting in traffic during rush hour. Motorcycles and scooters can filter through slow moving traffic and are tremendous fun, with riders tending to rate their commute more enjoyable than other transport users.”
The good news for motorcycling continues with the announcement that registrations for all-sized motorcycles and mopeds hit their highest number since 2008 with the total topping 114,000. The long climb back from the dramatic drop in sales in 2008 began in 2011, thanks, in part, to high gas prices. This upward trend has been building, too. The 12% increase in motorcycle sales for 2015 comes on top of a 10% bump just the year before. Based on these numbers, Keyword states, “We anticipate 2016 will see further growth on 2015 numbers and predict sales of around 124,000, which we will refine further during the year.”
[Source: MCIA]
Like most of the best happenings in his life, Evans stumbled into his motojournalism career. While on his way to a planned life in academia, he applied for a job at a motorcycle magazine, thinking he’d get the opportunity to write some freelance articles. Instead, he was offered a full-time job in which he discovered he could actually get paid to ride other people’s motorcycles – and he’s never looked back. Over the 25 years he’s been in the motorcycle industry, Evans has written two books, 101 Sportbike Performance Projects and How to Modify Your Metric Cruiser, and has ridden just about every production motorcycle manufactured. Evans has a deep love of motorcycles and believes they are a force for good in the world.
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