Bike sales up again

While sports bikes remain popular in the UK the growth in the big trailie market highlights a growing trend towards less sports-oriented bikes.

Bradshaw added: “We’re seeing a lot more people trading in big sports bikes for slower machines. We had one guy the other day who traded in an SP-1 against a Suzuki Mean Streak cruiser. They’re getting fed up with always having to look out for the police and speed cameras.”

Motorcycle sales in general have showed an increase of around seven per cent in July, August and September compared to the same months in 2003.

The Motorcycle Industry Association’s Craig Carey-Clinch, said: “These changes, combined with last month’s Government announcement that the amount of motorcycling grew by around 10 per cent last year while the casualty rate per mile fell is welcome news for everyone.”

Bike sales are up for the third month on the trot. September sales are up seven per cent compared to September 2003.

The biggest growth came from sales of big trailies such as BMW’s R1200GS. That part of the market has increased by a massive 55 per cent in a year. Smaller capacity bikes also show strong growth. Scooter sales show a rise of nine per cent over sales in September 2003.

Scooters are now the largest selling category of bike in the country.

Lee Bradshaw of dealer Drayton Croft explained: “We are getting a lot of first time riders as well as returning bikers at the moment who are fed up with sitting in traffic every day on the way to work and they are very keen on the scooters.”

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