Recovery in sight for struggling motorcycle market as registration figures improve in May

The motorcycle market is continuing to show tentative signs of recovery, with May’s registration figures looking subtly healthier than months prior. 

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The data, released by the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA), shows a 12.3% drop in total powered two- and three-wheeler registrations compared with May 2024, with 9800 new machines hitting the road. That brings the year-to-date tally to 39,050 – a 20.4% drop on the 49,084 machines registered during the same period last year. 

That might sound like grim reading, but the numbers are the closest to positive that 2025 has offered so far, and importantly, the terrible start to the year has continued to subside incrementally each month.

January saw total year-on-year registrations down a whopping 30.4%, then worsening 31.6% in February, before finally starting to shift towards the right direction in March, with sales down by roughly one-quarter by the end of the month.  

Fuelled by an early spell of sunny weather, April continued to show improvements, and now with May’s figures finalised, it’s apparent that year-on-year registrations are a whole 10% closer to the black than they were five months prior. 

Breaking down the data, it was sports bikes that took the biggest hit in May (down 23.2%), however, adventure bikes, customs, classics and scooters also struggled to sell.  

Naked bikes held firmer, with just a 3.8% slide versus May 2024. This success was owed largely to the keenly priced Honda CB1000 Hornet, which was not only the most popular bike in its class, but also in the 751-1000cc capacity bracket too. 

Honda continued their dominance at the top of the brand leaderboard with 2084 machines registered in May.

Yamaha took second on 1127, followed by Triumph on 1014. The top-selling model was, unsurprisingly, Honda’s PCX125 scooter, with the firm’s GB350S retro and commuter-orientated commuter-orientated NC750X also continuing to sell well at 256 and 108 units, respectively.  

With the main selling season in full swing, it will be telling to see whether or not June’s numbers continue to move towards a healthier direction.