Motorcycle registrations stall in February with numbers down over 30% against last year

February’s new motorcycle registration figures continued to perform poorly compared with previous years, falling over 30% short of the numbers achieved last year. 

• Related: Bike registrations drop in Jan as MCIA data shows worst start to sales year since 2021

A total of 3215 bikes were registered during the second month of the year and much like in 2024, larger, more premium machines struggled to find buyers.

All areas of the market witnessed a significant slowdown in sales, with the decline showing a similar trend to that seen in January – which experienced the worst result seen for the month since 2021. 

The MCIA (Motorcycle Industry Association), who publish the figures, say that these results were expected and largely due to approximately 8000 bikes that were pre-registered ahead of the introduction of Euro5+ in December 2024. 

• Related: Concerns mount as more major motorcycle dealership chains enter administration amid sales shortfall

Tony Campbell, CEO of the MCIA, said: “We fully expected the market drop to continue through this quarter and will continue to monitor closely. As we move into the new season, a stronger March and Spring will be critical if the year is to fully recover. 

“MCIA will continue to push the new administration to support our sector, starting with a full-scale licence review, which is desperately needed.” 

Typically, small-capacity twist-and-go scooters made up the bulk of the overall market, with Honda’s PCX125 seeing roughly four times the number of registrations versus the strongest geared bike. 

This was, unsurprisingly, Honda’s GB350S, with 51 units registered, followed by BMW’s ever-popular R1300GSA, which saw 50 machines made ready for the road.