Dancing the Polka

When I wrote about the Open House events that Harley-Davidson was hosting last week, I couldn’t help observing that the MoCo now has considerably fewer UK dealerships than it did back in 2018, when I attempted to ride a Street Bob to all of them.

Harley isn’t the only motorcycle brand that’s suffering. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that the UK motorcycle industry has been struggling for quite a while now. My personal assessment of the situation is that new bikes cost too damn much.

(Or, at least, bikes that aren’t made in China or India.)

A recent MCN article on the state of the industry seems to support my conclusion. The story quotes Tony Campbell, CEO of the Motorcycle Industry Association, as saying that there’s been “a massive upturn in the used bike market but a downturn in the new bike market.”

In fairness, he says that’s happening in large part because at the end of 2024 a number of dealerships registered the bikes they had on the showroom for the sake of skirting incoming Euro 5+ regulations.

“In the final quarter of 2024, there were at least 8,500 bikes that were pre-registered,” he told MCN. 

By registering the bikes in 2024, they de facto became used bikes in 2025, even if they hadn’t been ridden. They also created the knock-on challenge of needing to be cleared from stock before being replenished by new bikes.

As a result, Campbell says, the headline figure of new bike sales being down some 15 percent over the previous year – and the industry in general being in the worst shape it’s been in at least half a decade – is misleading.

“Our best estimate is that the market is actually only down about 5 percent, not the 15 percent down year-to-date market figure that we’re seeing on paper,” he told MCN.

OK, but that’s still 5 percent. And, going back to the end of 2024, dealerships had “at least 8,500 bikes” sitting on their showroom floors gathering dust. I realize that there are a lot of motorcycle dealerships in His Majesty’s United Kingdom – hundreds – but they famously do their best to avoid excessive overhead. Having more than 8,500 bikes just sitting around, depreciating in value, was definitely not part of the plan.

Additionally, MCN’s story was written without the benefit of November’s statistics. Throw those in the mix and it looks like the industry is set to finish the year 15.2 percent down from 2024 (you know, the year that was so bad there were 8,500 bikes sitting in showrooms).

November was particularly awful in the year-on-year game: registrations of new bikes in November 2025 were 25.6 percent down over November 2024 (although, in fairness, November 2024 could have been when many dealerships were registering all those bikes they had failed to sell).

Every month of 2025 has seen lower year-on-year registrations from 2024, with July (down 2 percent) and September (down 2.4 percent) being the least depressing months. 

Campbell – whose job it is to say such things – told MCN that he remains optimistic for 2026, pointing to manufacturers’ increasing love for the sub-500cc market and the success of bikes like the BSA Bantam 350. In November, for example, the Bantam 350 was the best selling motorcycle of a capacity greater than 125cc. With 79 units sold, it even managed to outsell the BMW R 1300 GS (with 75 units sold).

But is 79 a lot? I’m not sure. There may be bright spots, but it still seems that the industry is hurting.

“Less people seem to be buying bikes in general,” Barnsley-based ViaMoto boss Matthew Gilder told MCN. “The motorcycle buying public is declining and there simply isn’t enough people coming into it.”

Why are things so bad?

The reason for that decline is up for debate. I’d argue that part of it is that new bikes still cost too damn much. Pair that with the fact that – fundamentally, from an engine performance, handling, and braking perspective – motorcycles haven’t really changed in at least a decade, and it provides a strong incentive to buy used.

But if everyone’s buying used, it pushes up prices and means that used bikes also cost too damn much. For example, there is a dealership near me selling an almost-40-year-old Suzuki GSX-R750 for £10,500. Yes, I know, iconic whatever whatever, but REALLY?!

Add to this a problem that I identified 12 damn years ago, which is that getting into motorcycling is prohibitively expensive. Getting your license, getting gear, getting a bike, and getting insurance is an endeavor that will consume thousands and thousands of pounds.

MCN, meanwhile, points out that the average age of a full license holder in the UK is now 54 years old (Hooray! I’m still one of the young guys!). Campbell suggests that part of the problem is that manufacturers have “lost sight” of younger riders.

“We started to think that 16- and 17-year-olds weren’t interested – and they weren’t – but they’re interested in jumping on illegal e-bikes or scooters, so they’re clearly not averse to powered two wheelers,” he told MCN. “Motorcycling has become unaffordable for them… We’ve got to make access easier.”

I’m not sure that chasing after the hoodie-wearing chav market is the best business strategy, but I see where Campbell’s coming from. And, as it happens, some manufacturers are thinking about younger people.

When I was at Motoverse last month I got to sit down and have a long conversation with Sidhartha Lal, chairman of Royal Enfield and the man credited with the company’s incredible reversal of fortunes in recent years. He said he thinks it’s possible that the future – in terms of younger riders – is electric.

He observed that his son is particularly fond of the Lime electric bicycles that you can rent in cities like London, San Francisco, and Paris.

“This is something that makes sense to him,” he observed. And suggested that the transition to something like Royal Enfield’s forthcoming Flying Flea models would be easy and logical for younger riders.

Maybe. I still say that things would be better if the bikes – petrol-powered or electric – didn’t cost so damn much.