Aussie market dips slightly

Australians purchased 53,396 new motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and scooters in the first half of 2014, down 0.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2013.

Road motorcycle purchases made up 40.6 per cent of the 53,396 total sales, with that market segment growing 2.2 per cent so far in 2014, with ATV also expanding by 2.9 per cent. On the flipside, off-road and scooter contracted by 1.7 and 15.4 per cent respectively.

The figures, released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, show that Honda has maintained its supremacy as the leading volume manufacturer with 12,212 sales, followed by Yamaha (9034), Kawasaki (5341), Suzuki (4758), Harley-Davidson (3985), KTM (3446), Polaris (2456), BMW (1453), Triumph (1344) and CF Moto (1065).

Honda's volume equates to a 22.9 per cent total market share.

Yamaha was the only Japanese manufacturer to sell more units in the first half of 2014 – but only by a wafer thin 0.2 per cent. Other marques to feel the pinch included CFMoto, Piaggio and Victory, down by 14.3, 11.8 and 14.6 per cent respectively.

Those to shine included BMW, Ducati, KTM and Polaris, growing by 38.8, 8.3, 12.7 and 40.8 per cent respectively.

Yamaha was the leading brand in the off-road segment, selling 27.1 per cent (4579) of the 16,903 units sold. Yamaha was closely followed by Honda with 26.9 per cent (4541) and KTM with 15.3 per cent (2587).

Honda regained its position as the largest selling ATV manufacturer, selling 26.8 per cent (2877) of the 10,721 units. Honda was followed by Polaris with 22.9 per cent (2456) and Yamaha with 16.6 per cent (1783).

Piaggio was the top seller in the scooter market, retailing 16.4 per cent (673) of the 4100 sold between January and June 2014. Vespa came in second with 14.2 per cent (583), followed by Honda with 12.8 per cent (525).

The Honda CT110, Kawasaki Ninja 300, Honda CBR500R, Honda CRF50F and Yamaha WR450F were the top selling individual models, while Harley-Davidson’s Softail Breakout is seventh overall following a 338.2 per cent increase from the same period in 2013 – and has also knocked Yamaha’s XVS650 off the top of the cruiser perch in the process.

Other models which weren’t available this time last year but have now made a massive impact on the charts include the Polaris Sportsman, Yamaha MT-09, KTM 390 Duke, BMW RnineT, Ducati 899 Panigale, Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Limited and Honda CRF125F.