With the UK's bike sales starting to turn around and over
20 new bikes
to choose from, buyers are spoilt for choice in 2014. We'll go through the most exciting ones category by category below but kick off with the sector likely to have the biggest buzz around it - super nakeds!
With the all-new Kawasaki Z1000, KTM 1290 Super Duke R and BMW S1000R all going head to head, who will be the winner? On paper there is only one choice - the BMW. As well as a stack of power, the BMW has the S1000RR's reputation backing it up and a very slick dealer network. Priced at just under £10,000, the S1000R is the same RRP as the Z1000. But for around £1,000 more you get the BMW electronic suspension and traction control. This makes the S1000R basically a naked
HP4
and PH2 can't see many stock bikes selling as most owners will get the Full Monty version as per the first S1000RR.
BMW S1000R looks a killer package
The Z1000 should sell well, but it will be to Kawasaki diehards. But what of the KTM? The big sticking point with the Duke is the price - fully load up an S1000R and it is still £2,600 cheaper than the KTM, which is a hard deficit to make up. KTM will sell Dukes to fans of the old bike but, like the Z1000, it could struggle after the initial rush has been dealt with.
One naked to keep an eye on is the Ducati Monster 1200. By adding water cooling Ducati has taken a risk that could backfire. The bike is priced at £10,695, which is just over £1,000 more than the old air-cooled bike, but will owners take to it? Or the new look, which has quite a hint of the Diavel about it. If it doesn't sell then there could be a few deals to be had in mid-summer. However there is one bike that Ducati need not worry about selling - the stunning Superleggera.
Only 500 Superleggeras have been made and they have all gone. Sorry. Interestingly, despite the general doom and gloom over the UK's sports bike market the
899 Panigale
seems to be well received, mainly as its bigger brother is quite a handful. At £12,495 the 899 isn't cheap, but it looks stunning and has the same lovely blend of power and handling that the 848 came with. But there is one sports bike that is certain to sell like hotcakes - the Honda Fireblade SP.
Hopped up SP Fireblade should be popular
There is no word on how many are coming into the UK but it is highly likely most dealers will sell out. The stock bike might struggle a bit as it isn't that changed, but the SP is what 'blade owners have been after for years and quite a few will update.
Fierce brand loyalty among existing owners is a hell of a trump card to have in your deck and two 2014 bikes are guaranteed success due to it - the BMW GS Adventure and R1200RT. This year the old air/oil-cooled Adventure was one of the best selling bikes in the UK, even though it was up against the new
water-cooled GS
. Riders were snapping up the last of the air/oil-cooled generation, which means there is a stack of owners out there desperate to upgrade to the latest version of this bike. Adventures generally sell slightly less volume than the standard bike, so it is certain to do well, although probably not as well as the R1200RT.
Yamaha's MT-07 twin deserves to do well
Unchanged since 2010, RT owners will be chomping at the bit to upgrade (their PCP plans will be maturing by now) and PH2 predicts the RT will be in the UK's top five sellers. What will be alongside it? You have to say the new Honda CBR and CB models as well as the NC750 bikes.
They might not be overly sexy, but the NC models are very frugal and easy to live with. Not everyone on two wheels wants mind bending excitement and these bikes, alongside the increased capacity CBR and CB, will be volume sellers. Which is what Yamaha are also hoping will happen with its MT-07 parallel twin. The MT-09 triple has initially sold well, but with a price tag of £5,500 area the parallel twin should do even better with possible deals as the year progresses. But what of the re-introduced SR400?
Retro and cafe cool are certainly the current buzz words for manufacturers, however how much of this is talk and how much buyers actually willing to part with their cash? The SR400 will be a charming single, but to make it look like one of those cool cafe specials takes a fair amount of wedge. Will owners be prepared to do this? PH2 hopes so as tricked up SR400s look ace, and Yamaha has promised to encourage customisers to develop kits, but we will have to wait and see. Which leads us on nicely to the BMW R NineT.
PH2 has seen the R NineT in the flesh and it is as cool as you imagine. The price tag is £11,600 but it is superbly well built and styled. A few years ago the dull R1150R used to merrily outsell the GS - what will a proper café special BMW do?
Finally we have the two wildcards - the Honda VFR800 and Suzuki V-Strom. The VFR has a huge fan base, but is this new bike too little too late? Adventure bikes have taken over the sports tourer role in the UK's market, making the VFR a little redundant. It will certainly be a great bike, but PH2 can't see it selling in huge numbers as the market simply isn't screaming for it.
Suzuki is putting a lot of faith in its new V-Strom as sales of late have been disappointing. Will it bring home the bacon? Although ugly the old V-Strom was a brilliant bike with a loyal fan base and by pricing the V-Strom under £10,000 Suzuki is hoping to tap into this market. The V-Strom will be no GS beater, but it will be a cheap, solid and very comfortable adventure bike with no off-road pretence at all. It is, essentially, a sports tourer that looks a bit like an adventure bike. Fingers crossed for Suzuki it will sell well as the GSX-R range faces an uphill struggle.
What bike would PH2 love to see selling in huge numbers? The KTM RC125. It looks amazing and the more younger riders encouraged by this bike to take to two wheels the better.
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