Superbike sales?
Discussion
Sold my K13 today. BMW dealer picked it up. Got chatting to the guy from the dealership. Mentioned the S1000RR as had a test ride this week. His view: wasn’t sure why they bothered replacing the old one because although it is a halo product the sales don’t justify it as everyone buys GSs (he said they had only sold two or three S1000RRs). Elsewhere I see that Ducati are offering free leathers with purchases of the V4.
Are superbike sales in the doldrums? Does the industry publish figures showing breakdown of bikes sold in the UK by category?
Are superbike sales in the doldrums? Does the industry publish figures showing breakdown of bikes sold in the UK by category?
Just my take on this and I could well be wrong, but for me, the roads are just not the place for a current generation 1000cc superbike. They are more single minded than other machines, less comfortable, no quicker real world and really the roads are too busy to go and have fun and use 200bhp plus. I know you don't have to open the throttle all the time, but in this day and age of slow is better, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify using/owning something that only really comes alive when you are the wrong side of the speed limits. I did some running in on a 2015 R1 which I converted across to race use and on the road it was more frustrating than fun. A friend had a brand new MT09 at the time and out of the two, I know which I would take any day of the week. Were I ever to go back on the road, it would (sadly in some respects) be on a Triumph Speed Triple or the like, which is a damn fine bike, but not really where my heart lies.
A friend works in a large Triumph/Yamaha/Honda dealership and you only have to look at the range of new/used machines in there to realise quite how the market has shifted. He was speaking to John Bloor (who owns Triumph) and as a manufacturer, Triumph were saying they have no interest in sports bikes, learner bikes and the only machines they were focused on were retro and street bikes, with even the adventure range future not being so clear cut.
A friend works in a large Triumph/Yamaha/Honda dealership and you only have to look at the range of new/used machines in there to realise quite how the market has shifted. He was speaking to John Bloor (who owns Triumph) and as a manufacturer, Triumph were saying they have no interest in sports bikes, learner bikes and the only machines they were focused on were retro and street bikes, with even the adventure range future not being so clear cut.
Edited by robinh73 on Thursday 4th July 15:46
Esceptico said:
Sold my K13 today. BMW dealer picked it up. Got chatting to the guy from the dealership. Mentioned the S1000RR as had a test ride this week. His view: wasn’t sure why they bothered replacing the old one because although it is a halo product the sales don’t justify it as everyone buys GSs (he said they had only sold two or three S1000RRs). Elsewhere I see that Ducati are offering free leathers with purchases of the V4.
Ducati were throwing in one piece leathers, gloves, boots and maybe a lid when the 1198 was coming to the end of production. If they're doing the same with the V4 now they must be keen to shift them.Esceptico said:
Sold my K13 today. BMW dealer picked it up. Got chatting to the guy from the dealership. Mentioned the S1000RR as had a test ride this week. His view: wasn’t sure why they bothered replacing the old one because although it is a halo product the sales don’t justify it as everyone buys GSs (he said they had only sold two or three S1000RRs). Elsewhere I see that Ducati are offering free leathers with purchases of the V4.
Are superbike sales in the doldrums? Does the industry publish figures showing breakdown of bikes sold in the UK by category?
But the GS has a shaft, the S1000RR doesn't. In fact it has a chain. Nuff said. Thank you and goodnight.Are superbike sales in the doldrums? Does the industry publish figures showing breakdown of bikes sold in the UK by category?
Even though bike sales grow, first quarter 2019:
Biggest market Italy +18.7% (compared to 1Q 2018)
Germany +23.3% (but Jan to May +8.15%)
France +20%
Spain +20.5%
Britain +10.3%
Top seller in Germany, as always BMW R1250GS,
(new sales in May, new sales Jan-May)
1 BMW R 1250 GS 1.116 6.229
2 Yamaha MT-07 531 1.815
3 Kawasaki Z 900 376 1.649
4 Kawasaki Z 650 349 1.514
5 Honda CMX 500 Rebel 258 1.021
6 KTM 790 Duke 245 1.137
7 Yamaha MT-09 240 935
8 Honda Africa Twin 224 1.187
9 BMW R 1200 R 222 739
10 Suzuki GSX-S 750 221 816
11 KTM 390 Duke 211 920
12 Suzuki SV 650 198 837
13 Honda CB 650 R 197 789
13 KTM 690 SMC 197 792
15 Honda CB 500 F 189 720
16 BMW F 750 GS 173 987
16 Harley-Davidson Street Bob 173 574
18 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide 162 514
19 Honda CBR 650 R 156 303
20 Yamaha Tracer 900
So, as you see for German market, nakeds and ADV, and most are well below 1000cc.
Germany is strong BMW market and has roads to stretch the legs of fast bikes, plus tracks, but S1000RR is not even in top 20.
Not to mention sportsbikes of other manufacturers.
Biggest market Italy +18.7% (compared to 1Q 2018)
Germany +23.3% (but Jan to May +8.15%)
France +20%
Spain +20.5%
Britain +10.3%
Top seller in Germany, as always BMW R1250GS,
(new sales in May, new sales Jan-May)
1 BMW R 1250 GS 1.116 6.229
2 Yamaha MT-07 531 1.815
3 Kawasaki Z 900 376 1.649
4 Kawasaki Z 650 349 1.514
5 Honda CMX 500 Rebel 258 1.021
6 KTM 790 Duke 245 1.137
7 Yamaha MT-09 240 935
8 Honda Africa Twin 224 1.187
9 BMW R 1200 R 222 739
10 Suzuki GSX-S 750 221 816
11 KTM 390 Duke 211 920
12 Suzuki SV 650 198 837
13 Honda CB 650 R 197 789
13 KTM 690 SMC 197 792
15 Honda CB 500 F 189 720
16 BMW F 750 GS 173 987
16 Harley-Davidson Street Bob 173 574
18 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide 162 514
19 Honda CBR 650 R 156 303
20 Yamaha Tracer 900
So, as you see for German market, nakeds and ADV, and most are well below 1000cc.
Germany is strong BMW market and has roads to stretch the legs of fast bikes, plus tracks, but S1000RR is not even in top 20.
Not to mention sportsbikes of other manufacturers.
Edited by Ho Lee Kau on Thursday 4th July 17:28
robinh73 said:
...He was speaking to John Bloor (who owns Triumph) and as a manufacturer, Triumph were saying they have no interest in sports bikes, learner bikes and the only machines they were focused on were retro and street bikes, with even the adventure range future not being so clear cut.
I think if it comes, it will be
1) expensive,
2) only top spec,
3) use Daytona 675 chassis,
4) may be only TFC.
I put my D675 up for sale and I get interest, but now I have separation anxiety.
I do not ride it since 15 months but I also have second thoughts, the best 600ish ever and nothing like that will ever again be produced.
I am going now to put the battery in, check tire pressures and take it for a spin, see if I still love it.
I wanted to replace it with Street Triple RS, but now I have doubts.
Interesting, I work for a major Yamaha group (5 branches) and every time we get a used R1 it doesn't last five minutes, FireBlades
fly out, ZX10's and GSX-R1000's don't hang about either Ducati's sell quickly but S1000RR's always hang about.
Smaller sportsbikes never last long either.
New Since my branch opened in March we've sold the following new, 2 R1-M's, 5 R1's and 2 R6's
I really hope Triumph do a Daytona 765, and there are big rumours of new euro 5 spec GSX-R750/600 coming in the near future...
Plus Yammy have a rumoured R9 in the wings....
Don't write off the sportsbike yet...
fly out, ZX10's and GSX-R1000's don't hang about either Ducati's sell quickly but S1000RR's always hang about.
Smaller sportsbikes never last long either.
New Since my branch opened in March we've sold the following new, 2 R1-M's, 5 R1's and 2 R6's
I really hope Triumph do a Daytona 765, and there are big rumours of new euro 5 spec GSX-R750/600 coming in the near future...
Plus Yammy have a rumoured R9 in the wings....
Don't write off the sportsbike yet...
Ho Lee Kau said:
Top seller in Germany, as always BMW R1250GS,
(new sales in May, new sales Jan-May)
1 BMW R 1250 GS 1.116 6.229
2 Yamaha MT-07 531 1.815
3 Kawasaki Z 900 376 1.649
4 Kawasaki Z 650 349 1.514
5 Honda CMX 500 Rebel 258 1.021
6 KTM 790 Duke 245 1.137
7 Yamaha MT-09 240 935
8 Honda Africa Twin 224 1.187
9 BMW R 1200 R 222 739
10 Suzuki GSX-S 750 221 816
11 KTM 390 Duke 211 920
12 Suzuki SV 650 198 837
13 Honda CB 650 R 197 789
13 KTM 690 SMC 197 792
15 Honda CB 500 F 189 720
16 BMW F 750 GS 173 987
16 Harley-Davidson Street Bob 173 574
18 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide 162 514
19 Honda CBR 650 R 156 303
20 Yamaha Tracer 900
Not a single Triumph in there....(new sales in May, new sales Jan-May)
1 BMW R 1250 GS 1.116 6.229
2 Yamaha MT-07 531 1.815
3 Kawasaki Z 900 376 1.649
4 Kawasaki Z 650 349 1.514
5 Honda CMX 500 Rebel 258 1.021
6 KTM 790 Duke 245 1.137
7 Yamaha MT-09 240 935
8 Honda Africa Twin 224 1.187
9 BMW R 1200 R 222 739
10 Suzuki GSX-S 750 221 816
11 KTM 390 Duke 211 920
12 Suzuki SV 650 198 837
13 Honda CB 650 R 197 789
13 KTM 690 SMC 197 792
15 Honda CB 500 F 189 720
16 BMW F 750 GS 173 987
16 Harley-Davidson Street Bob 173 574
18 Harley-Davidson Sport Glide 162 514
19 Honda CBR 650 R 156 303
20 Yamaha Tracer 900
tdm34 said:
Interesting, I work for a major Yamaha group (5 branches) and every time we get a used R1 it doesn't last five minutes, FireBlades
fly out, ZX10's and GSX-R1000's don't hang about either Ducati's sell quickly but S1000RR's always hang about.
Smaller sportsbikes never last long either.
New Since my branch opened in March we've sold the following new, 2 R1-M's, 5 R1's and 2 R6's
I really hope Triumph do a Daytona 765, and there are big rumours of new euro 5 spec GSX-R750/600 coming in the near future...
Plus Yammy have a rumoured R9 in the wings....
Don't write off the sportsbike yet...
Without wanting to piss on your chips - 9 bikes in 90 days ? I hope other Brands sold better or your used market is good.fly out, ZX10's and GSX-R1000's don't hang about either Ducati's sell quickly but S1000RR's always hang about.
Smaller sportsbikes never last long either.
New Since my branch opened in March we've sold the following new, 2 R1-M's, 5 R1's and 2 R6's
I really hope Triumph do a Daytona 765, and there are big rumours of new euro 5 spec GSX-R750/600 coming in the near future...
Plus Yammy have a rumoured R9 in the wings....
Don't write off the sportsbike yet...
robinh73 said:
Just my take on this and I could well be wrong, but for me, the roads are just not the place for a current generation 1000cc superbike. They are more single minded than other machines, less comfortable, no quicker real world and really the roads are too busy to go and have fun and use 200bhp plus. I know you don't have to open the throttle all the time, but in this day and age of slow is better, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify using/owning something that only really comes alive when you are the wrong side of the speed limits. I did some running in on a 2015 R1 which I converted across to race use and on the road it was more frustrating than fun. A friend had a brand new MT09 at the time and out of the two, I know which I would take any day of the week. Were I ever to go back on the road, it would (sadly in some respects) be on a Triumph Speed Triple or the like, which is a damn fine bike, but not really where my heart lies.
A friend works in a large Triumph/Yamaha/Honda dealership and you only have to look at the range of new/used machines in there to realise quite how the market has shifted. He was speaking to John Bloor (who owns Triumph) and as a manufacturer, Triumph were saying they have no interest in sports bikes, learner bikes and the only machines they were focused on were retro and street bikes, with even the adventure range future not being so clear cut.
This sums it up for me perfectly. Good post A friend works in a large Triumph/Yamaha/Honda dealership and you only have to look at the range of new/used machines in there to realise quite how the market has shifted. He was speaking to John Bloor (who owns Triumph) and as a manufacturer, Triumph were saying they have no interest in sports bikes, learner bikes and the only machines they were focused on were retro and street bikes, with even the adventure range future not being so clear cut.
Edited by robinh73 on Thursday 4th July 15:46
tdm34 said:
Turn7 said:
Without wanting to piss on your chips - 9 bikes in 90 days ? I hope other Brands sold better or your used market is good.
That's 9 new and over 50 used sportsbikes in 3 months my chips are pretty dry if you ask me.Big sellers new are the MT range....
Used is still the way to make the cashflow then....
CMC doing OK then ?
And yet, the new S1000RR was sold out long before it hit the sales floor (and was immediately recalled). Modern sports bikes have never made sense on the road, the original Blade didn’t make sense when it was launched, nor the original R1 and so on, yet they still sold and there was demand for them. There is still demand for these bikes even if many want to turn their noses up at them.
Why turn your noses up though? You have the bikes you want and others have the bikes they want. Most modern cars don’t make sense either, do you think everyone should be running around in a 1.2l Corsa or Fiesta, as that would tick every box in terms of what people really need.
That’s the crux of it though need vs want.
How many of you have a house with more rooms than you need, or in an area that means you pay more than if it was in a slightly worse area? Nobody needs that either, but they want it.
How many shop at Sainsbury’s when Aldi is just as good? The list goes on and on.
Why turn your noses up though? You have the bikes you want and others have the bikes they want. Most modern cars don’t make sense either, do you think everyone should be running around in a 1.2l Corsa or Fiesta, as that would tick every box in terms of what people really need.
That’s the crux of it though need vs want.
How many of you have a house with more rooms than you need, or in an area that means you pay more than if it was in a slightly worse area? Nobody needs that either, but they want it.
How many shop at Sainsbury’s when Aldi is just as good? The list goes on and on.
Lindun said:
And yet, the new S1000RR was sold out long before it hit the sales floor (and was immediately recalled). Modern sports bikes have never made sense on the road, the original Blade didn’t make sense when it was launched, nor the original R1 and so on, yet they still sold and there was demand for them. There is still demand for these bikes even if many want to turn their noses up at them.
Why turn your noses up though? You have the bikes you want and others have the bikes they want. Most modern cars don’t make sense either, do you think everyone should be running around in a 1.2l Corsa or Fiesta, as that would tick every box in terms of what people really need.
That’s the crux of it though need vs want.
How many of you have a house with more rooms than you need, or in an area that means you pay more than if it was in a slightly worse area? Nobody needs that either, but they want it.
How many shop at Sainsbury’s when Aldi is just as good? The list goes on and on.
It isn’t lack of desire but lack of opportunity to use them properly. Bit like being married to a supermodel but only being allowed to have sex a few times a year. Why turn your noses up though? You have the bikes you want and others have the bikes they want. Most modern cars don’t make sense either, do you think everyone should be running around in a 1.2l Corsa or Fiesta, as that would tick every box in terms of what people really need.
That’s the crux of it though need vs want.
How many of you have a house with more rooms than you need, or in an area that means you pay more than if it was in a slightly worse area? Nobody needs that either, but they want it.
How many shop at Sainsbury’s when Aldi is just as good? The list goes on and on.
Lindun said:
. Most modern cars don’t make sense either, do you think everyone should be running around in a 1.2l Corsa or Fiesta, as that would tick every box in terms of what people really need.
Speaking personally, I can understand why someone would buy say an E class for a 5 series instead of a Corsa or Fiesta, they are getting extra comfort for and refinement for their money. But sports bikes are actually less comfortable than tourer/adventure/retro bikes, and the extra performance really isn't going to allow more overtaking opportunities considering that non sports bikes are now so quick.Superbike development became an arms race with more and more extreme bikes being offered year on year. The problem is that most people don't need that level of performance, except for willy waving and a lot of people have thought sod this I'll get out of the race and buy something cheaper to buy and own.
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