Young people discover motorcycle

The increase in registrations is due to the growing popularity of motorcycles. “We also see more and more young people getting their driver’s licenses. The motorcycle is an ideal mobility product. It is compact, flexible and widely accessible to many people,” said Martijn van Eikenhorst, section manager Motorcycles at RAI Association.

Rising line of motorcycle sales

RAI Association and BOVAG jointly released recent motorcycle sales figures. The upward trend in sales continues steadily. Remarkably, it already began in the “corona” years of 2020 and 2021. Back then, the RAI Association concluded that people were switching to buying a motorcycle in part because of travel restrictions on public transportation.

Record upon record

Already in 2019, motorcycle sales rose to record levels. Then, 14,014 new motorcycles were sold, at the time the highest number since 2009. In 2020 the number of registrations rose to 14,622, and in 2021 sales rose again to a total of 15,337 new motorcycles in the Netherlands.

Motor sales total in 2023

A new record in new motorcycle sales is set for this year, 2023. The counter already stands at 12,713 through July. So there are only less than 3,000 to go for a record number. Compared to car sales, of course, it is only a pittance.

BMW R 1250 GS remains market leader

For years, the BMW R 1250 GS and its predecessors have topped the list of best-selling models. Through July, this BMW leads the sales charts with more than 500 registrations. As of July 2023, the top three consists of the BMW R 1250 GS with 3.6% market share, on the heels of the Kawasaki Z900 with 3.5% market share and the Yamaha MT-07 with 3.3% market share.