Bikers have a great deal to be happy about

OK, so we’re barely six weeks into the new year, but sales of new motorcycles are already looking good. January saw new bike sales soar by 17% (compared to January 2015) and scooters over 50cc grew by a massive 16.5%. Of course this is good news for everyone involved in the twowheeled industry, including the people who ride them! Motorcycle manufacturers selling lots of bikes will spend extra cash on developing new machines and on extra curricular activities, such as racing, special offers and so on. And an affluent market will also attract accessory and clothing makers who see it as a lucrative opportunity, which is great as this breeds confidence, creativity and competition too. And while the market remains fragmented – scooters are the biggest single category, followed by naked, adventure sport, trail/ enduro and supersport – there is strength of product across the board. Because there has to be. Even the oftenignored custom category is booming with sales up by 26.7% for the first month of 2016. In fact, the custom category (which doesn’t include the Scrambler style of bikes – they come under naked) sold just four bikes fewer than the supersports class, with Harley’s top-value 883 Sportster leading the way. How long the new bike boom will continue is anyone’s guess. Some say the PCP bubble will burst soon, driving more to buy a bargain used bike, but the march of magnificent machinery continues as do the tempting deals – whether that’s PCP, personal loans or hire purchase. A rising interest rate could hit these deals and yet that’s not predicted any time soon. So let’s make the most of the feel-good factor seeping through the bike world at the moment and revel in the mouth-watering new metal. Take a look at the army of awesome 2016 machines at the Carole Nash MCN Motorcycle Show this weekend and see for yourself what all the fuss is about. Better still – have a sit on one, pull the clutch lever in and out a bit (why do we all do that?) and see what deals can done!