Motorcycle registration figures 2024: A race against time

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The switch to a new emission standard always boosts motorcycle sales at the end of the year. In 2024, however, it has virtually exploded. In November, there were 11,123 new registrations in Germany – by comparison: in November 2023, there were only 3690. Dealers have tried to get rid of their Euro 5 models with huge discounts, because from 2025 only motorcycles with Euro 5+ will be allowed to be newly registered. Many customers have obviously speculated on this and waited to buy their dream bike, even though they would certainly have liked to have ridden it this summer. It is of little interest to them if a successor model with Euro5+ perhaps even offers more power or better equipment. Money is no longer so loose in Germany, and motorcyclists are on the hunt for bargains.

KTM with its back to the wall

It was clear that the insolvent KTM brand would desperately try to get rid of its models, some of which date back to 2022 and 2023. There are 130,000 KTMs in stockpiles around the world, 2.9 billion euros in debt and a reputation for quality that is no longer quite as good as it once was. The management in Mattighofen insisted that the dealers had to take delivery of huge numbers of motorcycles.

The bikes were sold by the KTM dealers with discounts of up to 20 percent in some cases. Customers were able to save several thousand euros on models above the 20,000 euro mark, mind you for new bikes with zero km on the clock. The sales figures in November speak volumes: 1424 KTMs were newly registered in Germany, compared to just 381 in November 2023.

Husqvarna's future is open

The Husqvarna brand, which belongs to KTM, has been hit hard by the crisis at its parent company. Its models, also produced in Matthighofen, are based on KTM. The Husqvarnas, above all the best-selling 701 Supermoto, were pushed onto the market with all their might.

Husqvarna has probably set a new November record with 926 new registrations, compared to only 140 units in the same month in 2023. Husqvarna dealers are worried about what will happen in 2025, their fate is still completely open.

Even BMW is granting discounts

Other brands have also engaged in a discount battle, surprisingly including the BMW brand, which has not needed such a thing for a long time. The R 1300 GS continues to be the bestseller in Germany by a huge margin, with 6904 new registrations of the boxer enduro between January and November, although it has attracted negative attention due to a number of teething troubles (including some burning down due to a faulty relay) and recalls.

Despite its popularity, a number of customers have apparently held back, as there are currently many brand new R 1300 GS with plenty of optional extras available on the Internet as one-day registrations for a reasonable price. Dealers can only get rid of the last Euro 5 models at a discount. But other popular BMW models are also being offered with discounts, such as the BMW F[ ]900[ ]R (test). A total of 1851 BMWs were newly registered in November, compared with just 575 in the same month a year earlier.

Discount battle of the brands

The picture is similar for the Kawasaki brand, which recorded 1188 new registrations in November, but only 291 in November 2023. A thoroughly revised model of its bestseller Kawasaki Z 900 is ready for next year, so the stock had to go.

The situation is the same for many other brands: Yamaha registered 817  motorcycles in November instead of 287 as in November 2023, Harley-Davidson 761 instead of 189 and Suzuki 687 instead of 136. Moto Guzzi quintupled its new registrations from 48 to 240. At Triumph, the number rose rather moderately from 150 to 266, but this is mainly due to the very popular 400cc models that were only introduced this year. Honda only increased from 701 (November 2023) to 927 new registrations this November.

This shows that the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer has obviously not built up too many stocks. Nevertheless, the two bestsellers Honda Hornet[ ]750 and XL[ ]750[ ]Transalp were available at significant discounts in November.

Ducati stays out

Only Ducati registered 287 new motorcycles in November, even fewer than in the same month in 2023 (314), an indication that Ducati dealers were not prepared to lower their prices much.

It speaks for the Italian brand's self-confidence, but it is causing its market share in Germany to shrink; from January to November, it was down six percent.

Euro 5+ will become mandatory in 2025

The registration figures for the respective brands will certainly be shaken up again by the end of December, when dealers will increasingly start to offer their remaining stock with Euro 5 standard as one-day registrations. In November, customers were still able to register their newly acquired motorcycles themselves without any problems, but from the second half of December at the latest, it has become difficult to get a registration date.

Anyone who has not yet got hold of a cheap Euro 5 motorcycle can remain calm, as dealers will continue to offer their new vehicles with one-day registration at a low price in January. In fact, dealers are the ones who will suffer the most, as the massive sell-off at the end of [2024] means that their customers will probably buy significantly fewer new 2025 motorcycles with the Euro 5+ standard in the spring.

(fpi)