MMotorized two-wheelers are still very attractive in Germany. If 2020, which was marked by the corona pandemic, was a good year for manufacturers, importers and retailers, at the end of the first half of 2021 it became clear that growth is continuing. Across all four vehicle groups – motorcycles and scooters as well as light motorcycles and scooters with a displacement of up to 125 cubic centimeters – the motorcycle industry association reported an increase of 3.6 percent compared to the previous year. While the largest group of motorcycles only achieved an increase of 0.7 percent to 71,400 units and the motor scooters even imported a minus of 1.3 percent to 9130 units, the 125 series made strong gains: light motorcycles by 9.3 percent, light motor scooters even by 14.5.
This means that A1 vehicles have for the first time achieved a share of almost 30 percent of the overall market. Two years ago, eight-liter two-wheelers had a market volume of just under 19 percent. Of course, it helped the minis that the motorcycles had a hard time in the first six months of the previous year due to the pandemic. The number of registrations fell from a good 75,000 to just under 71,000. They more than made up for this slump in the second half of the year, but the 125cc grew even more strongly.
This is especially true for the two Vespa models Primavera 125 and GTS 125 Super, neither of which are cheap. From a total of 1447 copies in the first half of 2019, there were a healthy 5200 pieces this year, an increase of 260 percent.
In the light motorcycles, the serial winner KTM 125 Duke had to leave the podium. After this first half of the year, the Yamaha MT-125 are ahead of the still young Brixton BX 125 and the Honda CB125R. The KTM only follows in fourth place.
But motorcycles still dominate the picture. There are clear shifts within the segment this year, which does not always have to do with rising or falling popularity with buyers, but often with the ability of manufacturers to deliver. The most popular motorcycle remains the BMW R 1250 GS with 6583 new registrations ahead of the Kawasaki Z900 (2666) and the Kawasaki Z659 (2048). In view of the price of more than 23,000 euros, the new BMW R 18 achieved impressive figures. 1,071 new registrations mean twelfth place for the fifth-best BMW model in the registration statistics.
Among the power scooters, the smallest and only segment with a slightly negative sign, the eternal Vespa GTS 300 Super increased its sensational number last year from 3771 to 3821 pieces. Honda’s Forza 350 (595) and SH350 (480) follow at a great distance. The three-wheeled scooters from Piaggio MP3 300 and MP3 500 lost a lot. Together they fell by 30 percent from 786 to 548 units.
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