AUSTRALIAN MOTORCYCLE MARKET FALLS SLIGHTLY IN 2024

In 2024, sales of new motorcycles in Australia fell for the third consecutive year, according to data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI). The silver lining is that the decline in sales was less dramatic than in 2023 and the market for off-road bikes actually improved.

Overall, 94,224 new motorcycles, scooters and OHVs were sold by FCAI member brands in Australia in 2024, which is a fall of 1.8 per cent compared to 2023’s total of 95,980. The year-on-year decline is less than from 2022 to 2023, when sales fell by 3.1 per cent and far less than the 19.8 per cent ‘Post-COVID’ drop from 2021 to 2022.

Undoubtedly, cost of living pressures played a part in sales falling again last year, but the fact that the decline from 2023 was minor shows that the market is levelling out and – hopefully – set to improve in 2025 and beyond.

“With motorcycles often considered as a discretionary purchase for many people, cost of living pressures and interest rates were matters that influenced the decision to purchase a new bike [in 2024] for commuting, recreation or off-road purposes,” said FCAI Chief Executive, Tony Weber.

“The year ahead will continue to present challenges, however customers can expect to see a continuation of new models with new features appearing in showrooms that can ignite the enthusiasm of committed and passionate riders.”

Segment Breakdown

Of the four main market segments in Australia – road, off-road, scooter and OHV – only off-road saw sales improve in 2024 compared to 2023. After a 3.7 per cent fall in 2023, off-road bike sales rebounded with a 2.6 per cent increase. In actual numbers, that translates to 41,178 sales last year, compared to 40,138 in 2023.

Road bike sales fell by 2.4 per cent, with 34,226 sales in the past year compared to 2023’s total of 35,112, which was a 3 per cent decline on 2022, when total sales reached 36,208.

The performance of the OHV segment last year mostly mirrored that of the road bike segment, with sales falling by 3.8 per cent. This was less than the 7.8 per cent drop the segment experienced in 2023 and far less than the 44.1 per cent freefall of 2022.

Factors in the tumultuous past performance of this market segment include the introduction of mandatory ‘OPD’ (Operator Protection Devices) for all utility ATVs sold in Australia, major brands withdrawing models from the market (rather than fit the controversial OPDs), the transition to SxS vehicles and even the adoption of Japanese ‘kei trucks’ for farm duties.

OHV sales totalled 14,028 last year, compared to 14,585 in 2023 and 15,825 in 2022. The high-water mark for this segment was 2021, when 24,856 units were sold.

After three successive years of growth, including a 15.4 per cent increase in 2023, the scooter segment fell by 22.5 per cent in 2024. While this drop seems extreme, the small volumes in this segment mean that increases/decreases always look more dramatic than they actually are. In raw numbers, 4,752 scooters were sold in Australia last year, compared to 6,135 in 2023.

In terms of market share, off-road still accounts for the majority of new bike sales in Australia with 43.70 per cent, followed by road (36.36 per cent), OHV (14.88 per cent) and scooter (5.04 per cent).

Where to for EVs?

While Australia’s take up of electric cars has been accelerating, the same can’t be said for electric bikes. The FCAI noted that electric motorcycle sales in Australia totalled 419 units last year, representing just 0.45 per cent of the total market.

This presents a problem for EV-only brands like Zero (who returned to the Australian market in 2024), as they can’t offset poor EV sales with an ICE alternative in the way that KTM, CFMoto, Kawasaki and others can. The likes of SuperSoco, Stark and the all-Australian Savic brand face the same quandry, as do lesser known EV bike brands sold here, like LEKI, Sur-Ron, Fonz Moto, EMoS and Benzina.

Despite this, some established brands continue to add new EVs to their range. Kawasaki is a notable example, recently introducing ‘Z e-1’ and ‘Ninja e-1’ electric LAMS models to the Australian market, adding to their already available ‘Elektrode’ junior balance bikes. KTM, Husqvarna, GasGas, YCF and others continue to offer junior EV dirt bikes, while Royal Enfield are expected to bring their ‘Flying Flea’ EV commuter bike to Australia in 2026.

Missing Motorcycles

As in past years, it should be noted that the Australian motorcycle sales figures for 2024 only cover FCAI members. This includes the four Japanese brands, as well as Triumph, Indian, BMW Motorrad, Harley-Davidson, KTM, Ducati, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Vespa and a handful of others.

Missing from last year’s 94,224 sales total are bikes from Urban Moto Imports (UMI), Mojo Motorcycles, Zero and a handful of others that are not FCAI members.

UMI brands, like Royal Enfield, Benelli, Segway Powersports, Rieju, Super Soco and Peugeot Motocycles, are not included in the FCAI numbers. The same goes for CFMoto, Sherco and Kymco bikes that are distributed locally by Mojo Motorcycles. Zero are imported by Peter Stevens.

Of these, Royal Enfield and CFMoto are known to be strong performers in Australia, even without the evidence of sales figures. These two brands alone would boost sales by thousands. Add in the other non-FCAI brands and 2024’s official 94,224 figure is probably closer to 110,000.

Yamaha and Triumph celebrate

In terms of the performance of specific brands and individual models in 2024, that data hasn’t been offered by the FCAI since 2019. However, Yamaha revealed they were Australia’s top-selling motorcycle brand last year, breaking Honda’s stranglehold on the local market. Yamaha saw overall sales increase by 15 per cent, with improvements in the four key market segments.

According to Yamaha, 2024 marked only the third time in the previous 22 years that they topped the total sales figures (among FCAI members) in Australia and the first time they’ve been the nation’s #1 road bike brand. Leading the way on the latter was the YZF-R7LA (best-selling road motorcycle overall), while the MT-09 and MT-07LA were #1 and #2 in naked bike sales.

Additionally, Yamaha claimed the #1 spot in adventure touring models with the Ténéré 700, the #2 spot in enduro with the WR450F and outsold Honda in combined 2- and 4-stroke MX sales.

No specific sales figures were provided by Yamaha and the caveat with all these claims, like the broader market numbers, is that they only cover FCAI members.

Triumph has cause to celebrate, too, recording more than 25 per cent year-on-year growth in 2024, which they’re claiming as the highest in the Australian market for FCAI members. Road bikes, which account for the majority of Triumph’s sales here, saw a claimed increase of 23 per cent, aided by the likes of the LAMS-legal Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X, which bring new riders to the brand.

While it's still early days for Triumph’s TF250-X motocross model, their off-road bike sales have been augmented by the OSET electric brand they purchased in 2022. To the OSET 12.5R and 16.0R kids’ bikes that are already available, the TXP electric trials bike will be added this year.

Where to for KTM?

While there are several unknowns concerning the Australian motorcycle market in 2025, the biggest regards KTM. Last November, KTM entered a 90-day period of “self-administration” to restructure the company in the wake of losses believed to run into the hundreds of millions (of Euros). The outcome of this won’t be known until February or early March.

As part of this restructuring, production has been halted, inventories reduced and around 500 jobs cut from KTM - part of a broader cull of 1,800 from the workforce of 5,000+ in the Pierer Mobility Group. The majority stake in MV Agusta that KTM purchased less than a year ago may be sold off, but this is only speculated.

Factory-backed race teams face reduction or termination, as evidenced by KTM’s stripped-back presence at this year’s Dakar Rally. However, KTM remain say they’re committed to their MotoGP programme, so the factory squads appear safe for now. The future of the junior GP categories is unclear.

For all the cuts in other areas, KTM says their sales and dealer network will remain unchanged, but if a solution can’t be found to satisfy creditors before the end of the 90-day self-administration period, reducing their presence in small-volume markets or pulling out entirely may be an option. However, this is likely to do more harm than good in the long term.

Globally, KTM sold 292,497 motorcycles last year - a drop of 21.2 per cent on 2023 – with Europe and North America accounting for 62 per cent of that total. Australia joins several countries in the “other” category that accounted for 17 per cent of KTM’s sales last year, or around 49,000 units. In 2019, the last year of official FCAI-released figures, KTM’s Australian sales totalled 7,670 units and they were the fourth best-selling brand behind Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki.

More recently, it was revealed that KTM had been fielding offers from multiple investors and Gottfried Neumeister had replaced Stefan Pierer as CEO in a slimmed-down management team. Further details will be released in February, while the April release of the Pierer Mobility Group’s annual financial report for 2024 will present a much clearer picture.