YTD Motorcycle Sales in Italy

MP1300GT. What amazes me is the GS numbers - huge really - in a country that values style and flare.

Any idea what causes the popularity of the GS in Italy?

Naked sales I can understand as so many brilliant roads in the mountains plus dry warm weather.

The other surprise on a recent Saturday ride thru' Pass Tonale was the groups of riders that included the big scooter with chain drive - they were noticeable by the numbers and kept up with their sports/naked mates.

But wall to wall GS's could not be avoided.....in Italy, country of Miss S.Loren! Bazaar!

PS Italy is BMW second largest market after Germany.

I'm really surprised by the sales numbers for the R1200R. As MP1300GT mentioned, they're incredibly rare in the UK.

The Diavel, Tiger 800 and R1200R benefit from being new models, so there could be pent-up demand. Plus all three seem to be well regarded bikes, which won't have hurt.

silvercub. Of course she did, well pointed out. She also had other curves, painted toe nails, large eyelashes protecting wonderfully coloured headlights and a seductive sound.......

MP1300GT - those scooter numbers are very interesting indeed as they do not include a single Chinese machine at all, Kymco being Taiwanese and also none of fifty cc.

I know the Italians take their scooters very seriously but I do travel to their big show every year as well as visit frequently and the Chinese importers are there. The throw away market is not to be sniffed at. Locally I was told that a cheap Chinese 50cc scooter was the best selling in the market so far this year as it retails at around 700 pounds!

The Czechs are not as sophisticated as the Italians in many ways, it would appear.

Interesting the Stelvio is so low

The HD forty-eight doesn't surprise me - it's the coolest expresso bar-hopper you can buy!

I cannot believe how low the Tiger's are - bizarre. Maybe they're not pretty enough? Then again the German bikes are hardly form over function are they?

The biggest surprise to me is probably KTM 350 making the top ten. I like KTM's but small capacity one's don't usually trouble top tens...

Yes the forty-eight (which was when the 'peanut' tank was invented fgi) is form over function and a 'bar-hopper' because of it's small range, cruiser speed and chic looks. Those balloon tyres make it look cooler than the Nightster, but it's still more a bike for trundling through aspirational town centres than transcending mountainous ranges in far reached countries.

I think you've hit the nail on the head with lack of disposable income. Everyone has tightened belts and decided that either a used machine (perhaps on a low interest rate purchase too) offers 80% of what a new machine can for less than half the price? Or that the status quo isn't so bad after all? There's plenty of owners hanging onto their bikes because their perception is that they are far better than what monetary value selling it would raise right now.

I read in the US BMW sales were up about 5%, HD about 6% and Yamaha about 9% on this time last year. Unemployment reduced for the fifth month in a row too, so maybe we're coming out of recession now? Read: We've borrowed more debt from the Chinese? This should help the global economy, although Romania and Greece might be problematic for some time!

The Italian figures are interesting. I'd expect the Tiger 800 to do much better in the UK and Germany. I've seen a few on the road over here too. Nice to see the BMW doing better than I thought at number nine ;-D

I expect the Tenere to be the worst selling adventure-touring machine, but does seem a little low, same with adventure-sports KTM, although that design is getting on a bit now. That said, bolstered with ABS and soft-saddle-bags for the same money makes the KTM a genuine bargain. I mentioned the SMT favorably to a long-established mechanic yesterday at a SuperBowl party. He said 'I bet it's a great bike - one that doesn't remotely interest me', which (like the Tenere) is probably a reflection of most people's views whether we think they are too insular to certain brands or not.

The NC700X was probably availability, I think it's EOY result will surprise a lot of people as many riders have got over their performance obsession nowadays, realizing that this type of bike still has the sort of performance of the bikes of their youth had, it's just that it does a significant amount to the gallon too, which is becoming increasingly important irrelevant of which country you live in the world.

The TMax has always been the best looking and sportiest handling, least practical, priciest and yet reliable maxi-scooter on the market; nice to see Italians predictably going for aesthetics over the greater practicality of its peers!

I wonder what the top ten bikes for failures and recall rates are? I wonder whether they are the one's closer to the top of the sales chart? And I also wonder whether that's the case because their popular or is factually the case once the data has been normalized?

Anyway, thanks for continuing to post these GT, I always find the sales stats interetsing.

I'm surprised the Versys (and given presumably limited supply, the CrossTourer too) is doing so well? And also how badly the Tiger 800, SMT and Monster 1100 are doing, three brilliant motorcycles.

The Monster already makes 100 hp which in a lightweight un-faired bike isn't too bad. They could put the 848 engine in it, but it would then make less torque. If they retuned it then they might end up with similar torque and maybe 10 hp more, but probably at higher revs? IT probably wouldn't be worth the R&D in Ducati's eyes, especially as some folk nowadays believe an 848 to be a small bike compared with an 1100? Maybe...

The sales declines are huge and probably as much a reflection of the bean counters, following the global economic crash/depression, as the public interest. My Ducati dealer tells me that their bank won't let them do deals with anyone that won't accept the Kelly's Blue Book price for their trade-in machine and then they are limited on how much discount they can give on new machine too; currently running at about 10%. This means that if the guide book price is way off, and as a dealer they want to over-allow more on the trde-in they can't. And they also can't over discount the OTR new machine, to help balance the deficit - to make the price to change on a trade in look appealing either. This effectively can create a you can buy from us but not trade with us approach, which further harms business new business and new bike sales turnover. I do wonder whether this is not an isolated case? It could also help explain why the two largest bike retailers recently went out of business in the UK?

"contrary to the huge US market ... in Italy people ride all year round."
... I couldn't ride all year round in the UK and put my bikes to bed Nov-Feb. But, for the first in my lifetime, I've been able to ride all through Dec, Jan and Feb here in the U.S. In fact my bike reckoned the ambient temperature on Thursday afternoon hit 90F! I reckon that was probably 82F or so, but I'll take that!

Yes, American's are prepared to do big miles. I was at a party last night talking to a tv producer. He told me that he used to have a Hyundai that he covered 190,000 miles in. Rather than junk it, he said it was still fine and gave it to his daughter who has been driving around in it the last few years.

"CS - I'm surprised you feel the CrossTourer is selling well?"
... availability, I'd expect that to double next month.

"As for the Monster - I was thinking the 848 11 degree engine from the Streetfighter"
... so was I :-D Nobody has a sub 1000 cc street fighter that is competitive with the larger engines and thats the problem, whether it's actual or psychosomatic, with would-be purchasers.

"Your Diavel, however is still doing well there"
... it be good to see the overall sales, rather than just by Adventure/sub-sets category, if you have it! :-D

Thanks GT, that was interesting. I guess that "The frost hits hard registrations" didn't help, but I doubt it would have changed the figures much. A "Stellar" performance for the TMax. It's always been the best looking and handling scooter, but otherwise I've never understood it's appeal as it's not as practical as the Honda SilverWing and not as well equipped as the 650 Burgman Exec. I guess it must be the good looks, winning people over? That said, if I wanted a maxi-scooter, it's what I'd probably buy, it is after all belt-driven! ;-D