The 26 registration plate is here and this March looks set to be our busiest for a quarter of a century.
March is traditionally one of the biggest months for motorbike registrations, fuelled by new models, sunny months ahead and the lure of the latest registration plate.
Last year’s first-quarter performance was not helped by dealers still shifting pre-registered outgoing Euro 5 emissions standard models and new motorbike supply issues.
Most of those issues seem to be behind us now, although we still expect stock to be limited this year as manufacturers realign production after post-Covid oversupply.
Mark Trench, our dealer principal, is excited about this year’s sales prospects and a marvellous March for registrations.
“So far we have the biggest number, from my memory, of new March registration orders since we moved to the new expanded Orwell Motorcycles site in Ranelagh Road in 2001.”
We hope it’ll be our best March ever since the business became Orwell Motorcycles more than 40 years ago.
The UK motorcycle industry is upbeat 2026 is going to be a good year for registrations with many manufacturers having realigned production to overcome supply issues.
That is borne out at Orwell Motorcycles with first-quarter orders currently 41% up on last year.
But the message is still not to put off buying your new dream motorbike because, with manufacturers keeping a careful check on production to avoid flooding the market with too many machines, some models will still be in short supply. With demand high for popular models, once sold out customers will have to wait until later in the year for new supplies.
“People were maybe a little cautious towards the end of last year but they now have a new confidence and are willing to spend money.
“As a motorcyclist, there’s no better way to treat yourself than buying a new motorbike!”
Our orders have been helped this year by having five franchises, with CFMoto joining Kawasaki, KTM, Royal Enfield and Suzuki.
CFMoto is performing well with the standout model its smallest-capacity 450MT adventure bike which is selling fast.
Suzukis are selling across the range with one-litre models benefitting from recent price reductions.
KTM’s new 390 Adventure R, Enduro R and SMC R are selling brilliantly while the 990 RC R sportbike has grabbed riders’ attention.
Royal Enfield has plenty of fans with the Himalayan and Guerrilla 450s leading the orders.
Kawasaki orders are very strong, buoyed by a change in its dealer network in this region. The result is we draw customers from a wider area and, as one of only 10 Elite Kawasaki UK dealers, are an even bigger player.
Check out the full ranges of new motorbikes from our five franchises by clicking the new bikes tab at orwell.co.uk/
