Experts from the Institute for Automotive Market Research analyzed statistics on motorcycle registrations and identified the most popular brands in three segments: used imports, domestic resales, and new motorcycles.
Motorcycle market dynamics
The motorcycle segment is the most seasonally dependent among vehicles designed for transporting passengers or cargo. The diagram shows how the market becomes more active in the summer, during the high motorcycle season, and how sales volumes decrease in the off-season.
The total volume of officially registered purchases of motorcycles of all types in August amounted to 8.6 thousand. These volumes are 19% lower than in the previous month (July), and also 1.2% lower than in August 2024 last year. It seems that these numbers indicate the end of the high season in the "moto" segment for the current year.
Among the total number, 60.7% of motorcycles were new (imported from abroad), quantitatively this is 5,199 units.
2,676 motor vehicle purchase and sale agreements were concluded on the domestic market, which accounted for 31.2% of the total.
Another 8.1% of motorcycles were imported used from abroad (694 units).
By individual subsegments, the dynamics of motorcycle sales, where seasonality is very clearly expressed, and year-on-year comparison is of primary importance, looks as follows (MM — compared to the previous month, YY — compared to the same period last year):
- Domestic resales: −22.1% MM, −5.8% YY
- Used imports: −14.4% MM, +26.0% YY
- New imports: −17.9% MM, −1.5% YY
The most popular motorcycles in the domestic market
In the domestic motorcycle market, there are no surprises: the "Japanese" continue to hold the lead. Honda and Yamaha traditionally lead, demonstrating stable demand, especially among those who value reliability and proven classics. Behind them is a dense group of affordable brands: Geon, Lifan, Kovi, Musstang, Bajaj — the choice of those looking for two-wheeled transport without overpayments, between which in this list are "squeezed" by the old-timers of the market Suzuki and Kawasaki.
The most popular used motorcycles imported from abroad
In the “custom” segment, there is a real biker international. The most imported classic “Japanese” ones are Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki, which remain the four leaders that are chosen by both beginners and experienced riders. But the share of motorcycles “with character” is also growing: Harley-Davidson confidently holds its position in the middle of the list, and Ducati, Indian, KTM and Triumph remind us that for some, a motorcycle is not just a means of transportation, but a lifestyle. And despite their age, these machines arrive with ambitions for a new life on Ukrainian roads.
The most popular new motorcycles
In the segment of new motorcycles in Ukraine, the leaders are brands that are well known to buyers from the budget and utilitarian segments — Mustang, Lifan, Spark, Forte, Kovi, Geon. They are chosen for their simplicity, maintainability and affordable price. In addition, there is a stable demand for Bajaj and Shineray.
This time, among the dozens of motorcycle brands that were purchased new, there was room for only one manufacturer not from China or India — the Japanese Honda.
This most likely indicates that motorcycles in Ukraine are mostly purchased as primary means of transportation (when opportunities prevent the purchase of a car), rather than as additional ones, for recreation or entertainment.
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