All major motorcycle brands recorded low sales figures last month, according to the latest figures from the Motor Cycle Industry Association.

A total of 4,995 new motorcycles were registered in December, a reduction of 2.9% or 147 fewer units than the same period last year.

“As December is always a low volume month as the weather closes in it was not surprising to see all brands record low registration,” said Stephen Latham, head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) which represents motorcycle retailers across the UK.

Growth was seen in registrations of sub-50cc mopeds, with 461 new vehicles showing a 18.5% increase on December 2019, and 126-650cc engine units were up 9.5%. However, 51-125cc engine motorcycles registrations were down 17.9%.

Honda topped sales in December with 767 units sold, followed by BMW with 515, and Yamaha were third with 461.

The highest selling individual unit in December continued to be the Yamaha NMAX 125, seeing 194 registrations, with the BMW R 1250 GS following with 91 units.

For the full year registrations were up modestly on 2018, with 107,408 units registered in 2019 compared with 105,816 in 2018 – a 1.5% growth. The biggest increases came from 0-50cc units, growing 19.9% with 6,764 registrations in 2019, and 126-650cc motorcycles increasing by 12.2% with 22,451.

Latham added: “Dealers are hoping the improvement in economic and political stability will improve consumer confidence in 2020, releasing some of the pent-up demand that is believed to have held customers back from ordering a new motorcycle.”