Motorcycles, they are a diverse bunch of vehicles. From tiddly mopeds through to speedy sportsbikes, our world encompasses pretty much everything with two wheels and an engine.
According to trade journal British Dealer News, a total of 113,589 new motorcycles and scooters were registered in the UK in 2023, a drop of 2.5% on the previous year. Of those, 4062 were electric, with the market for battery powered scooters and motorcycles falling by 37.8%.
But what models were we actually buying in 2023? These are the most registered machines to hit the road in the past 12 months…
Yamaha NMAX
A quick trip to London (or indeed any other major city) will confirm that 125cc scooters are absolutely everywhere, powering a stream of delivery riders and commuters alike.
And none was more popular in 2023 than the Yamaha NMAX, which outsold everything else including its great rival the Honda PCX 125. It continues to provide that perfect mix of performance, price and practicality, offering a noticeable step up from the cheapest learner legal machines on the market but retaining a very accessible price of £3777.
Honda PCX 125
Along with the NMAX, Honda’s £3649 PCX continues to ride high in the sales charts – the pair seemingly swapping the top two places year-on-year.
Very similar in design and specification to the NMAX, the PCX arguably trades a little of the Yamaha’s playfulness for an added dash of practicality. The British public can’t get enough of these two, with demand regularly outstripping supply, and that’s no surprise. We loved both machines when we reviewed them on the site.
Honda CB125F
A favourite of riding schools and commuters for years, the humble Honda CB125F continues to fly under the radar and be a best seller with a minimum of fuss.
It’s as simple as motorcycling gets, and Britain’s best-selling geared motorbike uses Honda’s secret sauce to sell in massive numbers. For all the company produces staggering headline bikes like the Fireblade and Gold Wing, the CB125F perfectly embodies Honda’s founding philosophy of making practical and affordable forms of transport for the masses. It costs £3049 and has received some small updates for 2024 too.
BMW R 1250 GS Adventure
The biggest selling ‘big’ bike was once again BMW’s ‘GSA’. The GS is a regular fixture in the sales charts, with the taller and more expensive Adventure version outselling the standard model by around three-to-two.
One of the most versatile motorcycles on sale today, the R 1250 GS Adventure is as at home on the daily commute as it is on an around the world trip. With prices starting at £16,360, it’s the most expensive motorbike in the UK top seller list – and even then most come fully loaded with all the official BMW accessories and options. Expect a replacement, based on the new R 1300 GS, soon too.
Honda Vision 110
Honda’s third entry into the top 10 is another basic-as-it-gets machine.
At £2849, the Vision 110 is Honda’s cheapest powered two wheeler. It features a basic 109cc air-cooled engine, which makes just under 9bhp but only has 100kg (plus the weight of the rider) to haul around. Popular with riding schools, couriers and rental companies alike, it’s another Honda which always features in the best seller list. Despite its lack of glamour, it does the job it was designed to do very well.
BMW R 1250 GS
The second ‘over 125cc’ motorcycle in our list is another BMW R 1250 GS. Considered a separate entity to the related Adventure model, combined sales would actually place the GS duo third in the best seller list behind the NMAX and PCX scooters.
The R 1250 GS is a slightly lower motorcycle than the Adventure, with shorter travel suspension and less off-road capability. It’s been replaced for 2024 by an all-new R 1300 GS, which is priced from £15,990 and will undoubtedly feature prominently when we compile this list again in 12 months’ time.
Triumph Street Triple RS
In some ways we are a little surprised to see the Street Triple RS emerge as Triumph’s best-selling bike in the UK, but in other ways not.
A heavily updated Street Triple was introduced at the start of 2023, with sales split across three models, but it’s no surprise that it was the mid-spec RS version which captured the public’s imagination and the lion’s share of sales.
At £11,295, it’s not cheap but it is competitively priced against rivals like the Ducati Monster and Yamaha MT-09SP. That soulful engine is the same as the one used in the Moto2 world championship bikes and, as a sporting road bike, it’s representative of where the market is today.
Honda CB750 Hornet
Honda’s fourth entry into the top 10 is no surprise at all. The CB750 Hornet was a new model for 2023 and new models usually do well in their first year, but with a ridiculously low £6999 launch price the Big H really blindsided the competition, which includes the likes of Yamaha’s benchmark MT-07 and the equally new Suzuki GSX-8S.
It really was no surprise to see the Hornet succeed. We loved it when we reviewed one in the summer, and clearly the British biking public agrees, having voted with their wallets.
Royal Enfield HNTR 350
Another one that flew under the radar, the oddly named HNTR (we think you’re supposed to pronounce it Hunter) continues Royal Enfield’s winning formula of providing well built, traditional motorcycles at an affordable price.
The HNTR put the Indian manufacturer’s 350cc parallel twin motor, previously seen in the Meteor 350 cruiser, in a more traditional roadster set-up. With only 20bhp to play with, it’s not exactly a road burner, however it’s cheaper than many 125s at £3899 and has proven to be a popular city bike and back lane swinger for riders who enjoy a more sedate pace.
Honda Forza 125
Rounding out the top 10 best selling powered two wheelers for 2024 is a fourth scooter and a fifth Honda. The Forza if the poshest of Honda’s trio of learner legal twist and gos, delivering the highest specification and most performance.
It’s physically big for a 125cc scooter, sharing most of its componentry with the 350cc version, and that gives it good weather protection and a level of comfort rare for such a machine.
At £5149 it’s one of the more expensive 125cc scooters on the market, but that hasn’t put off British buyers who continued to buy this, and the Forza 350 in significant numbers.
