New motorcycle registrations in Switzerland: 2024 season review

As we come to the end of the season, it’s time for our full analysis of the new motorcycle registrations in Switzerland in 2024.

A month ahead of schedule, it’s time for our detailed analysis of the Swiss market for 2024.

As December is not historically a decisive month for new motorbike sales, we can outline some general trends.

So what about the figures published by the umbrella organisation MotoSuisse for the first 11 months of 2024? Long story short, the results are mixed.

While sales were slightly positive in the first six months of the year, fluctuating between +0.5% and +2%, the trend has reversed since August.

As a result, new registrations of motorcycles, consolidated over 11 months, fell by 0.94% across all brands and engine sizes.

And while some brands are beginning to show signs of recovery, others are continuing to record sharp falls in sales.

So in details now

  • Which brands are on the up again?
  • Which brands recorded the biggest declines in 2024?
  • Are the Chinese manufacturers getting stronger and stronger?
  • Is the Yamaha MT-07 still the best-selling bike in Switzerland?

Let’s get down to our detailed analysis, including a 5-years evolution.

What you need to understand from the figures

The following points can be made about sales by engine size. The 126-250cc category continues to decline. After falling by 11% in 2023, it will continue to fall in 2024 (-6%).

The medium category (500-1000 cc) will grow again. If we add up all the registrations, we see an increase of +4% (+9% in 2023).

As for the queen category (>1,000 cm3), it continues to decline. After a drop of 18% in 2022 and 6% in 2023, it will fall by 9% in 2024. What’s more, if we look at the trend over 5 years, we see an impressive -27%.

Could it be that the Swiss are becoming more sensible and driving smaller bikes? That’s one hypothesis.

The other hypothesis is that it’s first-time buyers who are buying new motorcycles (mid-size, A2).

And that more experienced motorcyclists are turning to second-hand motorcycles or renewing their vehicles less frequently as the rate of model replacement increases.

registrations new motorcycle Switzerlandsales new motorbikes Switzerland

If we take a closer look at the manufacturers now.

Looking at the three largest manufacturers, apart from BMW, the other two are in negative territory. Honda is even down 9% (+28% in 2023). Yamaha is also in decline, but is limiting the damage (-2%). Only BMW is in the black, perhaps thanks to the success of its GS. More on this below.

Other manufacturers such as Kawasaki (+14%) and Triumph (+12%) are back in the black.

Aprilia is also outperforming, with a spectacular +68% in 2024, while KTM is down -17%. Which is unlikely to help its current situation…

registrations new motorcycle Switzerland

registrations new motorcycle Switzerland

5-years evolution

If we broaden the spectrum and look at the 5-year period, we can see very clearly that sales are returning to pre-pandemic levels.

In this respect, Harley Davidson’s 44% fall over the last 5 years is quite spectacular.

On the other hand, certain brands such as Aprilia (+423%) and Honda (+8%) seem to be making a comeback!

But all the other major manufacturers are in the red over 5 years: BMW (-11%), Yamaha (-9%), Kawasaki (-39%), Triumph (-14%)!

And we can clearly see that the bubble of the Covide-years has burst and that levels are returning to pre-pandemic levels.

The Chinese manufacturers?

The Chinese manufacturers, for their part, are crossing swords and waging a fierce battle. None of them can hold a candle to their rivals.

Since they stand out mainly on price, are they targeting a slightly less captive/loyal clientele because they are mainly sensitive to the price argument?

Perhaps. However, if we look at the trend over 5 years, the figures speak for themselves:

  • Fantic Motor (+445%)
  • CF Moto (+3700%)
  • Zontes (+95%)
  • F.B. Mondial (+45%).

To mention only a few. The only company to lose out was Mash (-87%), which seems to be losing its hegemony over Chinese production.

What’s more, these same manufacturers are also moving upmarket, offering, for example, fully-equipped mid-size trail bikes for under CHF 10,000, like Voge and its 900 DS adventure.

Should ‘Western’ manufacturers be worried? Only time will tell.

At least for newcomers to the world of motorcycling, who often have a limited budget when it comes to buying their first bike, and for whom historical references are not necessarily the deciding factor.

In fact, being able to benefit from the manufacturer’s warranty on a bike with a price tag of well under CHF 10,000 can be a very persuasive argument.

How about the electric bikes in all of this?

With 622 units registered in 2023, electric motorbikes are still struggling to convince motorcyclists.

Manufacturers such as Energica and Zero Motorcycles are announcing increased range, sometimes reaching around 400km in theory. However, with entry level prices sometimes well over 20,000 CHF, it’s clear that they are aimed primarily at an elite clientele, who may even use them as a 2nd or 3rd motorbike.

Electric scooters, on the other hand, are beginning to appeal to an urban/suburban clientele who see these vehicles as an alternative to a 2nd car, for example. 2’884 electric scooters were registered in 2024 (-10% compared to 2023).

Top sellers in Switzerland 

Is the best-selling motorbike in Switzerland still the Yam MT-07? Drum roll…

And no, this year’s queen of sales is the BMW GS 1300, with 915 units.

And if we add in the 1250 GS Adventure while we wait for the 1300 GS to arrive, the total is 1208 units. The emblematic model from Bavaria is crushing the competition.

The MT-07 remains on the podium, in 2nd place, with 749 units (-14,6%).

Then come

  • Yamaha MT 125: 712 units
  • Honda CB 750 Hornet: 557 units
  • Kawasaki Z900: 523 units
  • Yamaha MT-09: 460 units

So the podium is dominated by roadsters. The first sportsbike came in 8th place. It’s the Aprilia RS 660 with 406 units (+63.71%).

So what about the future ?

Clearly, the underlying trend seems to indicate that the historic sales achieved during the pandemic are a thing of the past.

Faced with major challenges such as inflation, rising insurance premiums, rents and energy prices, Swiss households may no longer be prioritising the purchase of a new motorbike.

However, one thing is certain. Motorbike manufacturers are continuing to put pressure on dealers to meet their sales targets

But should dealers be alarmed? No, especially when there are ready-to-use solutions at hand.

Why not give rental a serious try?

We prepared a case study to see if rental is a viable complement or alternative to sales.

But in summary, with a 20% booking rate over the season, thanks to a hybrid model consisting of

  • rental during the season and
  • resale as used motorcycle at the end of the season,

you can generate a minimum of 400% additional profitability compared to simple sales.

Don’t believe us? We can demonstrate this for you using 3 iconic models: Honda Africa Twin, Triumph Bonneville, HD Fat Bob.

And with a 30% reservation rate? Min 700% extra profitability!

Click on the links to find out more:

  • Booking rate 20%: here
  • Booking rate 30%: here

So why not give it a try?

Registering up to 5 vehicles is free, will only take a few minutes and will allow you to evaluate this business opportunity seriously, without paying expensive IT development costs, while taking advantage of our tens of thousands of monthly organic visitors, with high purchasing power, who would be delighted to rent your vehicles.

What’s more, you’ll be able to engage your own clientele by offering them the high-quality content of our BLOG, on which we cover all aspects of motorcycling: road books, product tests, unusual places, good deals, etc.

To conclude, here are the main advantages you’ll find as a professional on Cruizador.

Cruizador, advantages for dealers

Want to find out more? Visit our dedicated section for professionals -> here <-, or click on the images below

We hope that this reading has been useful to you.

Thank you for your interest and see you soon for a new article!

Ride on !

sales new motorbikes Switzerland

sales new motorbikes SwitzerlandCruizador ecosystem virtuous circlesales new motorbikes Switzerland

Motorbike Swiss Market Insights

Cruizador

Hey, I'm the founder and Chief Biker Officer of Cruizador. I've been a motorcyclist and travel enthusiast for a long time, and it was in 2018 that I decided to launch this new service, hoping that it would speak to as many bikers as possible who share the same philosophy and the same thirst for the great outdoors. I'd be delighted to take note of your comments, ideas for improvement, etc. Ride on!

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Comments

  • Lyon Motorbike Show – Cruizador Culture
    2025-01-06 6:20:52

    […] An industry that’s in a bit of a slump – see our analysis of the Swiss market in 2024. […]

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