NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE DEALERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY Husqvarna TE 300 top selling trial/enduro in January 2019

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Pamela Francis
5 years ago
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Overall dealers are optimistic that the market will perform well long term in 2019, but there is some concern that manufacturer targets seem very ambitious.

1 NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE DEALERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2019 Husqvarna TE 300 top selling trial/enduro in January MOTORCYCLE MARKET Despite January being a typically low volume month for motorcycle sales, it was encouraging to see that registrations were up 8.7% on the same period last year. Overall dealers are optimistic that the market will perform well long term in 2019, but there is some concern that manufacturer targets seem very ambitious. With uncertainties around Brexit set to continue, it is difficult to plan and budget this year as a motorcycle retailer. See our full comment in this month s news. BDN INDUSTRY AWARDS 2019 Last month we attended the British Dealer News Expo and Awards. The NMDA sponsored the Manufacturer of the Year award which was presented to Kawasaki, and we were very pleased to see our very own former Chairman Martin Marshall take home the prestigious Lifetime Achievement award very well deserved! A full list of winners and photos from the night in this month s news. NMDA MEMBER MEETING 5 MARCH 2019 The NMDA meets every quarter to update and discuss the future direction of policy, plus review issues affecting dealers. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 5 March at our London office

2 DEALERS OPTIMISTIC THAT MOTORCYCLE MARKET WILL PERFORM WELL IN 2019 Despite January being a typically low volume month for motorcycle sales, it was encouraging to see that registrations were up 8.7% on the same period last year. A total of 5,935 new bikes were put on the road in January, and all power sectors showed growth with the exception of the sub 50cc and over 1000cc machines. Manufacturer wise, Honda was the leading seller registering 1,496 bikes in January. 227 of these machines were of the PCX 125 model in the cc sector and 158 units of the CRF 1000 model in the cc sector. KTM were in second position with 589 registrations, with many dealers reporting that there was a push for them to acquire additional bikes from KTM in expectation of a price rise related to currency exchange rates. Some of this extra inventory was probably self-registered, boosting KTM s position in the market. Yamaha were in third position with 535 registrations. Most surprisingly was the Manufacturer Husqvarna which led the sector with 107 motorcycles registered. This put them in seventh position. Overall dealers are optimistic that the market will perform well long term in 2019, but there is some concern that manufacturer targets seem very ambitious. With uncertainties around Brexit set to continue, it is difficult to plan and budget this year as a motorcycle retailer. DVLA DEALER UPDATES Trade licence plates and who can use them and for what If you re a motorcycle trader or vehicle tester, trade licence plates allow you to carry out your business without registering and taxing every vehicle temporarily in your possession. Licenced new or second hand bikes already registered to you (the dealer) must be taxed and cannot be used under this provision. Trade plates cannot be used on unroadworthy vehicles. All vehicles must be covered by insurance and have a valid MoT in place, unless they are exempt from MoT requirements. All unroadworthy vehicles must be transported. The law allows an untaxed vehicle to be driven to and from a pre-arranged MoT without a trade plate. A motorcycle dealer is defined as a person in the business of selling or supplying bikes. A motorcycle trader is defined as: a manufacturer or repairer of vehicles a dealer whose business consists of collecting and delivering vehicles and no other activities except as a vehicle manufacturer or repairer hire, leasing and finance companies who collect and deliver vehicles Permitted uses

3 Trade plates are used for vehicles in the temporary possession of a business for testing, trialling, demonstrating or delivering. DVLA introduces a new way to share driving licence details The Add a driving licence check code to your mobile phone service launched into public beta on 11 December. This is the next step on our digital journey following on from the View, Share and Check Driving Licence services. The new service is available to GB photocard licence holders and generates a quick response (QR) code, similar to a bar code, on the driver s smartphone. This code can be used on the redesigned Check Driving Licence service which activates the user s webcam on their device. It will present the same information as the current service driving licence categories, endorsements and disqualifications, offering users a choice on how they access this information. The existing View, Share and Check services are still available. Neil Akass, DVLA Service Designer, said, If our user testing and private beta pilot are anything to go by, we think the service will prove a hit with the motoring public and stakeholders alike. If you would like to learn more about the service, take a look at Neil s blog on GOV.UK. We are keen to hear about your and your customers experience of using this new service which will help us to improve. NMDA MEMBER MEETING 5 MARCH 2019 The NMDA meets every quarter to update and discuss the future direction of policy, plus review issues affecting dealers. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 5 March at our London office on 201 Great Portland Street. The meeting will begin at followed by lunch at 1pm. For more information and or to confirm your attendance, please louise.woods@rmif.co.uk A NOTE FROM OUR CHAIRMAN PAUL BARKSHIRE Through recent discussions with motorcycle dealers, I have found that many are concerned that manufacturers have minimum franchise standards in place. Some are regularly being visited by mystery shoppers and an unfair representation of how their business operates is being given. Whilst I have been in the industry for 40 years and agree it can be unfair, it is more important that rather than looking to blame, we must look at our business closely and see which areas big or small, can be improved. Customer contact is vital and first impressions count for everything, from the smallest operator, to the largest business, we should all be encouraged to communicate with our customers. It may be worth taking some time to speak to colleagues and offer some basic training in communicating with

4 the customers. Whether it be on the phone or in person, it is important to feel confident when engaging and more importantly, to make the customer feel valued. One of the biggest challenges we face this year is the uncertainty in the market over Brexit. Maintaining profitability and the pressures of meeting targets is tough, but historically our industry has always done well, even through the financial crisis and uncertain times. We must be able to adapt, not just to our customers needs and our manufactures demands, but of course the continued legislation in the industry. I strongly believe the speed of change will increase over the next few years. Happy Selling! MOTORCYCLE SINGLE VEHICLE APPROVAL INSPECTION MANUAL UPDATED The DVSA has updated the Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval (MSVA) manual to include an addition to the low powered mopeds (LPMs) group. This new group of electrically assisted pedal cycles is called '250Watt LPM' and is in category 'L1e'. These cycles require type approval but don't need registration in Great Britain. Dealers should be aware of these requirements when offered the opportunity to stock these for re-sale to the public. View the updated MSVA manual BRITISH DEALER NEWS MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY AWARDS 2019 Ten trophies were presented at the British Dealer News Motorcycle Industry Awards night for Almost 4000 votes were cast by dealers for the seven categories decided by popular poll, another record. The glittering occasion was compered by Steve Parrish and comedian Ian Irving providing the entertainment. The NMDA would like to offer our congratulations to all the winners! EBay Top-Selling Used Motorcycle Yamaha YZF-R1 NMDA Manufacturer of the Year Kawasaki Motorcycle Franchise of the Year Winner: Lexmoto Merit Award: Sinnis Motorcycles Scooter Franchise of the Year Winner: Sinnis Motorcycles Merit Award: SYM (MotoGB) Rider Product Brand of the Year Winner: Shoei Helmets

Computer Systems Wholesaler of the Year Winner: Larsson UK Merit Award: Fowlers of Bristol Representative of

5 Merit Award: LS2 Helmets Motorcycle Product Brand of the Year Winner: Lextek Motorcycle Products Merit Award: Liqui Moly (Bike It International) Business Support Service of the Year Winner: McAMS Merit Award: Catalyst Computer Systems Wholesaler of the Year Winner: Larsson UK Merit Award: Fowlers of Bristol Representative of the Year Winner: Jack Thompson, McAMS Merit Award: Robert Wool, Lexmoto Lifetime Achievement Award Martin Marshall

NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE DEALERS ASSOCIATION NEWS JULY Dear Colleague,

NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE DEALERS ASSOCIATION NEWS JULY 2016 Dear Colleague, This month s NMDA news contains all the latest motorcycle information, plus other issues facing the sector. It is positive to see