Kids bikes do the heavy lifting in first-half motorcycle sales surge

Motorcycle Sales Figures
January 1 through June 30, 2026
Australia – FCAI brands

Australia’s FCAI-audited motorcycle and Off-Highway Vehicle market recorded a stronger first half in 2026, with 46,023 units reported between January and June.

That compares with 42,549 units across the same period last year, representing an 8.2 per cent lift.

The headline number is encouraging, and is the strongest first-half result since 2022, but the underlying story remains very much segment-driven. Off-road motorcycles are carrying the market, while road motorcycles were effectively flat, scooters softened, and OHV numbers were almost unchanged.

Off-road sales rose 21.6 per cent to 20,417 units, up 3630 units on the same period last year. That increase alone more than accounts for the total market lift, with the road and scooter segments slightly offsetting the gains in the dirt segment.

The FCAI said growth in the off-road category was driven particularly by the kids and light trail segments, which were up 32 per cent and 131 per cent respectively.

That aligns with what we saw in the first-quarter figures, where off-road machinery was already doing most of the heavy lifting. The half-year result shows that momentum continued through Q2.

Road motorcycle sales were down 0.5 per cent at 16,170 units, compared with 16,256 in the first half of 2025. That is hardly a dramatic fall, but it does continue the longer-term cooling in the traditional road segment compared with the stronger numbers seen earlier in the decade.

Scooters were down 2.7 per cent, from 2746 to 2672 units.

OHV sales were effectively unchanged, with 6764 units recorded in the first half of 2026 compared with 6760 in the corresponding period last year.

Sales by segment were as follows:

• Road motorcycles: 16,170 (down 0.5 per cent)
• Off-road motorcycles: 20,417 (up 21.6 per cent)
• Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs): 6764 (up 0.1 per cent)
• Scooters: 2672 (down 2.7 per cent)

Motorcycle Sales Figures (FCAI)
January 1 through June 30, 2026

Australian Motorcycle Sales Figures
Compared to recent half-year data

The first-half 2026 total is better than 2023, 2024 and 2025, but still sits below the 2022 result and well short of the pandemic-era peak seen in 2021.

The off-road figure is the standout in that comparison. At 20,417 units, off-road sales are now higher than the first half of 2022 and sit second only to the 2021 result across the past six half-year periods.

Road sales, by contrast, remain below every first-half result in the comparison table below.

Australian Motorcycle Sales Figures
Compared to recent half-years

Note: Information based on FCAI figures.
FCAI members are the only brands to report retail numbers in Australia.

This is not the full picture

Unfortunately, these are the only figures we now receive from the official sales audit.

Historically we would be able to see brand by brand and model by model performances, but the FCAI aligned brands now hold their cards close to their chest and refuse to release detailed data which is why of late you have not seen the regular detailed motorcycle sales figures analysis by model segment and model that we generally brought to you each quarter on MCNews.com.au in previous year.

New Zealand have a transparent mechanism with public reporting of registration data on a monthly basis but here it has all gone a bit secret squirrel.

It should be noted that some brands are not represented in the official audit figures in relation to motorcycle sales. Their reticence to release their figures to the audit body and be part of the FCAI seems to be the catalyst for the FCAI brands now releasing only very limited data, seemingly to not reveal any market intelligence to the brands not aligned with the FCAI.

Brands under the Urban Moto Imports group such as Royal Enfield, Benelli, Segway and Rieju are not included in the FCAI audit.

Likewise, the likes of CFMOTO, Kymco and Sherco that come under the stewardship of Mojo Motorcycles are not included in the sales figures as these companies are not members of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

With the quoted 46,023 total sales in the Australian market from FCAI brands, not including sales from the aforementioned brands, the real overall volume is quite likely in the region of 55,000.

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