Press

In the previous article, we argued that motorcycling should be treated as serious transport rather than a weekend hobby. The logic was simple: motorcycles reduce congestion, lower emissions, cost less to run, and move people efficiently through crowded cities.

For decades, motorcycling in the UK has been framed as a passion rather than a solution. Something riders do for fun, freedom, or weekend escape — not a practical answer to congestion, emissions, or rising transport costs.

Spend any time around UK bike schools, forums, or Sunday-morning café stops and you’ll hear the line trotted out with absolute confidence: “Only one in five riders ever go beyond a CBT.” It sounds alarming. It sounds like failure. And it sounds like something is fundamentally broken in the UK licensing system.

If you’ve been following motorcycle news over the past year, you’d be forgiven for feeling confused. One headline says bike sales are collapsing, another claims the market is “stabilising,” while others hint at a rebound just around the corner. So what’s really going on with new motorcycle registrations in the UK across 2024 and 2025 — and what does it mean for riders, dealers, and manufacturers heading into 2026?

If you ride a motorcycle in the UK in 2026 and don’t worry about potholes, you’re either blessed with monk-like calm or you’ve not been out much lately. For many riders, potholes have quietly become one of the biggest everyday risks on British roads – not high speed, not traffic, but the simple unpredictability of road surfaces that are deteriorating faster than they’re being repaired.