Suzuki now out of the UK Top 10

[Rogerborg]

MCIA new registrations, August.

It's still all about 125s and "adventure sports": up 13.8% and 29% respectively, year-to-date.

Some August surprises though in that 126-650cc sales went up 8.1% over last August, while litre bikes dropped by 11.3%. They're both down 4.8% and 1.7% year-to-date, it's only 125s that are propping up the market.

Top selling "adventure sport" this month isn't the R1200GS or the Explorer 1215, it's the KTM 125 Duke. YBR 125 Custom, CBF 125, PCX 125, YZF R125, it's tiddlers all the way down. Standouts are the Kwak Z1000 SX and weirdly the Honda CRF 250 L which is the best selling trail/enduro and the best selling 126-650cc bike.

By brand, y'all better stop bagging on Lexmoto, they're firm at number 5 and outselling a gaggle of also-rans with about 250 sales, including Kawasaki and BMW.

But Suzuki... where are you? Selling fewer than 246 bikes in August, that's where.

Best case, Suzuki's 80-something dealers averaged three new bikes each in August. Three. While they had giveaway promotions and their summer roadshow running.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[daemonoid]

Why don't suzuki have a normal or sports 125?

They have the marmite van van, a whole bunch of scooters and a streeted offroader. <edit> only one 125 scooter, the others are a misprint on their website

Biggest selling sector in the market and suzuki avoid it completely. They need a gsx125r and a scooter dressed up in hayabusa badges.

There, I've saved the company, can I have my directors bonus now please?
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current: ducati monster 750
past: hyosung gt250r, bajaj pulsar 180, hyosung gt 125 comet
@thomasgarrard | www.straitjkt.com | www.racingseven.com

[Rogerborg]

I will be buggered sideways with a Goldwing if I can figure it out. Same goes for Kawasaki, but their sales haven't contracted as sharply as Suzuki's so presumably their dealer network isn't as badly shagged.

A Gixxer (or Ninja) 125 would probably go down well here, particularly when 17 year olds are stuck on 125s for 2 years and an R125 will literally be the best bike that they can ride. It seems like a risky gamble to allow monied Yoof to not even think "Suzuki" or "Kawasaki" in the same fantasy as "... is proper well fast, innit".
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[cdlxxvi]

[daemonoid]

[cdlxxvi]

[daemonoid]

[cdlxxvi]

[GREENI3]

A gixxer 125 would be epically bad ass!

[Nick 50]

Direct Bikes in at No. 8.

I'd never even heard of them before
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Current Bikes: ZX7r 97 (Black Beauty), VFR400 NC24 (The banana)
Previous Bikes: Aprilia Tuono 03 (The Beast), CBR600f (97)
First bike: A GZ125 Lemon.......

[Rogerborg]

[gsmunn]

[Polarbear]

I really wish we could get a better breakdown of the figures, manufacturer and model.

That Kwack 1000 is a weird one though.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Polarbear]

[Rogerborg]

Um... Aprilia, Gilera, Cagiva? Plastic fantastics do sell fairly well, and will likely do better next year since there'll be no better option available for 17 and 18 year olds.

[Polarbear]

[goto10]

[blito]

[garth]

There's not a single Suzuki in the current line-up that I'd want over a competitor.
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You ain't a has been if you never was

[Rogerborg]

[kiddakidda]

Your right Suzuki don't make bad bikes, but as you have pointed out the range is confusing.

They have good bikes in the range, the Gladius & GSR 750 are both great bikes but the likes of the SV should now be removed.

In terms of new models they are releasing the Inazuma 250cc this month which may appeal to more the more cost minded buyers out there.

In comparison to the Triumph range (with the exception of their Retro's/cruisers) You only have a sportsbike (Daytona), sporty medium naked (street triple), big naked (speed triple), adventure (tiger) and tourers (sprint/trophy).

As a manufacturer if you give people to much choice based around similar bikes they'll end up confused and buy elsewhere.
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Suzuki SFV 650 (Gladdy) > Triumph Street Triple R

[Rogerborg]

I believe that the Gladius has replaced the naked SV in markets that still got it, but they've never been able to drop the SV from the UK range because the demand is still there. When they had their £1 off per cc last September and the SV came down to just £4300, they - anecdotally - completely sold out of them. They certainly sold something, since they went briefly up to #3 in the sales charts, but it's been startlingly downhill since then.

I noted at the time that the cuts were so big that they may have devalued their bikes long term, and I stick by that.

The Inazuma isn't due until November, but they have at least decided on the price: £3499 OTR. They're only claiming 85mpg from it, which is piss poor for a modern 250 - the G650GS and NC700 claim that. It's shockingly lardy (183kg!) with a small tank. I can see the sum total of sod all to recommend it, unless you're absolutely determined to buy a new Japanese branded 250, and refuse to get one with plastics.

If it was £2750 or even £3000, maybe, but it's a grand more than a 125 and just £450 short of the much sexier CBR250R. You'd really have to want to get a naked bike with pretty basic technology to go for it.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Kradmelder]

It makes sense why they don't get in that market. People who buy 125s don't have money and are greatly influenced by price. 125s are cheap and margins are small, even smaller if you must compete against chink slave labour. You can probably make more profit selling one bmw 1200 than 10 125s. The upper end market is less price conscious and more product conscious, so you can make more profit.

So let the chinks have volume. Rather go for profit. No one makes a name selling cheap shit. Look how once cheap shit jap crap like toyota and honda now chase a reputation for quality and are more expensive than daihatsu etc. They realised it better to move out of the low cost market.

Suzuki went for performance with the gsx and 'busa. They make profit there with far less bikes. Why target joe lunchbucket looking for the cheapest bike? If he can save a bit with chink crap he won't be brand conscious and move there. So I guess suziki targets his boss.
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2011 KTM 990 Dakar
2009 BMW 1200 GS

[Kradmelder]

Roger, price may not be an issue for them. People who buy by brand will a pay a bit more foer their first choice. Rolls royce, mercedes, nike, diesel, calvin klein etc know this.

Those companies always survive without counting shekels.

As for me, I would rather pay a bit more and buy something made by white hands rather than yellow hands. Keep a white man in his job and feeding his family, having kids etc. Why help asians kill us off? Bmw, ktm, triumph, all are options for me, not rice burners. Just like greenies pay a bit more for the green label. The exception is harley. I would never buy this overweight overprice underpowered cromed russbish no matter what.
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2011 KTM 990 Dakar
2009 BMW 1200 GS

[Rogerborg]

Suzuki's problem in the UK is that they're now low margin and low volume. They cut prices to the bone because (IMO) most of their bikes are yesterday's news. It worked for a short period, but they're just not selling now even with their eternal offers.

What can they do now? They can't try to go up market and raise prices, they're not selling as they are. Slapping a new colour scheme on or tweaking the plastics will only kid so many buyers that they're suddenly worth more. £300 extra for a "special edition retro Gladius"?

https://pictures.directnews.co.uk/liveimages/x_564_801428020_0_0_14069388_300.jpg

Really? They can't shift them as stock, how's putting what looks like a tacky home sticker job on them going to move them?

OK, they've bumped the warranty to 3 years, and that is significant. But it demonstrably hasn't worked, at least not yet, so it's not going to force the hand of any other marque to match or better it.

What now?

What I'd love them to do is to go nuclear and say "Did we say a 3 warranty? We meant 4. Tell you what, to you, 5. Sod it, 7, Koreans can do it, we can do it."
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike