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Bikebiz Parramatta
Bikebiz
granville
granville
Brands
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Parts Finder
Brands
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Parts Finder
By Daniel Law
|
4 August 2026
|
8 min read
Australians are getting back on two wheels. New bike sales fell for four years in a row, but the market turned around in 2026. And there have never been more motorcycles registered in this country.
At Bikebiz, we have watched this shift happen from our showrooms at Parramatta and Granville, where the bikes people buy, and the reasons they buy them, keep changing over time.
We pulled together the latest national and state figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) to give riders, journalists and the industry one clear picture of Australian motorcycling in 2026.
New sales are up 8.2% in 2026. 46,023 motorcycles and off-highway vehicles sold in the first half of 2026, up from 42,549 in the same period last year. It is the best result in years [2].
Off-road bikes are leading the recovery. Kids' bikes are up 32% and trail bikes are up 131% on last year, which points to a new generation coming into the sport [2].
Australia now has a record 982,067 registered motorcycles (at 31 January 2025), up 2.1% in two years and closing in on one million [1].
NSW has the biggest motorcycle fleet in the country at 289,375 bikes, and the newest of any state at an average age of 10.9 years, against 12.9 nationally [1].
Queensland has more registered motorcycles than Victoria (239,905 against 218,589) despite having fewer people. That works out to 42.7 motorcycles per 1,000 residents, well above the national 35.8 [1].
2025 was the turning point. Full-year sales of 92,967 (motorcycles plus off-highway vehicles) were down just 1.3%, the smallest yearly drop of the downturn, before growth returned in 2026 [3].
Australia's motorcycle market runs on two different clocks, and they do not always agree. New bike sales follow the economy. They dropped between 2022 and 2025 as people cut back on big purchases, then bounced back in 2026.
The number of registered bikes, on the other hand, has kept climbing the whole time. That is because motorcycles stay on the road for years: the bikes people bought during the pandemic boom are still registered, still being ridden, and still coming in to us for servicing.
BITRE's figures show the fleet growing steadily, even in the years when new sales were falling:
| Year (at 31 Jan) | Registered motorcycles (Australia) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 961,501 | n/a |
| 2024 | 973,714 | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 982,067 | +0.9% |
Source: BITRE, Road Vehicles, Australia, January 2025 [1].
At this rate, Australia will pass one million registered motorcycles this decade. That is a good marker of how normal riding has become, both as transport and as a way to spend a weekend.
These two sets of numbers answer different questions, and mixing them up is the most common mistake we see.
FCAI sales figures count brand new bikes delivered to customers in a set period. They tell you what people are buying right now. BITRE registration figures count every motorcycle registered for the road, no matter how old, including second-hand bikes and ones people have owned for years. They tell you how many riders are out there in total.
That explains something that looks odd at first: the fleet grew every year from 2023 to 2025 even while new sales were falling. Very few bikes leave the road each year. Riders are holding onto them longer, with the average Australian motorcycle now 12.9 years old [1], and the second-hand market stays busy. It also means the 8.2% jump in sales in 2026 [2] will show up in registration numbers over the next few years.
One thing to know if you are citing the sales data: FCAI figures come from its member brands, so strong sellers that are not members, such as CFMOTO and Royal Enfield, do not have to report. FCAI has told bikesales its published total may capture around 80% of the real market at best [8]. Actual sales are higher than the headline numbers suggest.
The national totals hide some big differences between states. Here is where motorcycle registrations sat at 31 January 2025:
| State / Territory | Registered motorcycles (2025) | Change vs 2024 | Per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 289,375 | -0.1% | 33.9 |
| Queensland | 239,905 | +0.9% | 42.7 |
| Victoria | 218,589 | +1.4% | 31.2 |
| Western Australia | 131,367 | +1.5% | 43.7 |
| South Australia | 62,151 | +2.1% | 32.9 |
| Tasmania | 21,370 | +1.0% | 37.1 |
| ACT | 13,991 | +1.5% | 29.0 |
| Northern Territory | 5,319 | -4.4% | 20.3 |
| Australia | 982,067 | +0.9% | 35.8 |
Source: BITRE, Road Vehicles, Australia, January 2025 [1].
South Australia grew fastest in the year to January 2025, up 2.1%, followed by WA at 1.5%, then Victoria and the ACT [1].
The west and north-east ride the most per person. WA has 43.7 motorcycles per 1,000 residents and Queensland 42.7, both well above the national 35.8. That fits the lifestyle and weekend riding boom happening outside the biggest cities [1].
The Northern Territory was the only place to shrink, down 4.4%, continuing a slide that has run for several years from a small base [1].
NSW is our home state and the biggest motorcycle market in the country, with 289,375 registered bikes. Its fleet was basically flat in the year to January 2025, down 0.1% [1]. But two details sit behind that flat number.
First, NSW has the newest motorcycle fleet of any Australian state, averaging 10.9 years against the national 12.9, and behind only the Northern Territory at 10.5 [1]. NSW riders upgrade their bikes more often than riders in any other state. That is a big reason our Parramatta and Granville stores stay busy even in years when total registrations barely move.
Second, NSW sits below Queensland and WA on bikes per person, at 33.9 per 1,000. Sydney is dense and has more transport options, so the NSW market leans towards commuters, learners on LAMS bikes and road riders across Greater Sydney.
Here, a motorcycle is often a way around traffic as much as a weekend escape. If you are just starting out, we walk through the steps in our guide to getting your NSW motorcycle licence.
Riding is still mostly male, with FCAI putting men at around 85% of licence holders, but that is changing [4]. In NSW, women now hold about 10% of motorcycle licences, up from under 7% in the early 2000s [5].
Riders are also older than they used to be, typically in their late 30s and 40s. These are people who are settled financially, either coming back to riding or taking it up for the first time, and they have money to spend on a good bike and proper gear.
FCAI's figures for the first half of 2026 show where the momentum is [2]:
| Segment | H1 2026 result | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Off-road motorcycles | Biggest gains: kids' bikes up 32%, trail bikes up 131% | Driving the market |
| Road motorcycles | Close to 2025 levels | Steady |
| Off-highway vehicles (OHVs) | 6,764 units against 6,760 in H1 2025 | Flat |
| Scooters | Down 2.7% | Slowing |
| Total market (motorcycles and OHVs) | 46,023 units, up 8.2% on H1 2025 | Up |
Source: FCAI, July 2026 [2]. The total covers motorcycles and OHVs together.
The jump in trail and kids' bikes is the most important thing in the 2026 numbers. Families are getting into riding together, and the kid on a trail bike today is the road rider buying a LAMS bike in a few years.
We cover those first bikes in our guide to the best beginner motorcycles in Australia. It also tells us what is coming for gear, because every new rider needs a helmet, gloves and boots long before they need a second bike. Gear demand usually runs ahead of bike sales in a growth year.
For the last full year on record, 2025: 92,967 units in total, down 1.3%. Off-road held steady at 41,190, road bikes fell 3.6% to 33,018, and scooters rose 3.8% to 4,933 [3].
Electric motorcycles are still a small slice of Australian sales, nowhere near as visible as electric cars. Analysts do expect the segment to grow through the decade as range improves and prices come down [6][7]. For now, most of the real activity sits at the small commuter and kids' bike end of the market.
Three things stand out to us in the 2026 data. First, the off-road boom favours businesses that sell both bikes and equipment, because riders who come in through trail riding buy protective motorcycle gear more than any other group. The sport demands it from day one.
Second, an older and better-off rider base shifts demand towards comfort, safety technology and premium brands. Third, more women are riding every year, and we see it across both our stores. That makes proper women's fit and a deep range in jackets and pants a real point of difference, not a sideline.
Mordor Intelligence expects Australia's two-wheeler market to grow from USD 0.86 billion in 2025 to USD 1.11 billion by 2030, a 5.21% compound annual growth rate [6].
IMARC Group forecasts similar growth of 6.27% a year through to 2033, driven by electric models, scooters and city commuting [7].
The fleet numbers point to something steadier than those revenue forecasts. Registrations are growing at about 1% a year [1], and the 2026 sales recovery [2] will add to that. On those figures, Australia should pass one million registered motorcycles around 2027 and reach roughly 1.03 to 1.06 million by 2030. If sales keep running at 2026's pace, it will be higher.
Running costs. Motorcycles cost less per kilometre, so they look better every time fuel prices and living costs climb. The same squeeze that stops people buying big-ticket items can push commuters onto two wheels [3].
Traffic and parking. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane keep getting denser, which suits small vehicles that are easy to park. That supports the commuter market even while scooter sales are soft [2].
The pipeline of new riders. Kids' bikes up 32% and trail bikes up 131% in 2026 [2] is demand building for years ahead, as those riders move on to licences, LAMS bikes and full gear kits.
Electric. Take-up will follow charging infrastructure, incentives and price. Forecasters agree it will grow, but it is starting from a very small base [6][7].
Ageing bikes. The average motorcycle is now 12.9 years old and getting older [1], which keeps demand strong for parts, servicing and replacement gear no matter what new bike sales do.
Safety standards. Helmet certification rules decide what riders can legally buy here, and we explain them in our guide to motorcycle helmet standards and laws. As standards tighten, more riders replace older gear.
[1] BITRE, Road Vehicles, Australia, January 2025
[2] FCAI, Motorcycle sales up 8.2 per cent in 2026
[3] FCAI, Motorcycle sales data for 2025 released
[4] FCAI, Motorcycling in Australia: Directions for the Motorcycle Industry 2021 to 2024
[5] ABC News, Female motorcyclists on the rise in New South Wales
[6] Mordor Intelligence, Australia Two-Wheeler Market Analysis
[7] IMARC Group, Australia Two-Wheeler Market (forecasts to 2033)
[8] bikesales, Motorcycle sales steady, but two high-flying brands not counted
Registration figures are BITRE estimates at 31 January each year, drawn from state and territory registry data on the NEVDIS system, as published in the revised October 2025 edition of Road Vehicles, Australia, January 2025. Per capita rates combine those registrations with ABS population estimates. Sales figures are FCAI counts of new units delivered to customers, covering member brands only.
The two sets of figures measure different things, so we have kept them separate throughout. Our description of 2025 as the smallest yearly drop of the downturn is our own calculation across successive FCAI releases, not an FCAI statement. All percentages are worked out from the published source figures. We compiled and interpreted this report at Bikebiz, a motorcycle dealership and gear retailer operating from Parramatta and Granville in Sydney.
All data here is for educational and informational use. Journalists, researchers and industry professionals are welcome to cite any statistic or graphic from this report. We just ask that you credit us with a link back to this page as the source.