Need a quick hit of motorcycle news, but don't have a lot of time? Don't worry, RideApart has got you. Welcome to Speed Reads, our new roundup of bite-sized stories we thought you might find interesting. We'll skip the long-winded intro and get right to the good stuff.
Harley-Davidson Q4 2023, Total Yearly Sales Down (But LiveWire Shipments Improve)
Harley-Davidson presented its 2023 Q4 financial results, which Harley CEO, chairman, and president Jochen Zeitz frames as "[setting] us up for long-term value creation despite the current challenging environment for the industry." He also underlined the company's excitement at its significant touring platform revamp and the 2024 new model year launch.
You're not here for that, though. You're here for some numbers, and numbers you shall have. For those unfamiliar with how Harley-Davidson's reporting structure works, the company refers to Harley-Davidson, Incorporated (HDI) as the overall company, which includes the other three entities within it. They are:
- Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC), which includes all motorcycles and related products that are not electric
- Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS), which covers financing and insurance services
- LiveWire, which includes all electric motorcycles and related products including the Stacyc line
Also of note is the fact that while Harley-Davidson reports its HDMC numbers with the label "motorcycle sales," it refers to its LiveWire results using the terminology "motorcycle shipments" instead.
Worldwide, HDMC motorcycle sales were 30,200 in Q4 of 2023, down 11 percent from the 33,800 it sold for the same period in 2022. For the full year of 2023, worldwide sales were 162,800, down nine percent from the 178,500 sold in 2022.
For 2023 Q4, sales were down slightly in every market except Latin America, where they rose 46 percent from 600 to 800 units. In North America, sales dropped by nine percent, going from 19,200 in 2022 to 17,500 in 2023. In Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA collectively), sales dropped 22 percent from 6,600 to 5,100. Finally, in the Asia Pacific region, sales dropped 10 percent, going from 7,500 in Q4 of 2022 to 6,800 in Q4 of 2023.
For the full 2023 reporting year, sales stayed flat in Latin America at 2,900 bikes. In North America, they dropped from 117,100 in 2022 to 105,900 in 2023, which is a decrease of 10 percent year-on-year. In EMEA, they dropped 11 percent for the same period, going from 30,500 in 2022 to 27,000 in 2023. Finally, in Asia Pacific, they dropped three percent, going from 27,900 in 2022 to 27,000 in 2023.
What about LiveWire, you ask? In 2023 Q4, LiveWire shipped 514 total bikes, for a dramatic increase of 645 percent over the 69 units (you read that correctly) that it shipped during the same period in 2022.
That means, for the full 2023 reporting year, LiveWire shipped a total of 660 bikes, up 11 percent over the 597 shipped throughout the whole of 2022. It attributes this positive uptick to unit sales of the new S2 Del Mar.
Royal Enfield Reports Quarterly And Year-To-Date Motorcycle Sales Growth In February 2024
Royal Enfield and its parent company, Eicher Motors, report their sales figures in a format including both monthly and year-to-date figures. Both the parent and child companies begin their fiscal reporting years in April, which is important to know to understand what you're seeing.
Beyond that, the firm keeps things simple with its sales numbers reporting, breaking the figures into models up to 350cc, models above 350cc, total motorcycle sales, and a breakout section for international business (which is still included in the total sales numbers).
In January 2024, Royal Enfield reported sales of 67,620 bikes with engine capacity up to 350cc, which is down one percent from the 68,183 bikes sold in January 2023. However, it also noted January 2024 sales of 8,567 bikes with engine capacity over 350cc, which is up 31 percent over the 6,563 it sold in January 2023.
Total January 2024 motorcycle sales were 76,187, up two percent from the 74,746 sold in January 2023. International business was down 20 percent in January 2024, going from the 7,044 sold in January 2023 to just 5,631 sold in the first month of 2024.
Despite that fact, the total number of motorcycles sold for the year-to-date is up 10 percent over the same time in 2023. Total motorcycle sales from April 2023 to January 2024 (the current year) have been 761,246, up from the 691,116 it sold from April 2022 to January 2023.
This is due in large part to the 12 percent rise year-on-year in sales of motorcycles with engine capacities up to 350cc. From April 2023 to January 2024, Enfield reported sales of 679,567 bikes in this range, as compared to the 608,722 it sold from April 2022 to January 2023.
International business year-on-year is down by 25 percent, with Enfield selling 60,417 exported bikes from April 2023 to January 2024, as compared to the 80,596 it sold from April 2022 to January 2023.
New Motorcycle Registrations Rose By 10.5 Percent In Europe In 2023
The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) issued its annual report on motorcycle and moped sales data, encompassing both combustion and electric options and breaking the data down in some interesting ways.
Across France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, new motorcycle registrations rose year-on-year. In the UK, they dropped very slightly. The total growth in European motorcycle registrations for countries included rose by 10.5 percent from 2022 to 2023. Here's a more detailed breakdown in table form:
| Country | Number of New Motorcycle Registrations (includes both ICE and electric) | Amount of change recorded from 2022 to 2023 (percent) |
| France | 206,731 | +6.9 percent |
| Germany | 213,801 | +7.2 percent |
| Italy | 320,186 | +18.0 percent |
| Spain | 201,115 | +13.6 percent |
| UK | 108,065 | -1.2 percent |
It's a different story when you look at Europe's 2023 new moped registrations, though. For reference, a moped is classed as a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with a top speed of 45 kilometers per hour (about 27.9 mph), with peak power of 4 kilowatts (or slightly over 5 horsepower).
| Country | Number of New Moped Registrations (includes both ICE and electric) | Amount of change recorded from 2022 to 2023 (percent) |
| Belgium | 30,773 | -3.8 percent |
| France | 75,426 | -19.1 percent |
| Germany | 17,627 | -40.5 percent |
| Italy | 18,737 | -13.3 percent |
| Netherlands | 34,027 | -45.1 percent |
| Spain | 16,555 | -5.2 percent |
| European Total | 193,145 | -24.5 percent |
Sales of both electric motorcycles and mopeds, when broken away from the ICE options, were also down from 2022 to 2023. For electric motorcycles, a total of 34,764 were registered across Europe in 2023, which represents a 20.1 percent decrease from 2022. Regarding electric mopeds, total 2023 registrations across Europe were 61,011, down 28.9 percent from 2022.
Davide Brivio Is Trackhouse Racing MotoGP's New Team Principal
Team managers, as important as they are, don't always reach the status of legends in their specific motorsports. Davide Brivio, however, is very much an exception. He's widely credited as one of the most important factors in tempting Valentino Rossi to join the Yamaha MotoGP team. Together, the pair scooped up riders' championships for Rossi in 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009, and matching constructors' championships for Yamaha in 2005, 2008, and 2009.
Brivio wasn't done working magic with Yamaha yet, though. Together with Jorge Lorenzo, there was both another rider's and another constructors' championship in 2010.
Still, when Rossi moved over to Ducati, Brivio went with him to act as a consultant for the VR46 rider development program. By 2013, Brivio moved on to work with Suzuki, which formally got back into MotoGP for the 2015 season with Brivio as team principal. He helped to guide the team into the points, and later to Joan Mir's amazing and unforgettable 2020 championship win.
Having been born and raised near the international motorsport cathedral that is Monza, Brivio found that he was absolutely not immune to the siren call of Formula One. In 2021, he doubled his racing wheels and officially took on the role of racing director for the Alpine F1 team.
Unfortunately for him and the team, his particular brand of team management magic didn't result in any Alpine F1 championships. But fortunately for Trackhouse Racing MotoGP, the timing seems to have worked out pretty well.
"It all happened very quickly in the last days with Justin asking me to help Trackhouse in the MotoGP challenge. It’s so exciting to be a part of this new project since the beginning and I’m really looking forward to get to know Trackhouse more and see what we can bring in MotoGP from the successful vision and experience that this company has in other sports and environments," the man/myth/legend himself, Davide Brivio, said in a statement.
"It could be a great combination of the two worlds. Now, it’s just one more test to go, almost time to go racing and we will try to support as much as we can our two talented riders Miguel and Raul and have fun. In the last few days everything has happened very quickly and before I could not say where I was going but hey, it’s great news and we will start working quickly," he concluded.
The Republic Of Italy Released A Gorgeous Set Of Ducati Collectible Coins
We may be biased here (OK, obviously), but these are definitely not those commemorative coins you see on late-night TV, of questionable quality and aimed squarely at insomniacs. Instead, these are totally gorgeous representations of the Ducati 60, the Ducati 916, and of course the Ducati Panigale.
They were minted by Italy's State Polygraphic Institute and Mint (IPZS), and will be available to purchase both individually and as a set of three as of June 20, 2024. The IPZS listings say that they will ship these internationally, which is likely of interest to many Ducatisti located outside of Italy.
Each individual five-Euro commemorative Ducati coin will cost €80, or just over $86 USD. The set of three is €250, or about $269.35 USD. Whether you're simply happy to see something beautiful exist in the world, or you can't wait to get your hands on them, at least you now know that they will be available soon. We've included a link in our Sources so you can go check them out for yourself.
Gallery: Ducati Commemorative Coins 2024 - Republic of Italy
