Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles. news, RideApart. com, Motor1. com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter. com
NEWS
BRIEFS
Through its ' Classic Legends ' subsidiary( BSA, Jawa and Yezdi) Indian conglomerate Mahindra is targeting international sales of 25,000 to 30,000 units- roughly 10 % of its overall volumes. Europe is its primary export target, spearheaded by Jawa and BSA( especially with its recently launched Gold Star iteration). ' Classic Legends ' recorded high double-digit growth in April to August 2026, reporting retail registrations of 22,279 motorcycles- this represents a massive 87.4 % growth compared to the 11,887 units recorded for the year ago period. Global registrations consistently averaged between 4,200 to 5,000 units per month throughout the first half of 2026. Total FY2026 YTD ' Classic Legends ' Sales Registrations were recorded as 45,409 motorcycles globally( approx. + 39 %). Most of these volumes are concentrated in the Indian market, where Mahindra has an ambitious target of 100,000 units in annual ' Classic Legends ' production capacity for FY2027.
Beta USA has agreed a three-year extension to continue its support for the AMS ' National Dual-Sport Series through 2029, a role that the motorcycle brand has held since 2015.
For the first half of its 2027 fiscal year( April-September 2026), Harley- Davidson partner Hero MotoCorp reported total domestic sales of 3,354,833 units(+ 16.41 %) with exports of 190,642 units(+ 8.32 %), for a 3,545,475 unit total(+ 15.95 %). Of that total, motorcycles were 3,112,665 units, scooters were 432,810. During H1 2026, the company actively scaled its presence to five European markets( including the UK, Italy, Spain, France, and a July 2026 entry into Germany via the KSR Group).
Royal Enfield recorded total global sales of 330,427 motorcycles during the first quarter of its 2026-27 fiscal year( April-June 2026) and a cumulative 709,096 units(+ 19.8 %) for the first half of the fiscal year( April- September 2026). Of these domestic Indian sales were 642,021 units(+ 23.1 %) with exports down by- 4.8 % at 67,075 units. The company experienced record sales in its 2025 / 2026 fiscal year( ending 31 March 2026), selling a total of 1,238,659 motorcycles(+ 23 %) with 131,316 of those being exports.
Volkswagen- Ducati Not For Sale For At Least ' The Next Three Years '
Despite an accelerating swirl of rumors in the past three months, it has emerged that parent company AUDI( Volkswagen Audi Group / VAG) has stated that it will not sell € 1.25bn valued Ducati for at least " the next three years ". The Italian motorcycle manufacturer is set to remain German owned, despite growing calls from regional politicians in Italy and the quasi-Governmental Confindustria organisation( the General Confederation of Italian Industry) that, in the face of uncertainty triggered by VAG ' s financial difficulties, it should be sold and returned to Italian ownership- to protect a business that has Marchio Storico di Interesse Nazionale status- a Historical Brand of National Interest. Audi also owns Lamborghini and the rumors has suggested that Audi was intent on off-loading them both. However, Italian business community hopes of seeing two iconic Italian brands returning to ' home ownership ' appear to have faded for now. Responding to the rumors, in September AUDI CEO Gernot Doellner had specifically name checked Ducati amongst assets under consideration for disposal, as the Group looks to trim its workforce, close factories and undertake a radical overhaul of its 2,000 or so shareholdings. However, despite this, it would appear that selling Ducati was never one of the disposals under serious consideration. Acquired by Audi in 2012, Ducati continues to ' stand on its own two feet ' within the Group. In 2025 it generated € 925m in revenue,
Italy- Motorcycle Registrations + 4.71 % to September
Compared to 2025, Italy continues to show
400,000 improved motorcycle sales, with the market running at + 4.71 % growth through
300,000
September( 120,364 new motorcycles registered YTD), although, overall, the growth trend has 200,000 slowed through the year as the market emerges from the shadow of the 2024 / 25 Euro 5 +
100,000 transition. New motorcycle registrations in Italy in the last three months were-6.51%( 14,988 units) for July;-3.88%( 5,819 units) for August and + 1.78 %( 11,191 units) for September. In total PTW terms the YTD data has Italy at + 10.88 % growth for the first nine months( 313,032 units vs. 282,323 for the first nine month of 2025), with July at + 4.68 %( 44.647 units); August at + 4.52 %( 16,095) and September at + 7.68 %( 31,573 units). Unlike for motorcycle registrations alone, that is the highest level of total PTW registrations for the first nine months in Italy since before the 2008 Financial Crisis. That suggests a booming Scooter market and that is indeed the case. Scooters
Italian registrations to September
282,323
PTW
+ 10.88 %
313,032
2025 2026
114,948
+ 4.71 %
120,364
MOTORCYCLE
were + 15.11 % YTD at 192,668 units. As usual, scooters dominate the YTD list of top-sellers in Italy, with Honda Italia ' s SH 125, 350 and 150 series taking the top three spots( 35,254 units between them for the first nine months of the year) followed by the Zontes ZT368T-G in fourth( 6,652 units YTD) and the Piaggio Liberty 125 ABS in fifth( 6,296). The ongoing increase in popularity of versatile ADV, Maxi-Scooter and multipurpose ' cross-over ' platforms continues to be evident in the Italian top sellers list with the Zontes ZT368T- G in fourth, the Honda X-ADV 750 in
delivering 52,895 motorcycles and contributing € 52m in operating profit. The company is projected to spend some € 100m of self-generated investment capital in each of the next five years, and is not a financial drain on its owner according to Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali.
fifth( 5,885 units YTD), the ADV 350 in eighth( 5,396 units), the Yamaha TMax in 10th( 4,702 units) with the XMax 300 in 12th( 4,141 units) and Honda ' s Forxa 350 Maxi Scooter in 19th spot( 3,046 units YTD). For the first time there is not a single larger displacement motorcycle in the list of the top-20 bestselling models in Italy- ADV, naked or sports – as the trend towards more robust but agile and lower cost city and commuter platforms plays-out. So far this year( certainly through to July) the topselling larger displacement motorcycle was Honda ' s Africa Twin. By September 7 of the top 20 best sellers were Hondas and five were from Piaggio. Other brands represented in the top 20 list were Kymco and Voge with two entries each, with one each for Zontes and Sym. For the record: Motorcycle registrations for the 2025 full year in Italy were put at 134,480 units(-19.22 %) though the official data does not include the thousands of unsold Euro 5 models that were preregistered in late 2024 but still( mostly) sold from dealerships as ' preregistered ' in 2025.
22 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER- NOVEMBER 2026 www. AMDmag. com