When it comes to the biggest motorcycle brands on the market, things are not necessarily as we imagine them to be. Many believe that brands like Harley-Davidson or Ducati are the biggest, given that they often offer the coolest, if not the most expensive and reliable motorcycles. Another way to look at top motorcycle brands is to look at their market cap or share. That said, to make this list, we at HotCars decided to look at global sales to see which motorcycle brand ends up selling the highest number of two-wheelers.
The results are pretty surprising, given that, as per the number of motorcycle sales, Harley-Davidson is no longer in the top ten list, and surprisingly, neither is Ducati, BMW, Triumph, and even Indian. Most of the entries on this list belong to Asian countries, including Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Royal Enfield, mostly because this is where the bulk of motorcycles are sold, used as transport out of necessity rather than choice, given the cheapness of the vehicle and its fuel economy.
How We Curated This List: To collate the information for this list, we have taken the global sales numbers for 2022, as well as the projected 2023 sales figures from Motorcycles Data and Statista.
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10 Royal Enfield
2022 Sales: 0.7 million; Projected 2023 Sales: 0.9 million
From being a brand that, while having a good standing on home ground, didn’t have much of a global presence, Royal Enfield is a case study of change. Today, the success of its sub-500cc motorcycles is such that even Harley-Davidson is launching competitive models, namely, the X440.
Royal Enfield’s current slew of new models is certainly paying off, and as per the numbers, sales are skyrocketing globally. For 2023, projected sales suggest a 0.9 million windfall, making the brand number 10 on our list.
Top Models
- Royal Enfield Classic 350
- Royal Enfield Hunter 350
- Royal Enfield Bullet 350
- Royal Enfield Himalayan 450
Sales figures taken from MotorcyclesData.com.
9 Italika
2022 Sales: 0.9 million; Projected 2023 Sales: 1.1 million
While this is not a motorcycle brand everyone might have heard of, it’s also not from Italy, despite bearing the name Italika. This Mexican motorcycle manufacturer makes scooters and exports them to Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Brazil, and Costa Rica.
Founded in 2005, Italika reached a market share of 63% by 2011; in 2022, sales reached 0.9 million. With projected sales of more than 1.1 million for 2023, Italika surges to number nine on this list of the world’s biggest motorcycle brands.
Top Models
- Italika FT50
- Italika Vitalia 150
Sales figures taken from MotorcyclesData.com.
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8 Suzuki
2022 Sales: 1.8 million; Projected 2023 Sales: 1.5 million
While motorcycles like the Hayabusa turned Suzuki into a vaunted motorcycle brand, other models like the Gixxer and scooters like the Access channel sales in Southeast Asian countries. Suzuki has been on an upward sales swing since 2015, and despite setbacks from COVID-19, it holds strong at number eight.
Sales might have slipped a little for 2023 as compared to 2022, but with Suzuki launching a new lineup for 2024, who knows what the next year might hold for this Japanese motorcycle brand? One thing Suzuki is known for is innovation, and the future may shine bright for Suzuki and its two-wheelers.
Top Models
- Suzuki GSX Series
- Suzuki Gixxer
- Suzuki Hayabusa
Sales figures taken from MotorcyclesData.com.
7 Haojue
2022 Sales: 1.92 million; Projected 2023 Sales: 2.1 million
Haojue motorcycles are primarily sold within their home turf, China, which is probably why the rest of the world remains unaware of them. They make mostly commuter motorcycles and scooters and seem to be on the rise when it comes to sales.
That said, China’s Zero-Covid policy has hurt sales as well as supply chain management, although, with things settling down for 2023, sales are looking up after a couple of bad years, so it remains on this list at number seven.
Top Model
- Haojue Lucky
- Haojue DL250
- Haojue KA150
- Haojue VE125
Sales figures taken from MotorcyclesData.com and Statista.com.
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6 Bajaj Auto
2022 Sales: 3.0 million; Projected 2023 Sales: 3.15 million
While Bajaj is a big player within India, it’s also a part-owner of KTM, and together, the motorcycle brand had enough sales to come sixth on the list. Of course, the economical motorcycles from Bajaj drive a lot of these sales within their home ground, India.
Even then, it did lose domestic market share in 2012, back when Hero and Honda split their partnership, although it was on an upward swing by 2015. By 2018, it had record sales, and now they are growing again, projected to be over 3 million in 2023, especially helped by the KTM Duke series.
Top Models
- Bajaj Pulsar
- Bajaj Dominar
- Bajaj Avenger
- KTM 200 Duke
Sales figures taken from MotorcyclesData.com.
5 TVS Motor Company
2022 Sales: 2.8 million; Projected 2023 Sales: 3.2 million
Between 2012 and 2018, sales of the TVS Motor Company grew from 1.9 million to 3.4 million. That said, this Indian MoCo went on a downward spiral during the COVID-19 pandemic, with sales dropping sharply.
Known for making economy motorcycles that sell in India for $750 a pop, cheaper than any motorcycle could cost, sales of the TVS motorcycles are high enough to put it fifth on the list of biggest motorcycle brands, even if these sales are mostly within the Indian subcontinent.
Top Models
- TVS Raider
- TVS Jupiter
- TVS Apache RR 310
Sales figures taken from MotorcyclesData.com.
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4 Yamaha Motor
2022 Sales: 4.2 million; Projected 2023 Sales: 4.0 million
With cult classics like the MT series and more, Yamaha motorcycles took over from Suzuki and surged in at number four, given strong sales. Although Yamaha is on a slight downward trajectory again for 2023, the last two years saw strong sales, bolstered by the MT-07.
This Japanese motorcycle brand seems to be doing well, better than Suzuki and Kawasaki, although it is lagging behind the market leader, also from Japan. That said, there are several new models in the offing for 2024, including the powerful Yamaha Ténéré 700 and the Tracer 9 GT+ sport-tourer, so that things might look better next year.
Top Models
- Yamaha MT-07
- Yamaha YZF-R1
- Yamaha FZ
Sales figures taken from MotorcyclesData.com.
3 Yadea
2022 Sales: 5 million; Projected 2023 Sales: N/A
Yadea is a Chinese motorcycle brand that mostly makes affordable electric motorcycles. With 5.0 million sales, Yadea is now the third-largest motorcycle company in the world and a leader in electric vehicle R&D and manufacturing.
While Yadea is still growing, e-scooter sales are sharply down for 2023, slowing growth. This is also due to China’s strict zero COVID policy, which has affected production as well as supply chain logistics. Still, Yadea makes for an impressive third entry.
Top Models
- Yadea Trooper 01
- Yadea G5
- Yadea Kemper
Sales figures taken from MotorcyclesData.com.
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2 Hero Motors
2022 Sales: 5.1 million; Projected 2023 Sales: 5.2 million
Hero Motors has only grown since it split from Honda. Sales are high, and Harley-Davidson recently partnered with Hero Motors for sales in India after withdrawing as an independent entity after massive losses.
2018 was an all-time high for Hero Motors, with a record 7.8 million vehicles sold, although, like every motorcycle company, it took a hit because of COVID-19. For 2023, sales are good, and 9-month figures show a number of 4.2 million, projecting healthy numbers for 2023 and letting Hero retain its number two spot.
Top Models
- Hero Splendor
- Hero Passion
Sales figures taken from MotorcyclesData.com.
1 Honda Powersports
2022 Sales: 16.4 million; Projected 2023 Sales: 16.9 million
There’s a huge gap between Honda and the second-biggest motorcycle brand globally, given that Honda managed to sell 16.4 million two-wheeler vehicles globally in 2022. Clearly, the Japanese motorcycle brand is a market leader unlike any other, having sold more than 100 million units of the Honda Super Cub.
Of course, it has plenty of other motorcycles and two-wheelers globally and is likely to retain its number-one spot for years to come with a 2023 global sales projection that might just touch 17 million.
Top Models
- Honda Super Cub
- Honda Gold Wing
- Honda CBR Series
Sales figures taken from MotorcyclesData.com.
