According to the latest figures from the Motor Cycle Industry Association, April saw a 16% drop in motorcycle sales, with 10,365 bikes registered.

The largest decline came from scooters at -30.2%. Stephen Latham, head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association, said: “This is a decrease of almost 2,000 bikes.

Consumers are likely to be holding off on high-cost purchases until things become clearer after the General Election and confidencereturns to the market-place.

“With registration figures for the first four months of this year down by 15.2% at 33,678 bikes, compared to last year’s figure of 39,738, it seems unlikely that the market will be as positive as 2016’s registrations.

“However, the NMDA is hopeful that consumer confidence will return to the market in the run-up to the General Election, and that the market will begin to stabilise. We look forward to seeing what the next few months have in store.”