From Delivery Fleets to Electric Scooters: The State of Motorcycling in South Africa
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Arnold Raphael (AMET - Association of Motorcycle Industry Distributors | Director)
Johnny Shand (Bikeman West Rand | Owner)
A wide-ranging conversation about the South African motorcycle industry in 2024 - who is buying, who is riding, what is selling, and where the market is heading. This episode is for motorcycle enthusiasts, industry insiders, delivery fleet managers, and anyone curious about two-wheelers in South Africa, from commuter scooters to adventure bikes to electric delivery fleets.
AMET Director Arnold Raphael and West Rand dealer Johnny Shand join hosts Roger McCleery and Melanie Walker to break down the current state of the local motorcycle market. Topics include the explosion of delivery motorcycle fleets operated by companies like Checkers 60/60, the South Africanisation of a workforce that was historically over 85 percent foreign riders, and the safety and training initiatives being led by Hein Jonker of the Motorcycle Safety Institute.
The panel covers the dramatic rise and fall of South African motorcycle sales - from a record 84,000 units in 1980-81 driven by the oil crisis, to a collapse caused by import duties under the apartheid government, to today's market of around 3,300 units per annum in the 500cc-plus segment. BMW's dominance in the leisure segment, driven by the GS adventure bike range, is examined alongside the growing competitiveness of Chinese brands like CFMoto.
Electric motorcycles and scooters get serious attention: battery-swap infrastructure, weekly lease pricing for electric delivery bikes (around R1,200 per week versus R650-R750 for petrol equivalents), range limitations for riders covering up to 300 km per day, and why the leisure e-bike market remains almost flat. The conversation also covers the collapse of motorcycle publications and TV programmes like Bike SA and Twist Grip, the shift to social media marketing, the rise and fall of the Abbott Motor Show, and the Red Star Racing expo that now draws over 5,000 visitors. Brad Binder, KTM, MotoGP, the Suzuki Hayabusa, CFMoto's Moto2 and Moto3 involvement, and the shortage of skilled motorcycle mechanics are all discussed.
Johnny Shand (Bikeman West Rand | Owner)
A wide-ranging conversation about the South African motorcycle industry in 2024 - who is buying, who is riding, what is selling, and where the market is heading. This episode is for motorcycle enthusiasts, industry insiders, delivery fleet managers, and anyone curious about two-wheelers in South Africa, from commuter scooters to adventure bikes to electric delivery fleets.
AMET Director Arnold Raphael and West Rand dealer Johnny Shand join hosts Roger McCleery and Melanie Walker to break down the current state of the local motorcycle market. Topics include the explosion of delivery motorcycle fleets operated by companies like Checkers 60/60, the South Africanisation of a workforce that was historically over 85 percent foreign riders, and the safety and training initiatives being led by Hein Jonker of the Motorcycle Safety Institute.
The panel covers the dramatic rise and fall of South African motorcycle sales - from a record 84,000 units in 1980-81 driven by the oil crisis, to a collapse caused by import duties under the apartheid government, to today's market of around 3,300 units per annum in the 500cc-plus segment. BMW's dominance in the leisure segment, driven by the GS adventure bike range, is examined alongside the growing competitiveness of Chinese brands like CFMoto.
Electric motorcycles and scooters get serious attention: battery-swap infrastructure, weekly lease pricing for electric delivery bikes (around R1,200 per week versus R650-R750 for petrol equivalents), range limitations for riders covering up to 300 km per day, and why the leisure e-bike market remains almost flat. The conversation also covers the collapse of motorcycle publications and TV programmes like Bike SA and Twist Grip, the shift to social media marketing, the rise and fall of the Abbott Motor Show, and the Red Star Racing expo that now draws over 5,000 visitors. Brad Binder, KTM, MotoGP, the Suzuki Hayabusa, CFMoto's Moto2 and Moto3 involvement, and the shortage of skilled motorcycle mechanics are all discussed.
Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction and Hosts
- 02:40 Delivery Motorcycle Boom in South Africa
- 05:00 Fleet Ownership, Checkers 60/60 and Training
- 07:37 Safety Gear, Helmets and Rider Standards
- 09:44 Foreign vs Local Riders and South Africanisation
- 11:39 AMET: What the Association Does
- 13:25 South Africa's Lost Commuter Culture
- 14:44 Import Duties and the Market Collapse
- 16:07 Delivery Bike Pricing: Chinese vs Japanese
- 17:39 Most Popular Brands: BMW GS Dominance
- 19:33 Bikeman West Rand: Old-School Dealer Model
- 21:23 Suzuki Hayabusa and High-Performance Bikes
- 23:09 Chinese Brands and Quality Improvements
- 25:38 Road Racing Decline and Marketing Spend
- 27:21 Motorcycle Expos: From Kyalami to Red Star
- 29:37 Social Media, Publications and Reaching Young Riders
- 30:05 Electric Bikes and Scooters: Market Overview
- 33:24 Electric Delivery Fleets and Battery Swap Economics
- 35:45 Security and Niche Uses for Electric Motorcycles
- 37:16 Career Opportunities in Motorcycle Mechanics
- 38:23 Brad Binder, KTM and MotoGP
- 39:29 Closing Remarks
