Big adventure bikes and superbikes turn heads, but what are Kiwi riders actually putting on the road? A fresh look at 2026 motorcycle registrations suggests there is plenty of interest in bikes between 251cc and 750cc.

BRM analysed NZ Transport Agency registration records for January through September 2026. It counted 4,407 new registrations above 125cc after excluding used imports and re-registrations. Of those, 2,678 were in the 251–750cc bands, or about 61 percent of the total.

That is a broad group. It covers different kinds of motorcycles, as well as scooters above 125cc, so the figures do not tell us that every rider is shopping for the same style of bike. They do show how active the middle of the market has been.

CFMOTO leads this slice of the market

In BRM’s analysis, CFMOTO recorded 535 new registrations above 125cc through September, followed by Yamaha on 498 and Suzuki on 477. The CFMOTO 450MT accounted for 224 registrations on its own.

That result will interest adventure riders, particularly those considering a bike they can use on the road and take onto gravel. Other smaller and middleweight adventure models also appear among BRM’s leading individual models, including the KTM 390 Adventure R and Royal Enfield Himalayan 450.

What the numbers can and cannot tell us

A registration is not necessarily a retail sale to an individual rider. Dealer demonstrators can be registered too, and the figures exclude motorcycles of 125cc and below. The results also do not explain why people chose a particular bike.

Still, they offer a useful snapshot of what is arriving on New Zealand roads. As the final quarter of 2026 gets under way, it will be interesting to see whether middleweight models keep that momentum.

What size bike are you riding now, and would you choose the same again?

Sources: BRM’s January–September 2026 analysis and NZTA’s motor vehicle registrations dashboard guide.