Sri Lanka Motorcycles Market restarted after import re-opening. In 2024 sales restarted after the total collapse followed at the 2020 block of import. TVS is market leader with near 40% of share.
With over one fourth of a million new motorcycles sold per year, in 2020 the Sri Lankan motorcycles market was one of the Top 25 in the World and the 2-wheeler were representing the main individual mobility device for the local families.
However, the market declining from the 2015 half a million record, due to the declining purchase power and the increased cost of financing. The country was not economic healthy, but the effect of Covid was devastating and the government, very short in cash, decided to block import of hundreds goods, including cars and motorcycles.
The consequence was to move the new vehicles market near zero, as the dealer stock ended, with consumers purchasing only pre-owned vehicles, which become very rare and expensive.
Unfortunately this economic strategy was not successful, considering that Sri Lanka GDP was one of the worse worldwide in the last 3 years.
Starting with 2024, the Government opened the market again and sales fast moved in up during the year, not for import increase, but for sales of domestic manufacturers, TVS Motor overall. TVS has a local plant with a large capacity of 10.000 units per months, but in 2024, although fast growing, only 25% of capacity was utilized. The Indian company actually hold near 60% of new 2-wheeler sales.
Market Heritage
“The first motorcycle arrived in the island on January 20, 1903. Mr. C. Hahn of Messrs Bohirnger & Co. was the first person to introduce the motor cycle to Ceylon. These early motorcycles were belt-driven from the engine to the rear wheel and had only one speed and pedals were used to start it. The first motorcycle ride to Kandy and back was undertaken by Mr. Fred Nell, the founder of Colonial Motors on a ‘Noble’ machine. His trip from Colombo to Kandy and back in one day was a great achievement”.
English manufactured motorcycles were very popular and were imported by Sri Lanka users in the 1960’s too. English makes namely Norton, BSA, Royal Enfield and Triumph motorcycles were very popular here till the 1960’s. These English motorcycles had gear shifting lever located in the right side of the engine. They had choke and half compression facility for easy kick-start. Some models had gear levers that were operated by hand.
Later Japanese made Honda motorcycles were introduced in Sri Lanka by 1970’s. At first the small Honda motorcycles with less sound and gear changing levers on the left side didn’t attract much attention against the British models. Later when the Government allowed importing of used motorcycles from Japan, the Honda’s 90cc motorcycles (Super Cub and Postman Bikes) became a hit in Sri Lanka. People were looking for less priced motorbikes from Japan with different engine capacities. After this, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and other companies started to open their marketing expansion here in Sri Lanka.
