There's no point beating around the bush - 2010 was not a vintage year for sales of motorcycles or motorcycle tyres in the UK, or throughout Europe for that matter. Late last year Jacques Compagne, secretary general of the European motorcycle manufacturers' association ACEM, said the region's motorcycle industry is "facing unprecedented challenges." Along with upcoming regulations to tackle, Compagne notes a "dire market situation, where sales do not seem to be able to take off since the beginning of the economic crisis." The ACEM puts the extent of market shrinkage for powered two-wheelers in Europe at more than a third, with 1,281,296 units sold between January and September 2010, down from 1,730,821 a year earlier.
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