Can David Beckham do for British motorbikes what he did for the nation's football?
The recently-retired soccer star appeared in a BBC documentary in June, in which he and three close friends travelled across the Amazon on motorbikes. Beckham's chosen ride was a Triumph Bonneville.
If you saw the program, it's not hard to imagine that the ruggedly handsome former Real Madrid player’s appearance on a classic British bike could do wonders for the UK’s bike making industry.
And indeed many Triumph showrooms have reported a dramatic increase in footfall since Beckham's Amazonian trip.
But while Beckham's unwitting product placement may do wonders for triumph in the short term, what do the UK's long-term motorcycle-making fortunes look like?
Well, after many decades during which Japanese and Italian motorbikes have dominated domestic sales, British-made bikes are making a sustained comeback. While the Japanese share of sales has dropped from 80 per cent to 40 per cent, the UK-built share has risen to 8 per cent – largely driven by Triumph.
European and Chinese makers respectively account for 25 and 16 per cent of the UK market.
The number of UK-made motorbikes sold domestically may well increase further, too, as one Stuart Garner attempts to revive that other classic British motorbike marque, Norton.
Things are looking up for UK bike making, after decades where overseas imports overshadowed home-grown machines. But with new models, rejuvenated marques and David Beckham on the case, the good times could be back.
And if Mr B needs some reliable motorbike breakdown cover for his next trip, he knows where to come.
Breakdown Cover from 
