Motorcycle brands on Instagram: 5 years of NBNL comparison

In October 2021, NBNL collected the Instagram follower numbers of the major motorcycle brands for the first time. Five years later, we are taking another look – and the shifts are dramatic: BMW Motorrad doubles, Ducati catches Harley-Davidson, and Indian Motorcycle is the only brand to stand still.

Back then, it was clear: Harley-Davidson was the undisputed leader with 5,1 Mio followers, followed by Ducati with 4,6 Mio, with the rest far behind. Today, in May 2026, the story is different – not so much one of rankings, but one of movement. The NBNL analysis from 2021 gives us the perfect basis for comparison.

The growth champion: BMW Motorrad with +110 %

No one has grown as quickly as the Bavarians. BMW Motorrad has climbed from 1,9 Mio to 4,0 Mio followers – that is an exact doubling. BMW has thus worked its way up from 5th place (2021) to the shared bronze podium (2026), level with KTM and Royal Enfield.

What lies behind it: the consistent #MakeLifeARide campaign, the R 1300 GS launch spectacle, the growing GS adventure cult – and a content strategy that has focused on lifestyle rather than spec sheets for years.

The push at the top: Ducati catches Harley

Five years ago, 500.000 followers separated Harley-Davidson and Ducati. Today, there are zero. Both stand at 6,0 Mio – a neck-and-neck race that nobody anticipated five years ago. Ducati has gained 1,4 Mio new followers (+30 %), Harley only 900.000 (+18 %). If this trend continues, the Italian brand will overtake the American cult brand in 2027 or, at the latest, in 2028.

Drivers: the 100th anniversary in 2026, MotoGP dominance with the Lenovo Team and the hypersport renaissance around the Panigale V2 FB63.

The second row grows together

It is not only BMW that is stepping on the gas. Three brands now share the bronze podium:

• KTM jumped from 2,6 to 4,0 Mio (+54 %) – carried by the Super Duke and Adventure boom
• Royal Enfield rose from 2,4 to 4,0 Mio (+67 %) – Himalayan and Continental GT as global conquerors
• Triumph almost doubled from 1,2 to 2,0 Mio (+67 %) – the new 400 series with the Speed and Scrambler 400 as a gateway drug

The only standstill: Indian Motorcycle

While everyone else is growing, Indian Motorcycle has been stuck at 1,0 Mio followers for five years. More or less zero. This is all the more surprising because Indian delivers in sporting terms: Bagger successes in MotoAmerica, the FTR line, the 125th anniversary in 2026. It does not gain traction on Instagram.

The complete figures at a glance

Direct comparison of the NBNL survey from 2021 with the current figures:

What these figures really tell us

Three lessons stand out. First: follower numbers and sales figures are becoming decoupled. Harley-Davidson has been losing ground in the market for years, but continues to gain on Instagram. Second: a consistent brand strategy pays off. BMW Motorrad has stubbornly played #MakeLifeARide for five years – and is now on the podium. Third: standing still means falling behind. Indian does not have a weak model strategy, but is still being overtaken on social media.

And the Japanese mass manufacturers? Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki continue to forgo a global account – just as they did in the 2021 survey. Their regional presences (@yamahamotorindia 837 k, @yamahamotorusa 830 k) are solid, but they leave the global follower game to the Europeans and Americans.

Incidentally: the #NoBikeNoLife hashtag has grown from 108.000 to well over 200.000 posts over the same period – so it has almost doubled here too.

Conclusion

My impression after five years of NBNL tracking: the most important finding is not who is at the very top – we already knew that in 2021. Rather, it is how quickly positions shift when you consistently deliver content. BMW Motorrad has shown the way, Ducati is following suit, and Indian shows what happens when you stand still. In five years, we will do the next update – I suspect the ranking will look very different again by then.

Note: Current data May 2026, rounded to 0,1 Mio. Comparison figures from the NBNL post “Motorcycle brands on Instagram” of 5 October 2021. Source: the respective manufacturers’ main Instagram accounts.