Britain's favourite scooter, the Peugeot Speedfight, has achieved the accolade of becoming the best-selling machine of any type in the UK motorcycle market, writes Simon Nix.

The Speedfight, already Britain's top-selling scooter and three times Motor Cycle News Scooter of the Year, added to its unprecedented litany of success when official registration figures for the first ten months of this year showed it topped the sales charts for the whole market.

The Speedfight's 4,067 registrations so far put the scooter ahead of Yamaha's stunning R6, with the Speedfight 100 in third place on 3,449 sales.

"If anyone had predicted, five years ago, that a French-made machine would be top the entire UK market, no-one would have believed them," said Richard Davies, sales director of the UK'S official Peugeot importer, Three Cross Motorcycles.

"No-one can be in any doubt as to the fundamental change in British buying habits that the scooter market continues to demonstrate. The Speedfight's success not only emphasises the appeal of scooters but the quality, design, style and unique anti-theft protection if offers," he added.

More than 20,000 Speedfights have been bought by discerning UK customers since the model was launched in 1997.

The 50cc Speedfight was top-seller and MCN Scooter of the Year in 1997; the 100cc model achieved identical results in 1998 and was best seller in 1999. The 50cc machine enjoys top-selling status this year and both 50 and 100cc machines were appointed Scooter of the Year (up to 125cc) at the MCN Awards.

The Speedfight's chart-topping achievement is believed to be the first time in more than a decade that the number one spot has been occupied by a machine other than a motorcycle.