Yamaha R1 range to discontinue post EU5+ emission standards kick in from 2025
Serving as poster motorcycles for generations of motorcycling enthusiasts, Yamaha R1 range is set to go on the pages of history books post EU5+ emission standards mandate. This is a rather surprising move and is likely to catch the motorcycling fraternity off-guard. Both Yamaha YZF-R1 and YZF-R1 M will continue to be on sale till EU5+ emission standard deadline.
Yamaha R1 Range To Discontinue Post EU5+ Emission Standards
Post EU5+ emission standard mandate, there won’t be any litre-class from Team Blue at all. This is a common trend that motorcycle manufacturers are currently following. Suzuki, for one, has done the same thing. At the fag end of 2022, Suzuki pulled the plug on GSX-R1000R and was the first of the Big Four to have a portfolio devoid of a litre-class offering.
Fast forwarding to 2024, Yamaha is following Suzuki’s footsteps and is pulling the plug on its litre-class YZF-R1 and YZF-R1 M. Yamaha Motor Group has decided to drop its litre-class motorcycle offerings post EU5+ emission standard. This means Yamaha won’t develop EU5+ versions of R1 and R1 M litre-class motorcycles.
The company also expressed intentions to shift focus towards mid-term business and product strategies for future opportunities. Both Yamaha R1 and R1 M will continue to be on sale till 2025 when the cut-off for EU5+ emission standards comes into effect. Even though this comes off as shocking, this is likely to be a strategy that other manufacturers may follow in the future.
What next?
More manufacturers are shying away from premium, low volume and high value offerings in favour of higher volume vehicles. Appealing to the masses is key as it would generate more volume for more mid-tier offerings. The deadline is far away and buyers can get their hands on one till the EU5+ emission standard kicks in 2025.
There is a very good probability that Yamaha will continue to manufacture R1 and R1 M post EU5+ emission standard mandate. However, these will be track only, as emission standards don’t apply to track machines. These motorcycles could feature free flowing exhausts and raunchier tunes along with significant weight savings.
These might miss out on elements like indicators, headlights, number plates and other paraphernalia mandated for road-going motorcycles. Yamaha took this track-spec route when the R6 (4-cylinder model) was discontinued. The market is gravitating towards sub litre-class motorcycles for lightness and agility.
Upcoming Yamaha R9 could emerge as the company’s new flagship motorcycle offering, where fully-faired bikes are concerned. Yamaha India axed R1 long back. The motorcycle came equipped with a 998cc 4-cylinder engine with 194.3 bhp of peak power and 112.4 Nm of peak torque, mated to a 6-speed gearbox.
