Yamaha has clarified how the R1 will continue in Europe after its discontinuation as a road motorcycle.
As previously stated by Yamaha Racing, the R1 will continue to be built as an exclusive track motorcycle after its European production as a road-going motorcycle has been discontinued, which will happen next year.
At the time of the initial announcement of the discontinuation of the R1 as a road motorcycle, Yamaha made a specific mention of the upcoming Euro5+ emission regulations, which, as confirmed by YME in a statement, means that the production of the R1 as a road-legal model will continue globally, for markets outside of Europe. The continuation of global production also means the continuation of the R1 development program.
In their statement, Yamaha Motor Europe also admits an additional reason for the continuation of the R1 as a road-legal model in Europe, which is customer demand. “In line with the changing demand and needs of customers,” says YME, “Yamaha Motor Europe has decided that the future of its Supersport models aimed at the track will be exclusively dedicated to circuit use from 2025.”
By making the R1 exclusive for the track, YME says there will be “more opportunities for customers to access GYTR performance-enhancing parts,” which are available at Yamaha GYTR Pro Shops, located throughout Europe, all managed by the same people who manage Yamaha’s official bikes in WorldSBK.
El cambio significa que Yamaha seguirá a Suzuki en un futuro sin motocicletas deportivas de 1.000 cc, ya que Suzuki descontinuó la GSX-R1000R a finales de 2022.
Por muy sorprendente que sea la noticia, no fue una gran sorpresa escucharla, y lo que podemos estar viendo es a los fabricantes alejándose de las motocicletas premium, de alto valor pero de bajo volumen, e invirtiendo en áreas de mayor volumen del mercado. Y aunque esto parezca que el problema está a punto de resolverse, no será por poco tiempo.
Para los modelos existentes, la fecha límite para la venta de motocicletas no conformes con la norma Euro5+ será 2025. Mientras tanto, Euro6 no debería llegar antes del final de la década.
