Euro 4 is killing off many new motorcycles...

Euro 4 has already hit the global bike market hard, the big 4 in Japan have killed off a significant portion of their model lineup to meet the new standard. Euro 4 is a safety and environmental standard for the EU, and even Harley Davidson had make the new Milwaukee 8 Euro 4 complaint. In a couple years Euro 5 will hit, and the emissions and noise standards are going to be even higher.

I didn't realize how bad it really is until I ran across these articles...

www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2016/january...euro-4-really-means/


www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-v...es-euro4-really-mean

www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-v...iscontinued-for-2017

Kawasaki is essentially cheating the system and continuing to sell quite a few models that are not compliant, but they are on borrowed time.

Euro 5 is going to be even worse.

Just like cars.

I will have to stay on my side of the pond. I doubt I could pass any of the emission tests
Dave

It always "seems" to be the end of the world every time emissions standards are made more stupid, if that is the word, but fact is, every engine made today is much better in every regard vs an engine made 10yrs ago, and every engine then was lightyears ahead of an engine made 10yrs before that. Fear not.
We all thought catalytic converters were the end of cars in 1975. I would hate to see where we would be today if every vehical in the 6 bazillion out there was a 1962 model.

RonKZ650 wrote: It always "seems" to be the end of the world every time emissions standards are made more stupid, if that is the word, but fact is, every engine made today is much better in every regard vs an engine made 10yrs ago, and every engine then was lightyears ahead of an engine made 10yrs before that. Fear not.
We all thought catalytic converters were the end of cars in 1975. I would hate to see where we would be today if every vehical in the 6 bazillion out there was a 1962 model.

With cars yes I agree, in fact emissions regulations pushed the development for the better, namely computer ignition and fuel injection systems and really good things like variable valve timing ( That makes my 3 valve mustang run like its been stolen.)

With motorcycles they kind of got a free pass for the last decade or so. That being said the standards for the Euro4 are pretty steep. The entire bike, fuled and ready to drive, is placed in a sealed room and sensors detect and volatiles that the bike emits, vapors from the tire compounds, the plastic body work, fuel and oil vapors, anything that can be detected. The sound requirements are very strict as well, and Euro 5 will pretty much silence them to level of a passenger car.

Now all bikes over 250 CC's must have full ABS and Traction control. No exceptions.

All bikes must have OBD compliant engine diagnostics ( that's not a bad thing at all).

Here in the US in some states we can change the exhaust and mess with the fuel mapping or whatever, but the manufacturers are not in a position to offer non-Euro compliant bikes it seems. Here in the US, well we get the same models as Europe, and get to pay for all that new stuff too...

These regulations hit air cooled engines very hard, and middle weight sport bikes the worst.

No I doubt it will be the end of motorcycling, not by a long shot, but it is going to change things up a bit.

Euro5 kicks in in a couple of years, by 2020 supposedly.

Which means you had better keep your motorcycles in good repair so they will last through out the years. Stock up on tune up parts for just in case the powers that be put a stop to the sales of things that one would need to keep there older bikes in good running order.

I think electric bikes will be very common sooner than we all thought
Dave

Electric bikes - like plug-in electric cars. What strikes me so funny about those in my area is that the same people who buy them would happily shut down the coal industry. Of course, those same folks don't realize that the electricity they use to charge their plug-in cars is generated by coal! :laugh: Ed

That shed test business is nothing new. None of these technologies are new. And as far as I'm concerned quiet, fuel injected bikes with ABS are a GOOD thing.

Not for the industry as a whole.

Try selling a new bike to a guy, when the this year's model is slightly heavier, slightly slower, and more expensive than last year...

ABS is a good thing for many bikes, especially the 1000'cc 180 HP monsters they make today. But requiring it on all bikes is another thing altogether.

If I ever get a newer bike it will have ABS. I'm of the belief that it should be mandated. Most modern bikes have it already, along with a catalyzer in the exhaust and EFI. The tiny weight penalty for these features is minimal and worth it in my view.

I have newer bikes with ABS, and to me it stinks and is dangerous. Too many times I apply the brakes, the wheels hop over a pothole, washboard road and "NO fricking brakes". I'm not kidding you, I was riding my 2012 Yamaha Super Tenere with ABS, and a light turned red when I was like right on the verge of stop/go, elected stop, and the whole road up to the light was washboard. I thought I was dead for sure, no brakes! On a non ABS bike it would be nothing to even think about, just apply brakes, but that ABS does some major fricking intervention. One thing for sure, you don't lock the wheels, ever, even for a millisecond. Sometimes this is good, sometimes not. I don't prefer to have the feature.