Honda Motor and three Japanese rivals plan to discontinue about 20 motorcycle models by the end of this year, Nikkei has learned, in response to tougher emissions standards to be implemented in Japan in the fall.
The retired motorbikes represent 10% of the roughly 190 models available from Honda, Yamaha Motor, Suzuki Motor and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
Going forward, the companies will shift to electrics. Honda will electrify its entire lineup of vehicles by the 2040s. Yamaha will make 90% of new vehicles plug-ins by 2050.
Honda, the world’s largest motorcycle company, will retire approximately 10 out of 80 models. The affected bikes include popular models like the CB400 Super Four, a midsized motorcycle which has been a bestseller since the 1990s.
Also on Honda’s chopping block are models from the full-sized Gold Wing series, as well as the Benly scooter made for delivery services.
Yahama will stop selling two models from its flagship FJR1300 series of tourers. Suzuki will pull at least five out of roughly 20 models from production lines by October, including the midsized GSX250R.
Kawasaki Motors, a subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, stopped delivering some full-sized motorcycles last year.
Japan adopted tougher emission standards at the end of 2020 that applied to new models. The standards will apply to all existing models in November.
The rules are modeled after the European Union’s Euro 5 law, introduced in January 2020. It mandates that nitrogen oxide emission be cut by up to 33%.
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