I guess we all knew this was coming but I had not thought about it much until I read the article below. I had no idea that Euro 5 regulations mean motorcycles will have to produce 30% less emissions than the current Euro4 rules! No doubt manufacturers are all over this, modifying engines and exhaust systems, but could we be nearing the peak of the (performance) combustion motorcycle engine? I’m guessing it’s going to be quite a challenge to get the new V4 Euro5 compliant whilst maintaining 211BHP! I’m sure the likes of Ducati and KTM will continue to knock stonking bikes out of the park, but it does scare me a little, no way I could make it to the shops on anything under 200HP these days! I assume you’ll still be able to strip Euro5 bikes back and add full exhaust systems to access the full power, or will that continue to get more difficult? https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2018/march/ktm-super-duke-1290-spyshot/
Theyll either start making it difficult to swop bits out on bikes or make really Draconian punishments for anyone evil enough to do it.
Turbos & superchargers May be the way forward. Smaller capacity engines with with high power output. Offsets the extra weight due to larger exhausts and sound deadening (maybe)!
Until emissions for Motorcycles is part of the ministry test there will be a growing industry in De-cat and mapping services and parts, but a little bird told me at a recent trade event that cat tests on motorcycles fitted OE with one will soon be part of the test, someone somewhere is making a lot of money from Euro this and Euro that.
Its inevitable that eventually changing exhausts will no longer be possible. Triumph no longer sell any after market exhausts that are not road legal. It's also extremely difficult to access the ECUs on their latest bikes.
There are also changes to the MOT to come into force in May that mean that noises exhausts could potentially be a fail. Smokey diesels will also fail.
Indeed. In the car world, Ford currently produce a small cheap 1000cc three cylinder engine in versions with various power outputs up to 138 hp (sic). A few years ago, it would have been half that.
Interesting. Will individuals in the Uk have to comply with euro 5? I thought that it only applies to the manufacturers. Will the situation change after brexit? What will happen here in France where there is no MOT for bikes?
I cannot see the UK adopting different emissions regs to Europe in the future, it would just makes vehicles here even more expensive.
I think we already have been seeing the end of the 'bang for buck' engines due to regs, it's just a way of life. Watch the Youtube video of FastBikes dyno'ing a 959 and then comparing it to a 999 from 10 years ago. They say it best "If you could apply the same principles to this as the 999 it would beat it, but they have done well to keep this much power with todays regs". There is no magic bullet, it's not like they are suddenly going to find 10HP just through some cam design tweaks, I think they have been at the limit for a while, the next step is forced induction and really clever variable valve techniques, maybe even cylinder shut down technology.
Taking at step back and looking at the situation, it surprises me that we’ve not started to see more counter innovation from manufacturers - I guess it wouldn’t be good buisness to end of life products that have >33 months shelf life left. It looks like we’re likely to see one more round of castration with Euro 5 before they really need to make more extreme moves.
I just hope for death or an awesome electric bike before they really ruin things. My KTM had its cat in the exhaust, that’s now gone thanks to akrapovic. I also have swapped the airbox out for a foam jobby and mapped it. It’s truly mega! I think I could just about live with an electric bike though if it could go 200 miles full chat and have a 5 minute or less charge time. I’d just have to make vroom vroom noises in my helmet and maybe emit the odd backfire from my Harris
I was doubtful about how much difference the full system really made to the 1290, now I’ve got one I see it’s absolute night and day
When I bought a zz14 in 2007 it had what I would consider to be a standard looking exhaust fitted as standard by kawasaki. Now due to euro regs You can see why many manufacturers are stifling bikes to meet the euro 5 and why there is a such a market for aftermarket exhausts and tuning
Just keep your old stuff chaps. My 350LC wouldn't meet Euro 1 (if such a thing exists) I can just smell the glorious Castrol R.
That has been going on since the 1960s nothing to do with Euro 5 then. I remember the Dunstall Decibel silencers on my 1972 Honda 250.
Not really, the decibel killers were to do with noise and not emissions Can't beat the smell of fresh two stroke in the morning
Am I correct in thinking that the Euro5 bikes have to be 86Db static, as mentioned, that's a pretty serious drop and not just exhaust noise, but from cam chains, and straight cut gears rattling around between each other in the gear box, hence why we see all these engine covers and in the case of the R6 I rode last summer, the inside of the fairing was filled with an inch thick of foam where it could be to try and stop the noise.
