- No further development for YZF-R1
- Could be discontinued in developed markets
- R1M could be taken off too
Yamaha is planning to discontinue its most iconic motorcycle brand – the YZF R1. There are plans to take the R1M, the race version of the bike, off the market too.
According to some rumours from the UK, the Japanese brand has decided to pull the plug on these litre-class bikes and instead focus on mid-term business and product strategies that will provide future opportunities.
First launched in 1998, the YZF R1 changed the way people perceived big bikes, especially in India. The combination of aggressive styling, powerful engine, and the ability to handle corners easily made it an extremely aspirational motorcycle. Over the last few years, the R1 managed to evolve quite well and continued to compete with the Germans and the Italians, but its cost increased drastically due to high development costs and the overall sales started to come down. Plus, a lot of young riders wanted to own a motorcycle that was far more practical and easy to ride.
Yamaha hasn’t released this news officially, so there’s a high chance that the brand could sell these bikes for a few years in a market that doesn’t have stringent emission norms.
