TRIUMPH
UNTIL RECENTLY,TRIUMPHlisted
theDDaytona675asa2018model
butnow it’s dropped offthe model
rangge, suggesting rumours ofits
Euroo4-relateddemise were well-
founnded.However,TriumphalreadyhasthebiggerStreetTriple
and,from2019,willbesupplyingMoto2 with 765cc triple engines. It’s
alsojust appliedfor new trademark rights to the Daytonaname.Isanew
Daytona765intheoffing?PerhapsalinkwiththeMoto2project.
Biggest of the big,the2.3-litreRocketIIIhasbeenneglected and
there’snosignofan update. After14years,2018mightbeitscurtaincall.
Thhe Scrambler survived as the last oil-cooled 865cc Bonneville,
butlliketheDaytonait’smissingfromthemodellist.The900ccStreet
Scraambler may be its replacement, but there’s a good chance Triumph
will offer a bigger Scrambler using the new 1200cc Bonnie engine.Suzuki
THECURRENT HAYABUSA
doesn’t meet Euro4,but
Suzuki won’t letthatdraw
alineundertheflagship
model.Insteadwe’re
expectinganewonefor
2019, neatlycoinciding
with the badge’s 20th
anniversary.
MuchthesameappliestotheGSX-R600andGSX-R750,widelyseen
asthefirstmodernsuperbikes.Suzukiknowsthevalueofthename
andweexpectitwillfollow Yamaha’s example: small tech revisions
and a big visual update to make the smaller GSX-Rs legal for 2019.
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KAWASAKI
THE ADVENTOFthenewNinja
leaves little doubtanakedZ4 00
model will be hot on its heels.
However, theBigKhasgot Euro
certification for its Versys-X 300,
usingthesmaller twin-cylinder engine, so it couldupdate theZ
ifnecessary. Either way, change is coming to the Z300.
InEurope,theW800isbeingsoldastheFinalEditionsuggesting
Kawasaki’s retro-styled twin isfacingoblivion.
The1400GTRengineisrelatedtotheEuro4-legalZX-14’s,
albeit with differences,yet Kawasaki hasn’tyetcreatedaEuro
4-legal version. Don’tforget the ZX-14 was Kawasaki’s technology
showpiece, beatingDucati to the VVT punch byyears so there
maybe sentiment to save it.
Stillsoldin Europedespite not meetingEuro4, theVulcan 1700 also
needs to change or be dropped. However, most of Kawasaki’s rivals
have virtuallyabandonedthetraditionalV-t w in cr uiser market now,
sothebike’sfuture hangs on demand and profitability.
TheZX-6RNinja is a question mark.Hondawill drop theCBR600RR
fromitsrange,whileYamahabelievesthere’smoneyinthesegment,
revisingtheYZF-R6tomakeitcompliant.Asis,theZX-6Rcan’tbe
soldinEurope–oneofits biggest markets – after thisyear.MV Agusta
WHILE MV AGUSTA brought its 675cc and 800cc triples into line with
the regulations, the same isn’t true of the four-cylinder Brutale or F
superbike, though a new four-cylinder is planned for this year.
While a naked Brutale or even a Dragster version will likely be a
best-seller, we’re also hoping for a new F4. It’s unthinkable MV
would abandon the market where it first resurfaced, back in 1997.BMW
ALL BMWS ALREADY meet Euro 4, so there’s no deadline looming, but we
know a completely new S 1000 RR is in the works for 2019 and F 800 R and
F 800 GT replacements are likely, given the recent launch of BMW’s new
parallel-twin engine in the F 850 GS and F 750 GS siblings.