Converging regulations and demands driving the development of global bikes.
For years every major upheaval in the motorcycles offered in the European market has been down to legislative changes as policy makers have aimed to bring down emissions and bring bikes into line with stricter standards for cars. With Euro 5+ now in force across the continent eyes are turning to what the next step will be and how it’s going to change the models on the market.
Before the introduction of the Euro 1 motorcycle emissions standards in 1999, the rules were set by individual nations and were generally nearly non-existent. Just a rare whiff of two-stroke exhaust today is an instant reminder of something that was commonplace until the end of the 21st century. The concept of harmonised ‘Euro’ emissions standards had come into being nearly a decade earlier – the first Euro limits were introduced for cars in 1992 – and bikes have remained around 10 years behind their four-wheeled cousins. In 2020, Euro 5 rules came to bikes, bringing their limits for CO, hydrocarbons and NOx essentially into line with those set for petrol cars back in 2011. Since then, car limits for those emissions have remained largely unchanged, but they’ve stepped from Euro 5 and into Euro 6 – each with multiple intermediate stages – to reflect changes in the methods of measurement and the introduction of new elements like restrictions on particulate emissions. Euro 7 comes into force for cars in 2026, adding more limits including, for the first time, restrictions on non-exhaust emissions (particulates from brake dust and tyre wear, for example) and forcing them to remain compliant for 200,000km, double the previous durability requirement.
The introduction of Euro 5+ motorcycle limits – a requirement for all new bikes from 1st January 2025 – has started down the same route: instead of changing the limits on emissions, Euro 5+ is focused on how they’re monitored, requiring post-catalyst O2 sensors to trigger warning lights if the catalyst isn’t performing to its required standard, adding OBD2 diagnostic standards, and mandating that bike should meet emissions limits at 35,000km as well as when they’re new.
The implication is that motorcycle Euro 6, when it arrives, probably in around 2030 or so, will be more of the same, following in the footsteps of cars with the potential addition of limits on particulates, both from the exhausts and from non-exhaust sources like brakes and tyres, and changes to the testing regime to more accurately reflect real-world riding.
And it’s not just happening in Europe. India’s emissions rules – most recently the Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) limits – are closely aligned with the European standards, so bikes made to meet one set of regulations should also be able to comply with the other, tearing down potential barriers for bike brands wanting to sell in both markets.
The convergence between Indian and European is something of an enigma. In some ways, the two couldn’t be more different. In India, motorcycles remain primarily tools of transport: vital to both individuals and the economy as a whole, mobilising the masses in a way that hasn’t applied in Europe for decades. Over here, they’re a luxury – a plaything or hobby for most riders outside the relative minority used in delivery services. Those wildly different use cases also mean different priorities for owners: in India, purchase price and fuel economy are vital, while in Europe riders will splash out more for bikes that they’ll use far less, so there’s relatively little interest in eking out more miles per gallon.
But that is now changing. Check out some of the best-sellers from the last year or so in the UK and you’ll notice that Indian-manufactured, smaller-capacity bikes have been on the up. Royal Enfield is booming, BSA’s new Bantam 350 topped the charts for part of 2025, Triumph’s Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X are best-sellers for the brand, and Honda’s GB350S has proved so popular dealers ran out of stock halfway through the year. All of those bikes are manufactured in India and their popularity over here reflects a new interest in lower purchase prices and running costs, combined with a slackening demand for ultra-powerful, high-performance machines.
Motorcycle manufacturers have repeatedly shown that they’re up to the task of meeting emissions limits. Back in 1999 there were fears that Euro regulations might castrate the then-dominant sports bikes over here, but far from a decline in performance, we’ve seen a rapid increase in power outputs over the years since then. With Euro 5 came limits on non-methane hydrocarbons for the first time, sparking fears that high-revving bike engines would struggle to comply, but far from killing screaming four-cylinders, we’ve since seen something of a revival of small fours with the likes of Kawasaki’s ZX-4R and Euro 5+ compliant rivals like QJMotor’s SRK450RR.
The EU’s partial reversal of its planned ban on combustion-engined cars also has an impact on motorcycling, albeit an oblique one. Originally, the bloc planned to shift entirely to zero-emissions for new cars from 2035, but as that date nears, pressure from the car industry and relatively slow take-up of EVs means it’s backpedalling. Recent revisions mean after 2035, up to 10% of new cars sold in Europe will be allowed to be conventional, combustion-engine machines. Why does that matter for bikes? There are several reasons. First, it suggests any mooted ideas of introducing bans on petrol bikes are likely to be off the table for a while: motorcycles make up a small percentage of emissions anyway, and if petrol cars are still allowed, it makes sense to allow combustion engines in two-wheelers. Second, it means the all-important infrastructure that supports petrol-powered vehicles will remain in place longer. Had the EU’s 2035 ban remained unchanged, the average car lifespan (typically around 12.5 years) means petrol stations would have been falling into disuse by 2050, making life difficult for those still using the fuel. That horizon is now pushed further away.
Looking into the future, we’re heading for a period of stability in emissions rules. It will be years before motorcycle Euro 6 regulations are hammered out and introduced, and even when they are, the limits on most core emissions don’t look likely to be reduced. Instead, we might see growing pressure on CO2 emissions, which aren’t currently limited by law but have been a key focus of taxation for cars over the last few years, encouraging the spread of technologies like direct fuel injection, downsized engines and forced induction. Paired to the rising cost of fuel and a growing shift towards more economical bikes in Europe, all those ideas are now being investigated by major motorcycle brands. Aerodynamic development, essentially offering a free improvement in economy and emissions, is inevitably another area that’s sure to become increasingly important.
