AS many of you will be aware, getting out and about on your bike at the moment is getting a little tricky. Unless you are travelling to work (that cannot be completed from home), to collect medicines or for essential shopping, riding our bikes, for now, is resigned to short, sharp dashes to the shop.
And while we can’t ride, many dealers to are beginning to feel the pinch. Staffing levels are being hit as workers self-isolate either for themselves or family members, and many dealers are only offering servicing and repairs for key workers.
With 1,000s of dealerships across the land bolted at the door, unable to service and, more importantly, sell any motorcycles, there is quite a lot of stock lying around just gathering dust.
While that may sound great for some, when the COVID-19 pandemic ends and we’re allowed out again there is going to be a smorgasbord of bikes available at tasty deals to entice us in, right?
Possibly not. The problem lies with the incoming Euro emissions regulations, Euro 5. Due to come into force in January 2021, the new rules do allow manufacturers to sell uncompliant bikes off as a kind of waiver to prevent them from being scrapped. But never has anything had to be done on this scale.
Bennetts BikeSocial has reported a conversation with Brembo boss, Paolo Magri, who explains that the backlog leftover from the COVID-19 Europe-wide shutdown could produce massive backlogs in unsellable stock if something isn’t done.
One quick fix you might think would be to quickly update any non-compliant Euro4 bikes to the new Euro5 standard. While this could work, a remap and exhaust/airbox change would be sufficient for some bikes, the current rules would not allow them to go on sale. The new rules make it impossibly, as it stands, to register a bike classified as Euro4 next year.
Bennetts BikeSocial also reports that the MCIA, and ACEM (Association of European Motorcycle Manufacturers) are pushing to get some legislation in place to protect the industry.
The problem is complex and diverse, it’s not something the motorcycle industry has had to deal with in this generation at least. Let’s hope those that make the rules will through the motorcycle industry a helping hand and prevent further closures, job losses, and unhappiness.
