Is The FJR1300 Dead? No 2025 Model?

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Last paragraph of the linked article is certainly disappointing to read. Here's hoping 2026 brings a new big bore adventure / sport touring machine!

~G
 
My guess is (like the R6 and R1) the FJR and SuperTenere may be caught between emissions regulations, small niche markets and the cost to bring them into compliance. AND, if they do that, will also mean they roll out an anemic disappointment and the loss of the saddlebags since they will need the space to put the 2 Honda Civic mufflers and cats back there. Enjoy the FJRs you've got boys and girl. At least the resale may go up when it's time to move on.
 
My guess is (like the R6 and R1) the FJR and SuperTenere may be caught between emissions regulations, small niche markets and the cost to bring them into compliance. AND, if they do that, will also mean they roll out an anemic disappointment and the loss of the saddlebags since they will need the space to put the 2 Honda Civic mufflers and cats back there. Enjoy the FJRs you've got boys and girl. At least the resale may go up when it's time to move on.

"Additionally, Yamaha is announcing that the FJR1300ES Sport Touring model and the Super Ténéré ES Adventure Touring model will no longer be offered in the U.S. market for 2025."
 
My guess is (like the R6 and R1) the FJR and SuperTenere may be caught between emissions regulations, small niche markets and the cost to bring them into compliance. AND, if they do that, will also mean they roll out an anemic disappointment and the loss of the saddlebags since they will need the space to put the 2 Honda Civic mufflers and cats back there. Enjoy the FJRs you've got boys and girl. At least the resale may go up when it's time to move on.
The problem with that theory is Canadian emissions standards equal US regulations. In fact, to harmonize the North Amerian standard Canada adopted the US EPA regulations by reference in 2012.

There are differences in other areas. For example, Canadian headlight regulations will accept either the US DOT specification OR the Euro UNECE, although I doubt that's a factor here. Canadian speedometers must be graduated in KM/H and odometers in KM -- which may be why we have the immobilizer system: cheaper to put Euro wiring in than produce a third option).

I think it just comes down to a business decision based on were Yamaha thinks the market will go. They have X amount of manufacturing capacity and they are focusing on what they think will generate the greatest profit per unit.

Way back in the day, Yamaha didn't bring the FJR to these shores because they believed it wouldn't sell well. Their market analysis said North Americans were primarily interested in crotch rockets and cruisers -- nothing in between. They begrudgingly responded to the write-in campaign after Honda agreed to try the waters with the ST1300 -- even then only if the purchaser plunked down a non-refundable deposit in advance. The FJR success story took them completely by surprise.

But that was then, this is now. Today there is a wealth of other makes plus a large reservoir of used machines and surplus inventory to be discounted. Adventure-touring is the Next Great Thing. The current generation is dated but the European market is gone, so the cost per unit for further development is higher.

I think it all comes down to the bean-counters deciding "Yeah there might be some juice left in that fruit but we can get a lot more juice out of these ones."
 
Yeah, the emissions argument doesn't hold water. The FJR meets North American emissions. It has been discontinued in two markets because it could not meet increasing emissions standards - Europe (2020) and Japan (2022).

The km/h isn't a factor either as you can choose the units you want (metric or standard) on the FJR.

I posted the following on one of the other sandboxes:


My All-Knowing and Powerful crystal ball says that the FJR will be back in it's current form for 2026.

Support for my thesis:

1) In the only two markets that they have discontinued the FJR; Europe in 2020, and Japan in 2022, they made a big deal about it and it being the end of an era and sent it off with a bang - releasing the 'final edition' model black with the gold stripe and wheels. I can't see them not doing the same thing here for the North American market. This market was just too big and they sold too many to let it just fade away. And thus far their only history is to conclude production in a market with a big send off. It is logical they would do the same here.

2) Other than that little footnote in the press release, they made no major mention of it. And I still don't read that as being permanent. The wording can easily mean just for 2025.

3) They are still selling it in Canada and maybe Australia (Aussie website shows MY24 model). And perhaps other markets? I don't know. But since they are still producing it for 2025 in *some* markets, producing it again in 2026 is easy enough to do. Supply chains with all the major and 2nd and 3rd tier suppliers still continue for 2025.

4) If you were like me and have no life and spend needless hours perusing ads on Craigslist, FB Marketplace, and CycleTrader than you would know there are still a lot of unsold 2023 and 2024 FJRs out there. Considering the economics of that for Yamaha and their dealers it makes total sense that they would just skip a year of production. Let that unsold inventory meet the limited demand and get it sold and off the dealer's floor. Produce it again when there is no longer the glutt of inventory.

So I am fairly confident in my prediction that the FJR will be back for 2026. What will be interesting to see if it will be the announced 'Final Year' with a big send-off and the special Black and Gold edition.........
 
which may be why we have the immobilizer system
Historical (GEN I/II) footnote.
My understanding- distribution to Yamaha Canada was thru Yamaha Europe. (Maybe it still is) Canada got immobilizers because that is what Euro bikes were equipped with. This is why some Gen II bits like the foot covers and the mirror mounted handguards were not available from US dealers and never had US part numbers. (Some US dealers bought these bits from Canadian dealers and resold them in the US) And numerous yrs where paint colors were different in Canada than the US. Yamaha USA has their own distribution with the factory, and of course a much bigger market that could be leveraged, like ‘we don’ want no stinkin’ immobilizers’.

-Steve
 
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