Suzuki

World MotoGP Championship-winning Suzuki for sale

By Mike Hanlon

16:26 May 12, 2009 PDT

May 13, 2009 The opportunity to own a world championship winning motorcycle is extremely rare. Usually, the only chance to obtain such a beastie is reserved for the people who have ridden them, and hence very few championship winning bikes exist outside the private collections of former world champions, or in factory museums. Now former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing world champion Franco Uncini has decided to auction the Suzuki 500 XR40 on which he won the his 1982 World MotoGP Championship via international Auction House COYS in Monaco on May 18. Read More

Japan's bargain Kei Cars

By Mike Hanlon

22:45 February 15, 2009 PST

Kei cars are a uniquely Japanese phenomena which began as a tax and insurance stimulus for the Japanese car industry in the post WWII era. Kei regulations only restrict physical size, engine displacement and power, so manufacturers have used every square centimetre and stacked it with as many advanced technologies as possible. The top-selling Kei car is Suzuki's Wagon R which offers a DOHC VVT 660cc engine, CVT transmission, engine stop-start, EBD, ABS, plus a Viscodrive coupling that provides on-demand AWD capability without electronics. Prices start at under 10 million yen (USD 9100) and the fully optioned Wagon R still comes in at under USD15,000. Maybe we need a similar stimulus based around size and emissions. Read More

Happy Birthday to the Quadbike - 25 this year

By Mike Hanlon

00:10 April 2, 2008 PDT

The Quadricycle has been around for more than 100 years, becoming temporarily extinct with the coming of the motorcar. Suzuki’s 1983 QuadRunner LT-125 (top left main pic) became the first four-wheeled ATV and revived the industry, offering a platform for sport, recreation and agricultural workers. So it’s a happy 25th birthday from us the modern quadbike (Suzuki's latest Quadsport Z400 pictured). Suzuki - which has regularly set new standards being the first with youth quads, sport quads, independent suspension, differential lock and the first with a race-ready motocross quad - is inviting all Suzuki ATV owners to join in the 25th Anniversary celebrations which will include five regional US-based ATV events. Read More

Suzuki and Intelligent Energy commit to hydrogen motorcycle

By Mike Hanlon

22:24 March 26, 2008 PDT

Motorcyclists will no doubt remember the highly unconventional Suzuki Crosscage Hydrogen Concept bike from last November’s Tokyo Motor Show. The bike was developed in conjunction with British Intelligent Energy (the same folk who developed the ENV fuel cell motorcycle in 2005). Suzuki and IE this week executed a further development agreement which envisages the progression of their collaboration to commercially viable fuel cell motorcycles – it means that the Crosscage, or something quite like it, will appear in a showroom near you. Even more interesting though, is that IE’s home hydrogen generation plants appear the perfect partner for a fuel cell motorcycle – brew your own hydrogen. Read More

Suzuki to exhibit Kizashi Concept x 2 at the Geneva Motor Show

By Noel McKeegan

16:59 January 26, 2008 PST

January 27, 2008 Suzuki will present both the Kizashi and Kizashi 2 Concept cars together for the first time at the upcoming Geneva International Motor Show. Unveiled separately at the 2007 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt and 2007 Tokyo Motor Show respectively, the Concepts showcase the company's intention to build on its automotive presence already established in the compact car (Swift) and sport utility vehicle (Grand Vitara) segments by entering into the sedan market. The Kizashi - a Japanese word meaning “prelude” or “foretaste” - will feature a 2.0L 4-valve turbo diesel engine coupled with an intelligent all-wheel drive system targeting low CO2 emissions in a lean, muscular design that aims to optimize interior spaciousness and apply the no-nonsense, user-oriented approach to driver functionality gleaned from Suzuki's experience in motorcycle production. Read More

Suzuki Bandit 1250 goes touring

By Noel McKeegan

17:02 January 15, 2008 PST

January 16, 2008 Suzuki’s big bad bandit 1250 has been reincarnated as a sensible mile muncher. Suzuki has announced the final specification and pricing for the new Bandit 1250 Grand Touring which sports a roomy top-box and pannier system, additional fairing lowers and Suzuki's bespoke Garmin Zumo Sat Nav system. Read More

Suzuki’s hydrogen-powered Crosscage motorcycle

By Loz Blain

01:23 October 25, 2007 PDT

Here’s one of the more radical concept motorcycles we’ve seen in a while – Suzuki’s Crosscage concept is a fuel-cell powered electric bike with single-sided suspension front AND rear. The brushless electric motor’s mounted inline with the rear wheel, and looks-wise it’s so far out there that it’s on its way back again. Seems like Bridgestone’s even developed a special futuristic-looking tyre to match the bike’s oddly tesselated discs. We’ve just encountered the amazing concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, where our heads are still spinning from all the ground-breaking technology on show. Read More

Suzuki unveils radical mobility concepts

By Mike Hanlon

09:17 September 30, 2007 PDT

Suzuki has announced several radical prototype vehicles to be shown at next month’s Tokyo Motor Show. Remarkably, there will be a second generation Kizashi show car based on the machine shown at Frankfurt just three weeks ago. In addition, there’s an interesting sustainable mobility concept called the Pixy which houses another more personal electric vehicle concept known as the SSC. On top of that there’s a motorcycle modelled after an aircraft (Biplane), a fuel cell motorcycle (crosscage), a four-seater minivan with two power sliding doors (Palette) . Read More

2008 Suzuki Hayabusa to be world's fastest production motorcycle

By Mike Hanlon

July 14, 2007 The world’s fastest production motorcycle mantle is about to change hands again, returning to Suzuki due to the 2008 Hayabusa’s just announced specifications which should see it push past Kawasaki's ZX-14. The new 1340cc motor is 41cc bigger, and the three-ring, aluminum alloy forged slipper pistons have a compression ratio of 12.5:1, an increase over the current Hayabusa’s11.5:1 and is expected to deliver 12 percent more power, giving the Busa a rear wheel output of 175 to 180 bhp. The motor comes in two different bikes – the speed king Hayabusa and the hyper muscular B-King. Read More

Suzuki's 2008 RM-Z450: electronic fuel injection first for motocross

By Noel McKeegan

July 4, 2007 In a move that will see other manufacturers scrambling to keep pace, Suzuki has announced the first production motocross machine to feature electronic fuel injection. Developed in the automobile industry throughout the 1970’s and first introduced to road bikes in the early 1980’s in models such as Honda’s CX500TURBO, fuel injection offers better roll on power and improved low-to-mid range delivery. The new system featured in the 2008 RM-Z450 has been tested by Suzuki's factory riders and given the ultra-competitive nature of the motocross environment, where having a bike that's not capable of winning is just not an option, it’s almost certain that fuel injection will become standard throughout the motocross market in the not too distant future. Read More

Suzuki GSX-R1000 takes season superstock opener

By Mike Hanlon

March 10, 2007 One of the great things about production racing is that you get to see exactly how well a pretty standard motorcycle can perform. With the advent of the Superstock class, we can now see something very close to showroom stock motorcycles – a far more realistic appraisal of how well they perform on the road. The European Superstock Championships are now eight years old and Suzuki’s Gixxer won it last year, and has taken the title five of the eight times it has been contested. The AMA equivalent class kicked off yesterday at Daytona and it looks like Suzuki will be keeping its crown already. Team Yoshimura Suzuki's Ben Spies took pole on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000, then led home Ben Bostrum’s Yamaha R1 to take the first win of the season. With the defending champ scoring a victory first up, Suzuki’s stocks are again strong, but a look down the field indicates that the contest may well come from within. Suzuki Gixxers filled third through to tenth place. Read More

Suzuki’s Flix Concept - Movie-theater-style concept vehicle

By Mike Hanlon

January 19, 2007 One of the concept vehicles at NAIAS which somehow seemed to slip below the radar was the silver-screen-inspired XL7 Flix concept. The Flix concept offers film enthusiasts the ultimate mobile movie experience, being outfitted with an in-vehicle movie system. After parking at the optimal film-viewing destination, Flix’s clamshell roof can be opened, revealing a maximum-size moonroof that serves as a 40-inch movie screen. Additionally, the XL7 concept’s front roof panel vents, giving way to a high-density digital projection system to display a family’s movie of choice. For those who prefer the traditional drive-in movie experience, Flix’s projection system can be positioned to display movies nearly anywhere – the side of a building, a billboard or almost any wall. Read More

Suzuki B-King for 2007

By Mike Hanlon

September 29, 2006 The Suzuki B-King, first shown as a concept bike five years ago and one of the most anticipated motorcycles in many years has finally surfaced as a production machine using the Hayabusa 1300cc motor, and without its original supercharger. In an announcement that also included an all-new 1250cc liquid-cooled Bandit and a completely overhauled GSX-R1000 supersport machine, the biggest news was the engine management system on the GSX-R which has four times the computing power of the current machine, and in an industry first, it has a user-selectable engine mapping system with the rider able to change on-the-fly between three different power delivery curves. Suzuki suggests it is possible for a rider to use one map for one section of a racetrack then switch to another map for a different segment of the track. Each engine map was developed using experience gained building racebike maps for rainy, mixed and dry conditions, and the possibilities for making a race or road bike more suited to different types of conditions are obvious. Read More

78 mpg petrol-engined Suzuki Super-mini

By Mike Hanlon

September 17, 2006 Suzuki has unveiled a web site previewing its next supermini which will have a remarkably economical petrol engine when it is released in late 2007 with a price around UKP8,500. The Splash design study will be shown at the Paris Motor Show and will form the basis of the petrol-engined production car which has reportedly achieved a combined cycle figure of 78mpg according to Suzuki engineers. The motor is an all-new 1200cc 16-valve DOHC four cylinder with variable valve timing. Read More

Monster Tajima smashes Race To The Sky record in his 1000 horespower Suzuki Escudo

By Mike Hanlon

April 17, 2006 It’s not surprising that Japan’s Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima won the ‘Race to the Sky’ hillclimb last Sunday, one of the great hill climbs on the international calendar. Monster has now won the Silverstone ‘Race to the Sky’ seven times in his 1000 horsepower Suzuki so he’s getting to know the 14.5km course near Queenstown pretty well. Just the same, he exceeded all expectations when he smashed his own record set in 2003 by nine seconds, to win the title for the seventh time clocking 8. 01.17. Monster’s Suzuki Escudo is almost as legendary as he is, producing 981 bhp at 8100 rpm and 95kg-m of torque at 6500 rpm from the twin-turbo 2.7 litre V6. The most amazing thing though, is the space-frame car with carbon fibre and Kevlar bodywork which weighs just 1020kg fueled up with Nobuhiro strapped in. Read More

Ducati narrowly leads Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha in World Superbike title chase

By Mike Hanlon

March 6, 2005 World-class racing on machinery closely related to that on the showroom floor is what continues to drive the success of the World Superbike and Supersport Championships. With four races now complete in the World Superbike Championship, it now seems certain that Honda, Ducati, Yamaha and Suzuki all have realistic chances of taking the title, with as many as ten potential race-winning riders on the grid. Realistically though, championship leader TroyBayliss (Ducati 999, 75 pts), James Toseland (Honda CBR1000RR, 74 pts), Troy Corser (Suzuki GSXR1000, 63 pts), MotoGP veteran Alex Barros (Honda CBR1000RR, 55 pts) and Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha YZF R1, 42 pts) will be the key players with both Barros and Haga set for significant machinery improvements in the coming weeks. In the Supersport championship, the title already looks to be a race between the Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR of reigning champ Sebastien Charpentier and the Yamaha Germany YZF-R6 of Kevin Curtain. Read More

Suzuki to contest the World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2007

By Mike Hanlon

March 1, 2006 Suzuki has announced it will enter the World Rally Championship (WRC) from August, 2007 using its all new Sports X-over vehicle SX4 as the basis. The SX4 was also launched at the Geneva Show. Suzuki’s decision to participate in the WRC follows from its very successful involvement with its teams in the Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC). Read More

Suzuki B-King 600 Streetfighter unveiled

By Mike Hanlon

December 13, 2005 It may not be the 250 bhp turbocharged 1500cc B-King we’d been hoping for, but it’s at least using the B-King styling. It’s the latest “street fighter” and Suzuki took the global wraps off it this week - the much-anticipated all-new GSR600. Like all the new aggressively-styled naked bikes, the GSX-R600 hopes it can bring its unique qualities to the new breed of motorcycle. The culmination of an exciting engine and chassis design program that aimed to create a sporty motorcycle in which ‘modern art meets race technology’… the result is edgy styling and comfort seamlessly blended with performance, technology and handling that is first-class.” Based on the race-proven powerplant of the GSX-R600, the high-performance, liquid-cooled GSR600 engine is tuned for a broader powerband and more low-and mid-range torque. Read More

Suzuki’s Stratosphere unveiled: 180bhp, 1100cc six-cylinder machine

By Mike Hanlon

October 20, 2005 Six cylinder motorcycles have been few and far between in the history of powered two-wheelers – Benelli’s Sei, Honda’s CBX and Goldwing, Kawasaki’s Z1300 and now Suzuki’s Stratosphere. The Suzuki Stratosphere is only a concept bike at this stage but vapourware is not in Suzuki’s vocabulary and the company has a strong track record for turning its concepts into reality. The raw figures are 1100cc, 24 valves, 180 horses and a motor reportedly turbine-like smooth. The motor is an engineering masterpiece akin to the miniaturized sophistication of a Swiss watch and the aluminium fairing, electrically-adjustable windscreen, LED headlights, adjustable handlebars, built-in GPS navigation just add to the high-tech cred. We’re not so sure about the orange seat, but love the Katanesque profile. See the photo gallery for details – a stunner and one that we sincerely hope will make it to the showroom floor Read More

Suzuki gets serious with a 107 cubic inch motorcycle

By Mike Hanlon

October 11, 2005 The Suzuki M109 is intended for the power cruiser marketplace – the market begun and dominated by Harley Davidson that has attracted competitors from Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and latterly, the only truly original contender in the field since the Harley itself, Triumph. In this market, brutal torque is the currency, so bigger is better when it comes to engine size and the original Harley V-twins which seemed ginormous at 1280cc have been trumped and countertrumped all the way to 1700cc by Yamaha, 1800cc by Honda and 2000cc by Kawasaki – the largest V-twin motorcycle engine in the world. Then there’s Triumph’s 2300cc Rocket III, but that’s another story entirely. Currently, the Suzuki is the runt of the pack with a capacity of 1.6 litres, but quite soon we’ll see a newer, meaner and much higher revving Suzuki contender – the M109 gets its name from the cubic inches it packs – 109 of them. Read More

World Superbike Championships - Corser and Suzuki take the title

By Mike Hanlon

October 2, 2005 Troy Corser is the 2005 Superbike World Champion following the penultimate round of the series held at Imola, Italy here today. Corser finished a very close second to his nearest rival Chris Vermeulen (Honda) in the first race of the day, which took part on a drying track after earlier rain. But, just before the start of the second race, the heavens opened and deluged the 4.933 kilometre circuit. The riders and officials waited and inspected the aging circuit which still has the original racing surface in some places and decided it was too dangerous to hold the event under the conditions and decreed the race cancelled. The cancellation meant Corser’s points lead was unbeatable in the remaining races, giving him and Suzuki’s GSX1000R this year’s championship! Read More

Suzuki 2006 GSX-R1000 lands

By Mike Hanlon

September 26, 2005 The latest incarnation of Suzuki’s world-beating GSX-R1000 performance sportsbike has landed on Australian shores and is expected to become available in most major markets in the next few weeks. Distributors have reported that demand for the current 2005 model has been very strong, and with the new colour options, particularly a matt black version, Suzuki expects the new 2006-model to be even more popula. The model is identical to the 2005 model apart from paintwork, which can be expected given that the Suzuki GSX-R1000 has a stranglehold on the World Superbike Championship, has already won the American AMA Superbike Championship and three-time Australian Superbike Champion, Shawn Giles is on the verge of claiming a record fourth title in the premier road-racing class as he heads into the final round with a 10-point advantage. Read More

New Suzuki road models for 2006 – details

By Mike Hanlon

September 22, 2005 It’s new model time in the motorcycle industry and Suzuki has three new road machines for next year that are sure to set hearts racing, particularly the GSX-R 600 that has been significantly reworked with a view to challenging the domination of the Honda in the all-important SuperSport 600 racing category and the enormous effect this has on road bike sales in the class. The 600 and its almost identical 750cc sibling have both taken on the styling of the highly successful K5 model GSX-R1000 and it’s interesting to consider Suzuki’s sales strategy – make a competitive 600 machine for the racetrack and then it just that bit sweeter and more comfortable for the road with an extra 150cc of grunt. The Bandit 1200S has also come in for serious revision, shedding 6 kilos of weight and getting an adjustable seat height suitable for those humans with a low undercarriage. Read More

Dutch World Superbikes: Honda double reduces Suzuki lead

By Mike Hanlon

September 4, 2005 Winston Ten Kate Honda’s Chris Vermeulen achieved his second World Superbike double by winning both races in this afternoon’s ninth round at Assen in Holland. The Australian enjoyed a fierce on-track battle with Japan’s Noriyuki Haga, who finished second in the 16-lap race ahead of British rider James Toseland. Toseland and Haga shared the podium in the first race, and runaway series leader Troy Corser finished fourth in both races having his worst weekend of the season. Now the only rider with a mathematical possibility of stopping Corser from winning the championship, Vermeulen trails Corser by 86 points with three rounds (six races) and 150 points still up for grabs. Vermeulen paid tribute to the team’s effort and his opponents, and refuses to believe that he cannot catch championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki). “James and Nori made me work for it today, but it's a great weekend for the team, and we took a good double,” said Vermeulen. “From half season onwards we started to get some results and there are six races left. Troy still has a big lead, but I will be trying my best to pull it back.” Read More

Suzuki GSX-R/4 Concept update for Tokyo?

By Mike Hanlon

June 22, 2005 Rumours emanating from Japan suggest Suzuki might be ready to put the GSX-R/4 concept machine it first showed four years ago into production with an announcement due that this year’s Tokyo Motor Show. The multi-featured GSX-R/4 concept car combined Suzuki's automotive and motorcycle technologies to create a one-of-a-kind high-performance vehicle using the 1.3-liter 173 horsepower engine of the GSX1300R Hayabusa motorcycle to create a high-tech, aluminium-framed, light weight 640 kilogram two-seater sportscar capable of 140 mph and motorcycle-like acceleration. With the rumours already strong that a production version of the outrageous B-King concept motorcycle will be announced at the show with a 1500cc motor, use of the same motor would see the GSX-R/4 with more than 200 horses plus the same array of intelligent electronics that adjust the car to the driver’s style. Read More