The flagship superbike, the Suzuki Hayabusa, gets a full model change after more than a decade.
When it comes to 2-wheeled vehicles, few names are as world renown as the ‘Hayabusa’. Suzuki took on the fastest production bikes of the 1990s and came out on top just as the Japanese government started to discourage bike makers from pushing the envelope. Its had its rivals over the years but still commands a strong following. The Hayabusa remained the company’s flagship, getting a full model change in 2007. Now, after 13 years, the company has revealed a 3rd generation model and it promises to be better in every way.
The design has been revamped, but it’s instantly recognisable as a Hayabusa with its flowing, forward-slanting silhouette. The body comes in a two-tone finish with a secondary colour for parts like the air intakes, side cowlings and rear section.
For the first time on any Suzuki motorcycle, the turn signals/position lights are placed on the outer edges of the air intakes.
The heart of the Hayabusa, the 1340cc 4-cylinder engine has been thoroughly revised. It features a ride-by-wire electronic throttled with revised intake and exhaust mechanisms for better output at the low-to-mid speed range. It meets Euro5 emissions for motorcycles which was introduced in 2020.
A new Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (SIRS) helps the rider to select preset ride modes, with different settings for power mode, traction control, engine brake control and 2 other controls. SIRS is also the first of its kind with an Active Speed Limiter. This allows the rider to set the bike a limited top speed under certain circumstances.
Here are some video presentations from Suzuki.
| Equipment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| S.I.R.S. (Suzuki Intelligent Ride System) | Overview | Number of modes | Can be turned OFF |
| SDMS-α (Suzuki Drive Mode Selector Alpha) | Motion Track Traction Control System, Power Mode Selector, Bi-directional Quick Shift System, Anti-lift Control System, and Engine Brake Control System can be selected from factory presets and user-defined settings | Factory presets: 3 User-defined settings: 3 | – |
| Motion Track Traction Control System | Level of traction control can be selected | 10 | ✔ |
| Power Mode Selector | Output characteristics can be selected | 3 | – |
| Bi-directional Quick Shift System | Allows the rider to shift up or down without operating the clutch or throttle | 2 | ✔ |
| Anti-lift Control System | Adds reassurance to riders by helping prevent the front wheel from lifting off the ground when accelerating | 10 | ✔ |
| Engine Brake Control System | Level of engine brake control can be selected | 3 | ✔ |
| Launch Control System | Helps ensure efficient launch and acceleration from a standing start | 3 | ✔ |
| Active Speed Limiter | Allows the rider to set a speed limit the bike will not exceed | – | ✔ |
| Cruise Control System | Maintains set speed without operating throttle | – | ✔ |
| Combined Brake System | Simply operating the front brake lever provides braking power to the both front and rear brakes | – | – |
| Motion Track Brake System | Controls ABS depending on leaning angle in corner | – | – |
| Slope Dependent Control System | Optimizes ABS depending on downhill | – | – |
| Hill Hold Control System | Prevents vehicle from backing down on a hill when taking off in upward slope | – | ✔ |
| Emergency Stop Signal | Rapidly flashes the front and rear turn signals to alert following vehicles if the rider brakes suddenly at speeds of 55km/h or higher | – | – |
| Suzuki Easy Start System | Allows engine start with a single press of the starter button | – | – |
| Low RPM Assist | Assists smooth take off | – | – |
| Specification | |||
| Overall length | 2,180mm | ||
| Overall width | 735mm | ||
| Overall height | 1,165mm | ||
| Wheelbase | 1,480mm | ||
| Curb weight | 264kg | ||
| Engine type | Four-stroke, 1,340cm3 liquid-cooled, in-line four | ||
| Maximum ouput | 140kW/9,700rpm | ||
| Maximum torque | 150Nm/7,000rpm | ||
| Fuel efficiency | 14.9km/L (WMTC mode) |
