We can thank Euro 5 for one thing, at least, and that is the coercion of several motorcycle manufactures to replace/update current models with something new. Case in point is the Suzuki Hayabusa, which has soldiered on with a 1,340cc engine that has been unchanged for several years and fallen out of compliance with current European emission standards.
Enter the replacement for the current Hayabusa, which Suzuki has now teased with two separate videos. The unveiling will be on February 5, 2021. How do we know it is a Hayabusa? Faint silhouettes in one of the videos below, along with a clear picture of the instrument panel showing the bike loping along at over 180 mph. We could be wrong, but we are pretty sure it is a Hayabusa. Stay tuned.
Hey, it’s the 5th. Where is the news on the update?
It’s already all over the interwebs, ummhm kinda disappointing.
It’s too bad Suzuki seems to have fallen on hard times…in the USA anyway.
We had two Suzuki cars that we bought brand new. A 2003 XL7, and a 2010 SX4. Both cars ran forever on oil changes, tires and a few sets of brake pads. In fact, I drove the SX4 to work tonight.
My Suzuki motorcycle experiences were good too. Had a 1976 RM 125, which I had a blast on, even though it was worn out when I bought it used.
I bought a 2003 SV1000S. It was new and one of my favorite bikes. Loved that engine. Kinda wish I still had it….
I wonder if they will equip this one with reverse to help out all the people who put the engine in cars.
Those clocks are so similar to what’s out there now, indicates to me that it’s new plastics over the existing frame and engine. Suzuki must know that this bike has come to the end of life more or less, if now a few years ago.
What’s the Market for a 2021 hyperspeed bike today ?
In 1997 when I got the very first edition, a red/black, yes there was certainly a Market, but serious money is needed for clean sheet design. I can’t see Suzuki doing that and hoping Millennial’s will get excited enough for another 10 years of future sales.
Anyway, Suzuki’s serious development money is all sent to the Electric Car Division.
1999 was the first model year of the Hayabusa.
Ditto, when you look at the front outline of the bike all the hard points seem to be in the same location, lights, air intakes, exhaust, etc. I’m betting it’ll be the same sort of update the KLR-650 just got. Not that I’m hating, the Hayabusa is a great bike and if they keep the price reasonable I cool with it.
Suzuki built the Busa in response to the ZX11 which was also designed in the wind tunnel combined with massive HP (at the time) to achieve unheard of top speeds for bone stock bikes.Ahh those were the days! I obtained a beat to death 1990 ZX11 for free and completely rebuilt the engine. Having spent waaaay more than it was worth, I still enjoyed the heck out of that beast. The faster you went,the more stable it became! Yay Suzuki
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think it would be more accurate to say that the ‘Busa was built in response to Honda’s Super Blackbird. There was even a tongue-in-cheek play on words (Hayabusa roughly translates to Peregrine Falcon which likes to prey on blackbirds). I was a proud owner of a 2003 Super Blackbird that I rode from VT to Dalton, George and back one April – did the whole Blue Ridge. Man that was such a great bike! It is good to see the ‘Busa getting some love – it still remains an icon in the sportbike world.
You are correct. The ZX-11 arguably started the hyper-bike wars, but the Blackbird was the speed king when the Hayabusa was released. And the naming was a hardcore deliberate swipe at the Blackbird. Nothing tongue-in-cheek about it.
FWIW, I never owned a Blackbird, but did take a short ride on one. It was an amazing bike.
Suzuki needs this to be good. I hope they knock it out of the park, for their sake.
Suzuki.
I feel the same way. Huge goodwill for Suzuki here.
I saw on their corporate site that they make their money on cars, something like 90% of their business (+/-) and then another few % on tiddlers in Asia. Then large bikes, and finally outboard motors.
They present as recovering from their internal false certification disaster, they took that real serious at the top.
I am in USA and want Suzuki USA to do well.
Will I ever get on a busa? No way. I like 25-70 hp.
I grew up with only a local Suzuki dealership nearby. My first bike was an early ’80s DS100, then RM. Seeing their depleted bike portfolio is sad to see. I recommend SV650 to all new riders, and have seen many become track toys. I’ve never gone for extreme superbikes for street use, so GSXRs were never my thing. Good luck.
Good comment. I’d like to see them do well also. They’ve had some epic bikes and deserve to have more. I really wish the V-Strom 1050 was more cutting edge and competitive with the Euro adventure bikes. I’m confident the new hayabusa will be good. I’m just past the age and stage f riding one as my only bike.
It is not as if any rider is going to be looking at the speedometer.
Suzuki will make it run faster and look faster than that.
Dude, it looks like it’s got a proper speedometer! And Tach! Not some smartphone screen. That’s the first thing I looked at! Compared to that, 180 vs 160 is a great big whatever as far as I’m concerned….
Can they make it as comfortable as the ZX14R, though? That is the question. The current ‘Busa is too racy for my taste. Pegs too rearset. To the extent loping at 180 does matter, it is because the aero, and other, work thus required, makes for a truly serene and stable ride at more sane Across-the-West speeds, even with some bags thrown across the back.
Are Kawasaki looking … are they going to make a ZX15R with their 1498 cc Jet ski engine ?
6 cylinders the same width as a GSX-R 1000-4? Suzuki showed a prototype about 10 years ago. Cylinder de-activation then at cruise? Turbo? Semi-automatic so you can just twist and rip? I’m excited!
A MotoGP title and competitors’ bikes with displacement creep all around, I’m sure suzuki kicked it up a notch. They have a reputation to uphold with this bike. Anything less than 200 HP will be embarrasing.
Even my 2019 H2 SX SE sport tourer, while severely choked up stock, with the Brocks slip-on and a reflash dynos at 231 RWHP and 96 lb/ft from a 1000.
I’m expecting a displacement bump and some much needed weight loss. The current 587 lbs wet is ridiculous. That’s 10 lbs more than my H2 with hard luggage, a centerstand and electronic suspension.
New colors and a bigger cat?
I’m affraid, your’e right. Additionnaly some LED lights, re-shaped plastics and small TFT, but let’s hope, we are both very wrong about it.
The Hayabusa? Cue Cartman singing, “In the ghettooooo…And his ‘busa cried”.
Well this is interesting. The Kaw 14 knocked the Busa off its throne a while ago.
On my command… unleash hell.
Can’t wait for the new B-King! WOO!! 🙂
It couldn’t possibly be styled more hideous than the original.
That’s not true…
TBH, I find the melted gummy bear styling of the ‘Busa pretty terrible too.
It’s grown on me. A lot. Probably more because it is just so iconic and class defining, than because of any inherent aesthetic qualities.
Truly good aero, which is required for truly high speeds over long distance with a full sized rider on board, will always result in a rather big and bloated look, though. And given those constraints, I’m not so sure Suzuki’s original design team didn’t do a pretty good job, by takig what would regardless by acres of plastic slab, and a least shaping it interestingly. All without harming aero, and other, functional priorities.
I recall reading years back that Suzuki’s design team resisted “styling” the shape away, to keep the shapes that the wind tunnel testing and engineering defined, leaving us with the distinctive look we’re still talking about today.
I also recall that Kawasaki and Suzuki were collaborating at that time and they took the ZX12r a different direction, despite their testing arriving at similar shapes.
Suzuki: “Hold my beer.”
With all the experience Suzuki has accumulated in MotoGP it will sure be an incredible bike.
No thanks to Euro 5 from me. Bikes are already quite low in emissions. All we really get are more expensive motorcycles being produced. The current Hayabusa is already quicker and faster than my meager skillset needs. I’m sure the new one will be amazing.
Bikes really aren’t getting more expensive. Against inflation, they’re getting cheaper. The Euro emissions standard progression hasn’t caused them to get less powerful, either. They just keep finding more power.
I agree Dave. Also, add in the fact that consumers today have to have every gadget going as well.
The ‘Busa has aged extremely well. The new one is sure to be tremendous.
Interesting that they didn’t go to a full TFT screen, like most new models have these days.
Nice nod to the ‘Busa’s history, retaining those iconic analog gauges.
I like round dials even if they don’t give as much information. TFT just doesn’t flow with the shape of most motorcycles. I guess TFT is more comfortable for people that spend most of their time staring at their cell phone.
TFT and other LED/LCD type screens are dirt cheap to manufacture. The dials suggest craftsmanship to me as they are precision instruments, finely assembled and calibrated – even if there’s a cheap circuit board hiding behind the facade of clockwork.
Meh, I don’t get out of bed for anything less then 200 mph
The first Hayabusas could clock over 200 mph. Later they were restricted to an agreed upon 300km (186mph) to make governments happy. I’m sure the new one won’t exceed 186 without clipping a couple wires.
No one is following the 186mph/300kph agreement anymore. They really just agreed to stop claiming top speed beyond that in marketing materials since 1999. That number is more of a “wink wink, nudge nudge”.
I could never figure out how the industry came up with 186 mph as a restriction. Me thinks 150 mph is just as lethal as 186, discounting kinetic energy
300 kph, nice round number
186 is 1.5 x Ek as 150, crash at 150 not great but that’s still quite a difference – so “discount kinetic energy” at your own peril
I’d conceed the KE is less than 1.5, but I get your point. My point is I think you’re boned crashing at 150 the same as you are 186
I already said 150 “not great” which was in theory obviously putting it mildly but do the math it’s actually 1.55 x the energy at 186 as 150, not “less than 1.5.”
“It’s not the rate of speed that determines injury in a motorcycle crash.
It’s the rate of deceleration.”
I heard that many years ago, and ain’t it the truth!
The fact is a stock Hayabusa never reached 200mph, even de-restricted examples. That is a myth that has been debunked many times.
The original copper Busa did 199. Of all the Busas to own, that’s the one afficiandos quest for.
Hmmmm… I heard various numbers at the time none greater than 192. Source?
Wikipedia says original ’99 version went 194. Later versions 188
The carb’d model? The aficionados can have it.
Busas have always been fuel injected. Never any models with carburetors.
How often do you get to go 200mph? I mean really? Be honest now?
In fact, how often have you gone 200mph? Just asking. 😉
Never been 200mph. On land. Only have been 150mph a few times. A fair amount of time in the 120-130mph range.
Other than land speed racing at the salt, never.
But I know a couple people who run the Busa as a long distance sport tourer and commuter using Corbin’s hard luggage, auxilliary lighting and various tech gadgets mounted throughout. The MPGs are amazing, typically 45-50 droning on the interstates. Who says only a 250 is ecomonical? It’s just all that torque everywhere so you don’t have to wind it up from a light is what is so appealing, even if you never take it past 6k. This bike is often overlooked for this use. It’s not just a Biker Boyz street dragger.
I’ve been driving for 53 years, accident free, and I follow one simple rule. Keep it under 200.
Ok that made me laugh
Lets hope that the DRZ400 and DR650 are next on Suzuki’s update schedule. Fingers crossed!
With its wonderful swirl combustion responsiveness I would love a DR650 old fashion street bike, standard style, with radial tires, 6 speeds, and a flat seat. The world needs street thumpers.
Parts of the world have them. Gimme a Foggy Stealth.
https://www.ccm-motorcycles.com/
Now there’s some special motorcycles. 😲 Dang…. I’ll take the Foggy too.
Seems that Kawasaki was able to add fuel injection to their KLX and KLR without too much trouble. Putting a 6th gear and FI on the DR-Z would make it the bee’s knees.
I met a guy in Vancouver, WA once, who was touring the west coast on a DRZ400 in grand style. Now that’s one iron butt rider. Yee Hawr !