Suzuki Motorcycles

About Suzuki

Suzuki Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan, which specializes in manufacturing automobiles, four-wheel drive vehicles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines.

In 1909, Michio Suzuki (1887–1982) founded the Suzuki Loom Works in the small seacoast village of Hamamatsu, Japan. He was making looms, did some cars for a short time, faced cotton market collapse in 1951 and so he came to new products.

Suzuki's first two-wheel ingenuity came in the form a bicycle fitted with a motor called, the "Power Free." Designed to be inexpensive and simple to build and maintain, the 1952 Power Free featured a 36 cc, one horsepower, two-stroke engine. An unprecedented feature was the double-sprocket gear system, enabling the rider to either pedal with the engine assisting, pedal without engine assist, or simply disconnect the pedals and run on engine power alone. The system was so ingenious that the patent office of the new democratic government granted Suzuki a financial subsidy to continue research in motorcycle engineering, and so was born Suzuki Motor Corporation.

In 1953, The Diamond Free is introduced and features double-sprocket wheel mechanism and two-speed transmission. That year Suzuki scored the first of many racing victories when the tiny 60 cc "Diamond Free" won its class in the Mount Fuji Hill Climb.

By 1954, Suzuki had officially changed its name to Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. S mark was adopted as corporate emblem in 1958.

In 1955 the Colleda COX debuts, a 125cc bike equipped with a steel frame. It features a 4-stroke OHV single-cylinder engine with three-speed transmission.

Using MZ’s technology (Ernst Degner defected to the west while racing for MZ in the Swedish Grand Prix, and he took knowledge of Walter Kaaden’s expansion chamber designs), Suzuki wins the newly created 50cc class in the World Championship. The company will win the class every year until ’67, and win the 125cc class twice in that period, too.

The T20 is released in 1965 (aka Super 6, X-6, Hustler). This two-stroke, street-going Twin is one of the fastest bikes in its class. The ‘6’ in its name(s) refers to its six-speed gearbox. The T500 ‘Titan’ (1968) is an air-cooled parallel-Twin two-stroke.

In 1971 the GT750 2-stroke surprises people with its three-cylinder liquid-cooled engine. In North America, it’s nicknamed the Water Buffalo; in the UK they call them Kettles. Also the TM400A motocrosser goes into production, a 396cc bike designed for 500cc motocross races.

With the GS750, Suzuki finally builds a 4-stroke, four-cylinder road bike in 1976.

The 779cc DR-BIG, dated by 1990, has the largest single-cylinder engine in living memory. The much-loved 16-valve, 1156cc air/oil-cooled Bandit 1200 appears on the scene in 1995.

In 1996 Suzuki calls the new GSX-R750 the ‘turning-point model’ thanks to its twin-spar frame instead of the older double-cradle frame. The engine is also redesigned and featured 3-piece crankcases, chrome-plated cylinders and a side-mount cam chain as well as Suzuki Ram Air Direct (SRAD) system.

Moto blog

2014 AMA Supercross – Anaheim 3 Results

Chad Reed tasted victory for the second time in three weeks at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., leading all 20 laps and fending off a last-lap challenge from rookie upstart Ken Roczen. Reed, who also won the Jan. 18 round in the second of three Anaheim races, now trails fellow Kawasaki rider Ryan Villopoto by just two points in the 2014 AMA Supercross championship race.

2014 WSBK Provisional Entry List – 27 Riders and 9 Manufacturers

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) released a provisional entry list for the 2014 World Superbike Championship. The provisional list includes 27 riders riding motorcycles from nine different manufacturers. Of these riders, 12 are riding in the new EVO sub-category which limits engine upgrades and electronics to Superstock class rules.

Yoshimura Suzuki Signs Roger Hayden for 2014 AMA Superbike Championship

Roger Hayden has signed on to race the 2014 AMA Superbike season for Yoshimura Suzuki, joining the returning Martin Cardenas and Chris Clark. Hayden spent the last few seasons with the Jordan Suzuki satellite team, finishing fourth overall in 2013 and third in 2012. The 2012 season also saw Hayden earn his only career AMA Superbike victory.

2014 AMA Supercross – Oakland Results

With three different racers tasting victory in the first three rounds of the 2014 AMA Supercross Championship, the season was shaping up to be one of the deepest and most competitive fields we’ve seen. But at Round Four at O.o Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., Ryan Villopoto showed why he remains the top dog, leading each lap for his second win of the season. The Kawasaki rider only trailed at the very start of the race, as Honda rider Vince Friese took the holeshot with Yamaha‘s Justin Brayton slotting in second through the first corner.

2014 AMA Supercross – Anaheim 2 Results

Chad Reed earned his first AMA Supercross win in nearly two years with a hard-fought battle in the second round of three rounds at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. The win was the 42nd career victory for the TwoTwo Motorsports Kawasaki rider, but the first since Jan. 21, 2012, in Los Angeles.

Suzuki Motor of America Appoints New President Takeshi Hayasaki

Suzuki Motor of America has named long-serving executive Takeshi Hayasaki as the company’s new president, replacing Toru Muraki in leading the company heading into its second year since emerging from bankruptcy proceedings. Hayasaki assumed his new role on Dec. 16, 2013, bringing years of experience with Suzuki Motor Corporation.

NZ Superbike Series Points Leader Is A Grandfather Of Three!

Dennis Charlett is stamping his authority on the New Zealand Superbike championship. The 45 year-old father of five and grandfather of three (no, those aren’t typos) won the first three races of the season during the series opener in Christchurch, placing him firmly at the top of the points standings heading into round two at Levels Raceway, near Timaru. The championship favorite certainly got the wake-up call as Taupo’s Suzuki rider Scott Moir raced to a convincing win in Saturday’s Superbike race, while Charlett was forced to settle for fourth place.

Day 7 Dakar 2014: Barreda Wins Another

After a day of rest, Sunday’s stage seven was characterized by rain during the night and a new Dakar country – Bolivia. After an early start at 4:30 in the morning, the first 62 miles of the special stage into Bolivia had to be shortened due to rain and poor visibility, low-hanging clouds that prevented the helicopters from taking off creating security issues. The route led across the Andes and towards the Bolivian border.

2014 AMA Supercross – Phoenix Results

Kawasaki‘s Ryan Villopoto nabbed a hard-earned first victory of the 2014 AMA Supercross season, overcoming a poor start that saw him ninth after the first lap for the win. The three-time reigning champion found himself well back after the first corner as Yoshimura Suzuki‘s Jake Moss took the holeshot ahead of Yamaha‘s Justin Brayton and the KTM‘s Ryan Dungey. Brayton took over the lead by the second corner and would stay in front for the first 13 laps.

MWR Air Filters Claim Amazing Power Improvement

From the News That Sounds Too Good To Be True But, Boy, Do We Hope It Is Department, MWR Air Filters wants riders to know that its MWR High Efficiency Air Filters are breaking new ground in air filtration technology. While the company’s name might not be commonplace among performance oriented riders – yet – some pretty big names are using MWR filters even though the company doesn’t pay sponsorship dollars. According to MWR’s press release, “the reigning WSBK champion, Tom Sykes uses MWR Air Filters in his Kawasaki ZX10R.” Also, 17 riders at the Isle of Man TT were running with MWR filters.