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

WSBK 2013: Portimao Race Report

Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty split a pair of victories at Portugal’s Portimao circuit while Sylvain Guintoli took advantage of some misfortune to his championship rivals to increase his lead in the 2013 World Superbike Championship standings. Guintoli has been leading or sharing the lead in the championship since winning the first race of Round 1 in Australia, but amazingly continues to lead despite having just that single victory after six rounds. The Aprilia rider has accomplished this through his consistency (Guintoli leads all racers with nine podium finishes in 12 races) and ability to finish each race (he’s the only rider in the top seven without a DNF).

Isle of Man TT 2013: PokerStars Senior TT Race Results

For a while there, it looked as if John McGuinness would be held off the top podium position through the entire 2013 Isle of Man TT. McGuinness had recorded third-place finishes at the Superbike, Superstock and the second Supersport TT races earlier in the week, but the active leader in Isle of Man TT wins was stuck at 19 wins all week. That finally changed and the Honda TT Legends racer finally earned win #20 in the final race of this year’s event, the Senior TT.

2014 Suzuki Burgman 200 Gets CARB Approval

The California Air Resources Board has issued an executive order for the 2014 Suzuki Burgman 200, opening the way for the scooter to be introduced to the market. For several years now, Suzuki has offered two main scooter models for the American market, the Burgman 400 and the Burgman 650, with some offshoots such as the Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive. The new CARB executive order suggests Suzuki is ready to introduce a new, smaller model to the family.

Isle of Man TT 2013: Lightweight TT Race Results

James Hillier set new lap time and race time records in a dominating victory in the Lightweight TT race for the 2013 Isle of Man TT. All three of the Kawasaki rider’s lap times were faster than the previous lap record for the Lightweight TT class, for a record overall time of 57:42.245 and average speed of 117.694 mph. The race started with another Kawasaki rider (the class is dominated with Kawasaki Ninja 650s with a few Suzuki SV650s) Dean Harrison taking the early lead through the Glen Helen viewpoint but Hillier was right on his tail about half a second behind.

Isle of Man TT 2013: Monster Energy Supersport Race 2 Results

The Michael Dunlop Show continues with the 24-year-old Northern Irish racer winning his fourth race of the 2013 Isle of Man TT. His latest triumph was a victory in the second Monster Energy Supersport race, making Dunlop just the third rider to ever record four wins in a single TT week. Like his win in the Royal London 360 Superstock race, Dunlop ran most of the race in second place before setting a blazing final lap time for a come-from-behind win.

Isle of Man TT 2013: Royal London 360 Superstock Results

We’re only three days into the racing action for the Isle of Man TT and one rider has already established himself as the star of this TT. Michael Dunlop, of the famous Dunlop racing family, took the victory at the Royal London 360 Superstock race, giving him his third win of the 2013 Isle of Man TT. The latest win gives Dunlop six in his career on the Mountain Course, tying him with such noted names as Geoff Duke, Jimmie Guthrie, Jim Redman and John Surtees.

Isle of Man TT 2013: Dainese Superbike Race Results

It was delayed by a day but the Isle of Man TT’s Dainese Superbike race finally went underway Sunday. Originally scheduled to open the 2013 Isle of Man TT, the race was pushed back a day because poor weather earlier in the week prevented proper practice and qualifying. Even then, the Superbike race was delayed 45 minutes from its rescheduled start time due to a traffic accident.

Suzuki Motor Of America Announces New President

Since Suzuki Motor of America restructured after filing for bankruptcy, dropping its auto line and focusing on the powersports business, some changes are being made internally as well. President Seiichi Maruyama is leaving his post Taking his place is former Executive Vice President Toru Muraki.  Also as part of the restructuring, Takuya Sato is named Executive Vice President overseeing the company’s marine operations. “Toru Muraki’s global motorcycle experience further positions Suzuki Motor of America, Inc.

Racer Yoshinari Matsushita Killed in Isle of Man TT Crash

Veteran racer Yoshinari Matsushita has died after crashing in a practice session for the 2013 Isle of Man TT. Matsushita crashed his Suzuki GSX-R600 at the Ballacyre section of the Isle of Man’s Mountain Course. He was trying to prepare to compete in the TT’s Supersport class for Tyco Suzuki.

Suzuki Reveals B.O.S.S. Editions of Boulevard C90, M109R and C50

Last fall, Suzuki introduced a new tourer called the C90T B.O.S.S. The acronym was obvious enough, standing for “Blacked-Out Special Suzuki“, and that’s what the Suzuki C90T B.O.S.S. was.