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

Cresent Suzuki Team Entering WSBK; Several Other Shoes Still to Drop

British Superbike racing team Crescent Suzuki announced it will enter the World Superbike Championship next year, but Suzuki racing fans are perhaps left with even more questions about the 2012 racing season. Crescent Suzuki will enter two riders on GSX-R1000 superbikes next season, but the team has not named its riders or described the level of support it will receive from Suzuki. This season, Crescent Suzuki fielded John Hopkins and Jon Kirkham with Hopkins falling short of winning the championship thanks to a photo finish on the season’s final race.

Million Dollar Man: Ryan Villopoto Wins Monster Energy Cup

Ryan Villopoto swept all three main events to win the inaugural Monster Energy Cup and take home the $1 million prize. The 2011 AMA Motocross and Supercross Champion was a favorite going into the Oct.15 Monster Energy Cup at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev. Villopoto completed the hat trick by winning the Cup and the prize money.

2012 Suzuki GW250 – Baby B-King the Flagship Model for Chinese Market

Suzuki officially launched its new GW250 B-King inspired motorcycle as its flagship model for China. Presented at the China International Motorcycle Trade Exhibition (CIMAMotor 2011), Suzuki GW250 will be produced in China first for the domestic market but will later be exported to Europe, Indonesia and Central and South America. The GW250 will be sold in China by Haojue, a joint venture between Suzuki and Jiangmen Dachangjiang Group and one of China’s largest motorcycle The liquid-cooled and fuel-injected 248cc parallel Twin motorcycle inherits many of the design cues from the Suzuki B-King, the Hayabusa-engined naked.

Shots Fired at Suzuki Motorcycle India Factory as Labor Strife Heats Up

A man is facing charges after reports of gunshots and employees allegedly assaulted with glass bottles at Suzuki’s motorcycle plant in Gurgaon, India, as workers demonstrated in a sympathy strike in support of their counterparts at a Suzuki automobile plant. According to the Indian Express, a man representing a company which supplies contract workers for Suzuki Motorcycle India allegedly fired his gun into the air and assaulted workers with beer bottles to intimidate them into calling off the strike. Two people were reportedly injured by thrown bottles.

The Making of the Rizla Suzuki Misano Micron Livery [Video]

Suzuki is a bit of an underdog in the MotoGP World Championship – at least, as much of an underdog as a full factory outfit can be. With just one Suzuki on the grid, expectations are low for the Japanese manufacturer. But one thing Suzuki does do well is put out an attractive looking racebike with the GSV-R dressed in Rizla Suzuki blue with livery by Troy Lee Designs.

Motorcycle Thefts Down 11.2% in 2010

Motorcycle thefts in the U.S. are down for the fourth consecutive year in 2010,  according to a report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. There were 49,791 reported motorcycle thefts in 2010, an 11.2% drop from the 56,093 thefts reported in 2009.

Pipewerx's new Slash Cut slip-ons

Pipe Werx, the British performance motorcycle exhaust company, has added a new product to its range – the Slash Cut Trim. Priced at only £79.95, delivered, the Slash Cut Trim easily bolts on with its supplied mounting clamp and spring to the catalytic converter in place of the heavy standard exit pipes on Yamaha’s R6 (2006-2011) and Suzuki’s GSX-R600/750 (K8, K9, L0). With the main aim of reducing weight and improving aesthetics on these machines, the Slash Cut Trim does give a marginal increase of throttle response and exhaust note.

Win Samsung VIP tickets to Donington BSB

Get up close and personal with two of the best riders on the BSB grid at the moment. Thanks to the very generous folk over at Samsung mobile – proud sponsors of the Samsung Crescent Racing Team. We’ve got a pair of FULL VIP hospitality tickets up for grabs for the next round of the BSB championships, to be held at the fantastic Donington Park, as well as the multi-award winning Samsung Galaxy SII Smartphone.

R&G announce cheaper engine case cover kits

R&G Racing has reacted to the rising cost of official motorcycle parts from manufacturers by creating money saving packages on its Engine Case Covers.As a reaction to the parts price rise, the crash protection leader has created a kit package on its Engine Case Covers (ECC) – offering an overall saving of more than 10% when compared to buying the items individually. The ECCs are designed to protect the engine cases and the inner workings of the motor in the event of a drop by acting as a sturdy ‘second skin’.By simply bolting over the original items, fitting the durable Engine Case Covers doesn’t require draining any engine fluids or replacing gaskets. Extensively developed in the ACU R&G Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 Trophy, as well as being tested and approved by the California Superbike School in the UK and USA, the covers can allow a bike to be ridden after a crash or prevent terminal engine damage from oil leaks or casing punctures.Protection benefits aside, financial savings for riders are evident by looking at official parts prices; to replace only the clutch cover on a Suzuki GSX-R1000K7 would cost £206 including a new gasket, but all three R&G Engine Case Covers for this bike cost only £143.

2011 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Champion Josh Hayes

Josh Hayes has won his second consecutive AMA Superbike title, clinching the championship in a tightly contested Race One at the 2011 season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The lead changed hands several times before Hayes emerged with the win, his third of the season. The Monster Energy Graves Yamaha R1 rider was consistent all season, finishing with three wins and 12 podium finishes in 14 races, and finishing fourth in the two times he missed the podium.