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
Mon, 18 Aug 2014
Suzuki’s Chinese partner Haojue has revealed a new fully-faired variant on the GW250. Revealed in Shanghai, the new GW250F follows the original naked GW250 (known in some markets as the Inazuma) and the semi-faired GW250S offered in Asia and Europe. The GW250S is powered by the same liquid-cooled 248cc Twin equipped on its siblings, claiming 24.1 hp at 8500 rpm and 16.2 ft-lb.
Fri, 08 Aug 2014
eMotoRacing will hold it’s eighth race of the 2014 season at Miller Motorsports Park, in Tooele, Utah. Though there has been a great stirring of rumors as to who will be in attendance, one thing is certain — there will be a good mix of contestants, including the official Brammo racing team, and Team “ZEUS” of the University of Calgary. “ZEUS” stands for “Zero Emission Ucalgary Superbike,” and the team is comprised of engineers, business and physics majors. The team will be racing their Generation I bike, which uses an Agni 95-R motor mounted to the frame of a 2004 Suzuki GSX-R 600, which was straight from the factory, and then stripped of its gasoline engine components.
Wed, 06 Aug 2014
NGM Forward Racing has signed Stefan Bradl to race in the 2015 MotoGP season. Bradl will ride the Forward Yamaha Open class machine next season after spending his entire premier-class career with the LCR Honda team riding the RC213V. “It’s with great pleasure that we welcome Stefan Bradl in our team,” says Giovanni Cuzari, Forward Racing team owner.
Thu, 24 Jul 2014
The American International Motorcycle Expo (AIMExpo) has announces that 1993 500cc GP champ Kevin Schwantz is the 2014 “AIMExpo Champion.” Schwantz will play an integral role in pre-event publicity and promotion, will be a focal point of several of AIMExpo’s festivities, and will share his stories and experience with attendees. “I feel truly honored to be selected as this year’s ‘AIMExpo Champion,’” says Schwantz. “This event has completely changed the landscape of the motorcycle industry and provided a much needed jolt of energy for the business in North America.
Thu, 17 Jul 2014
Charlotte-based motorcycle racer Aaron League is set to become the youngest ever American to tackle the Manx Grand Prix next month. The 23-year-old will join Lancashire-based Rea Racing to pilot a Suzuki SV650 in the Newcomers B and Supertwin classes. League will make his debut on the Isle of Man at this year’s Manx Grand Prix ahead of a planned assault on the 2015 Pirelli National Superstock 600 Championship, as he bids to break onto the British short circuit racing scene.
Mon, 14 Jul 2014
Marco Melandri rebounded from last week’s disappointing Portimao round to win Race One at Laguna Seca while Tom Sykes extended his championship lead with a win in a red-flagged Race Two. Melandri got taken out of the second Portimao race after his Aprilia teammate Sylvain Guintoli slid into his RSV4. Melandri looked eager to make up for that DNF, leading every lap of Race One on his way to his third win of the season.
Wed, 09 Jul 2014
Brock’s Performance, well known for its history with go-fast products for go-fast motorcycles, has just introduced Sprint Filters P08 air filters for Suzuki Hayabusas that never need washing or oiling. New Product Line
The first product in Brock’s new lineup of Sprint Filters, this is a direct-replacement unit which simply drops inside the Gen II ‘Busa’s airbox. It easily outperforms the stock element in every way and promotes better fuel mileage.
Tue, 08 Jul 2014
Rob Muzzy, a top tuner, engine builder and race team owner has been elected to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2014. Muzzy, who was elected to the Road Racing category, will be inducted at the 2014 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Oct. 17, in Orlando, Fla.
Tue, 08 Jul 2014
From custom café racers to beautifully restored Bridgestone motorcycles, a full range of motorcycling interests will be represented at BikeBandit.com AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Indian Motorcycle, July 11-13 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Classic Clubs that will be located on Championship Row include the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club, Louisville Vintage Motorworks, Café Racer magazine and Bridgestone Motorcycle Club. The Club Corral, across from Championship Row, will include the Indian 4 Cylinder Club, the Kawasaki ZL Owners Association and the Cincinnati Classic British Motorcycle Owners.
Mon, 07 Jul 2014
Kawasaki‘s Tom Sykes extended his championship lead while a Race Two collision between Aprilia teammates Sylvain Guintoli and Marco Melandri provided drama in the World Superbike Championship round at Portugal’s Portimao track. Sykes qualified on the pole in a sun-draped Superpole session but the clouds rolled in on race day, forcing teams to plan for mixed weather. An overcast sky presided over a dry Race One, leading to a mix of tire choices but all of the racers switched to wet tires for Race Two that saw the scheduled 20-lap length reduced to 18 laps.