In loving memory of the Suzuki Katana

The Japanese are celebrating the 35th anniversary of the legendary Suzuki Katana motorcycle, whose appearance on the road still stuns the layman. Back in the day, the Japanese manufacturer relied on the European design studio Target Design to get an innovative motorcycle. Hans Muth, the ex-BMW designer at the time, presented two concepts: a 650cc prototype and a 1100cc version that ended up on the assembly line. The first generation received a 1074 cc "air" four with a power of 105 hp. In their press release, Suzuki managers assured that this is the fastest production motorcycle in the world. When the company announced the end of the Katana in 2001, Yoshimura bought the last five of the brand's motorcycles and completely retooled them years later. The photos show one of the charged versions of the Yoshimura 1175R with a redesigned chassis, lighter components and 50 hp power. exceeding the nominal value. This motorcycle is 40 kg lighter than the original.

By Azali Minyki