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, 09 Aug 2010
MOTOGP man Alvaro Bautista enjoyed a few laps of Brands Hatch at the weekend's British Superbike action, entertaining the crowds on Suzuki's GSV-R800 racer. Bautista was joined by former British Superbike Champion John Reynolds and BSB front-runner Tommy Hill, who also took a spin on the 240bhp machine. The dude in the background on the last image, riding a GSV-R, is Crescent Suzuki boss Paul Denning.
Wed, 28 Jul 2010
This mad looking motorcycle is a land speed record device that never turned a wheel in anger. It was built by the infamous Dave Manning in 1968 using a discarded drop tank from a Korean fighter plane. Manning built a space-frame chassis inside the tiny teardrop and also managed to find room for a Suzuki T500 twin cylinder two-stroke motor.
Wed, 21 Jul 2010
I have to hold my hands up and make a confession. I have completely changed my mind about Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 K9. Back in the depths of winter I rode our long termer and found myself (without trying) doing jail-sentence speeds by doing nothing other than short shifting through the gear on half throttle.
Tue, 15 Jun 2010
THIS IS CAMERON Donald piloting Suzuki's GSV-R 800 MotoGP racer at close to 200mph along Sulby Straight, Isle of Man. The Australian rode the ultra-quick MotoGP bike as part of Suzuki's 50th Anniversary TT celebrations. Donald was joined by the bike's usual pilot, Loris Capirossi, for a lap of the 37.73-mile course.
Fri, 14 May 2010
The Suzuki GSX-R1000 is the flag-ship sportbike for Suzuki, this video shows how its all put together in Japan. The 2009 Gixxer liter machine underwent such comprehensive redesign (though it looks remarkably similar to ‘08) that Suzuki refers to the update as “a full model change” which was introduced to us about one-year ago. Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Tue, 16 Mar 2010
FILMED IN THE days when advertising campaigns were more based around glamour than fact, check this Max Factor commercial, featuring 1970s hot chick Erin Grey. Complete with Suzuki trail bikes and period attire, the Max babes look the part in their colour-matching jumpsuits. Reminds us of the joke: How did the Avon Lady get pregnant?
Tue, 09 Mar 2010
Focused Events Rider Development Days at Silverstone offer a new, intense tuition-based experience on a selection of new Supersport machines, hosted by high-level instructors including Niall Mackenzie, Jamie Whitham and Steve Plater.The courses will be situated at Stowe circuit, Silverstone and will be aimed at Novice and Intermediate riders. Dates for the events have been confirmed as 14th May and 2nd September.Pupils will not only be taught by World class instructors, the machinery available for use will be high-end Supersport machines from Ducati, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. Total cost for the day is £339 including bike hire with a £50 premium for use of the exotic Ducati 848.Chief Instructor and Visordown Road Test Editor Niall Mackenzie explained, “A track day can be an intimidating place to learn circuit and road skills, especially for less experienced riders.
Fri, 19 Feb 2010
ANOTHER CRACKING BIT of vintage racing footage, this time featuring multiple motorcycle world champion Phil Read on the awesome-sounding MV Agusta 500-4.The footage is from the 1974 movie 'The Iron Horse' made by Frenchman Pierre-William Glenn.Read’s 1974 500cc World Championship victory was the last year a four-stroke won the world title before the advent of the MotoGP class in 2002. Giacomo Agostini won the crown from Yamaha in 1975, followed by Suzuki-mounted Barry Sheene in '76 and '77. The footage is bloody good, considering the camera technology of the day.
Tue, 16 Feb 2010
JAPANESE TUNING house Yoshimura has released a series of EEC-approved Slip-On exhausts suitable for the Suzuki Bandit GSF1250SA and the new fully-faired Suzuki GSX1250FA.At over 3kgs lighter than the OE Suzuki item, each Yoshimura Slip-On comes with the pipe work to mount to the standard front section plus all parts (including muffler clamp) required for installation. The EEC-approved silencer features two dB-killer baffles, one in the link pipe, one in the can and when both are removed power and torque are increased over stock, claim Yoshimura. With full EEC silencing both torque and power curves are identical to the standard output, but a dB-Killer in the link-pipe when used with an open exhaust gives solid gains, the company say.Part Number/Sleeve Type/Weight/RRP including VAT1A0-177-5L50 (Stainless Steel) 3.4kg £597.751A0-177-5L80 (Titanium) 3.2kg £666.731A0-177-5L81B (Titan Blue)* 3.2kg £747.191A0-177-5L20 (Metal Magic) 3.4kg £689.72For more information on this or any other Yoshimura product contact 01782 569800 or visit www.phoenixnw.co.uk to find your nearest dealer.
Wed, 20 Jan 2010
As we reported On Jan. 15, Team Hammer, which races under the name Team M4 Suzuki, announced on Jan. 14 that John Hopkins would test a Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., on Feb.