2005 Suzuki Gsxr 600 Stretched on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Parallel-Twin Suzuki V-Strom and SV650 Successors Spied

We dare you, Suzuki: call it the P-Strom Credit: Photos by BMH-Images Spy photographers have snapped images of two new Suzuki prototypes powered by a new Parallel-Twin engine. The two motorcycles, an adventure bike and a naked model, appear to be the eventual successors to the V-Strom 650 and SV650, and the culmination of a long development path for Suzuki’s new middleweight twin-cylinder engine. The 645cc engine powering the V-Strom and SV650 has long been one of our favorites, but having only received updates to keep them compliant with emissions standards, the liquid-cooled V-Twin has been getting quite long in the tooth.

Suzuki to Close Spanish Motorcycle Factory

The digital ink is still wet on news of American Suzuki declaring bankruptcy and shutting down its car business to focus on powersports and marine products, and now there’s more bad news for the Japanese manufacturer. Suzuki announced it will close its motorcycle factory in Gijón, Spain, in March, 2013, shutting the company’s sole European production plant. The factory has been producing motorcycles and scooters for Suzuki since 1984, with the manufacturer taking 100% ownership of the factory.

Japan Needs Your Help

By now, we’ve all seen pictures and video of the devastation in Japan following the March 11 earthquake and the ensuing tsunamis. Japan, of course, has contributed much to motorcycling, with the Big Four of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, as well as tire manufacturer Bridgestone, helmet companies Arai and Shoei and many other motorcycle industry stalwarts all coming from the Land of the Rising Sun. Jon Bekefy and Greg Hatton, two motorcycle enthusiasts, industry employees  and above all, humanitarians, have set up a fundraising campaign benefiting the Red Cross for relief efforts in Japan.