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

New Photos and Video of Suzuki Extrigger Electric Monkey Bike Concept

Suzuki has released new photographs of the Extrigger, the company’s electric minibike recently unveiled at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. Suzuki also released a video of the Extrigger in action, though oddly the audio seems to have been left off. A potential electric competitor to the Honda Grom or Kawasaki‘s mini-supermoto KSR Pro, the Extrigger is powered by the same 580 W AC synchronous motor that propels Suzuki’s e-Let’s scooter.

46,061 Motorcycles Stolen in US in 2012

An average of 126 motorcycles were stolen in the U.S. every day in 2012, according to a report released by the the National Insurance Crime Bureau. That’s from a total of 46,061 motorcycles reported stolen that year a 1.3% improvement from the 46,667 motorcycles reported stolen in 2011.

Suzuki Contributes to Philippines Typhoon Relief Efforts

Suzuki announced it will donate ¥7 million (US$70,013) in aid to help those in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Haiyan. Suzuki joins Honda and Yamaha which have both previously pledged aid to the Philippines. The latest numbers have raised the death toll to 3,951 people, with another 1,598 still unaccounted for, and another 4 million displaced from their homes.

Suzuki Reports Q2 2013-2014 Sales Results

Suzuki reported a 22.9% increase in net sales from motorcycles for the six month period ended Sept. 30, 2013, despite a 10.3% decrease in motorcycle sales volume over the same period. According to Suzuki’s second quarter financial report, the Japanese manufacturer sold 1.056 million motorcycles in the first half of the 2013-2014 fiscal year.

Eugene Laverty Signs with Suzuki for 2014 WSBK Season

World Superbike Championship runner-up Eugene Laverty has signed a deal with the Crescent Suzuki team to race in the 2014 season. Laverty finished second to Kawasaki‘s Tom Sykes this season, with nine wins and 19 total podium finishes for the Aprilia factory team riding the RSV4. Next season, Laverty will switch to the Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Tanom Motors To Unveil Invader Model R High Performance Reverse Trike in 2014

We’ve noticed most three-wheelers on this site get a bad reception from you, our faithful MO readers, so we’re interested in hearing your thoughts on the Tanom Motors Invader Model R. A reverse trike very similar to the Campagna T-Rex, Virginia-based Tanom has just unveiled the Invader Model R at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. Powered by a 1340cc Suzuki Hayabusa engine, the Invader Model R shares the same chassis, body and motor as the Invader TC-3 coupe and receives a number of performance enhancements.

Q3 2013 US Motorcycle Sales Results

Motorcycle and scooter sales in the U.S. in 2013 remain consistent with last year’s figures, according to data released by the Motorcycle Industry Council. Several manufacturers blamed poor weather for the poor start this year, and the rebounding sales in the third quarter helped to negate the slow sales from earlier in the year.

John Hopkins Returning to British Superbike Racing

American racer John Hopkins is ready to make his comeback after taking the entire 2013 racing season off to recover from a number of injuries. The Ramona, Calif., native will make his return in the British Superbike Championship, racing for Tyco Suzuki on the TAS Racing GSX-R1000. Hopkins last raced in the series in 2011, finishing second overall in the championship that was decided in the final race when Hopkins finished 0.006 seconds behind the champion Tommy Hill.

Turbocharged Suzuki Recursion Concept Announced for Tokyo Motor Show

Of the Big Four Japanese manufacturers, Suzuki has been the most stagnant in recent years as it tries to recover from the economic downturn, offering fewer product updates and new models than Honda, Kawasaki or Yamaha. Suzuki now appears ready to innovate once again, first new products including the V-Strom 1000 and the new Burgman 200 scooter. But there’s more on the way.

Introducing the Extrigger: Suzuki’s Electric Answer to the Honda Grom

Suzuki announced it will present a new electric mini-bike concept at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. The new concept will be called the Extrigger which is a combination of the words Electric Crossover and Trigger. At first glance, it’s easy to see the resemblance between the Suzuki Extrigger and the Honda Grom.