Suzuki Hayabusa The World’s Fastest Production Motorcycle

The name Hayabusa is Japanese word for the Peregrine falcon – the world’s fastest creature, renowned for its vertical hunting stoops of speeds up to 390km/h. This raptor inspired the creation of the Suzuki Hayabusa GSX 1300 R.

Introduced in 1999, the Hayabusa immediately won acclaim as the world’s fastest production motorcycle, having been made to unseat the Honda CBR from that title. How appropriate as the Peregrine falcon preys on black birds reflecting how the first Hayabusa unseated the Honda CBR Super Black Bird as the world’s fastest production motorcycle at the time, which it did by 16km/h. The Hayabusa was first named the Hayabusa GSX 1300 R but later dropped the GSX 1300 R label in most markets.

Before the Hayabusa, the Honda CBR had only inched past the Kawasaki ZX 11 of 1990 as the fastest production motorcycle. This competition for the top spot resulted in a ‘speed war’ which brought fears of carnage as motorcycles became outrageously faster each year, leading to banning in major markets – but speed limiters solved that problem.

At first sight, the Hayabusa struck me as odd, something rather bold and out of the box, having the wow factor but in an intimidating way and controversial too – especially when judged for form rather than function. I could see Japanese culture echoed in its general appearance: It’s reminiscent of menacing ancient Japanese armour, the same inspiration of the Nissan Murrano. The need to streamline the Hayabusa gave birth to a non-traditional bulbous design, successful in purpose as it was made to make a statement and strong impact; its shape was also key to reaching record speeds. The Hayabusa is also made so that the rider has lower front lean to complement its aerodynamics, while its thorough ergonomics don’t compromise its comfort.

Koji Yoshirua, designer of the Hayabusa, said: “The intent was to create a somewhat grotesque design and strong initial impact. Suzuki’s mission was to create a totally new styling that would not be out of date in a few years and a styling that would be a new face of Suzuki. It was not to create the world’s fastest production motorcycle but by pursuing the best handling, acceleration, safety, power, originality, etc for the good of the customers, it became the fastest production motorcycle. By doing this, once on the market and with proven performance, I thought its weird design would became accepted and caked in people’s minds”.

The Hayabusa is driven by a 1 340cc, four-stroke-inline four, DOHC 16 valve generating 147kw which translates to 139Nm via a six-speed slipper clutch rocketing from 0 to 100 km/h in a lightening fast 2,6 seconds. It has a smooth and effortless acceleration, giving high speeds at lower revs (where its competitors would otherwise be screaming).

The Hayabusa features the unique Suzuki drive mode selector (S-DMS) which allows the rider to select one of three engine control maps. It allows a choice between most appropriate configurations for cruising or other roads that demand more cautious throttle.

Other engine features include lightweight aluminum pistons, a curved radiator and Suzuki dual throttle valve technology (SDTV). These features sum up to phenomenal power and breath-taking acceleration.

The Hayabusa has the ride and handling to match. It’s firm and heavy but soft. The skeleton of the Hayabusa is a rigid light-weight twin spar aluminum frame enhancing weight reduction while maintaining high torsion strength; it also has an adjustable spring damping and adjustable rear shock.

It also has the stopping power to match thanks to a set of Brembo mono-block calipers which are larger and thicker than most sport bikes brakes; this is resultant in greater braking force and control. It’s fitted with ABS which marries stopping power with traction.

For safety, always wear a helmet, eye protection and protective clothing and never ride under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Make sure to study your manuals, inspect your bike before riding and take a riding skills course.

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