If you haven’t listened to the latest Two Enthusiasts Podcast episode, you should.
In it, myself and co-host Quentin Wilson break some industry news, with our sources in Suzuki confirming that the Japanese manufacturer will bring a turbocharged Hayabusa model as an early 2019 model year bike.
This news is well-timed, as the Suzuki Hayabusa will turn 20-years-old in 2019, and it has changed very little during that two-decade time period.
Additionally, the introduction of modern forced induction to Suzuki’s motorcycle lineup is sea change moment for Suzuki, with the Hayabusa being a perfect fit for such an endeavor.
We already know from CARB filings that the 2018 model year Suzuki Hayabusa will be exactly the same as the 2017 model year machine. We should point out though, this does not mean that there will not be a 2018 Suzuki Hayabusa – as some outlets have reported.
Instead, Suzuki will release its all-new Hayabusa as an early 2019 machine, likely in the summer of 2018. Our sources also indicate that the new Hayabusa will be a turbocharged motorcycle, with technology already shown to the public on the Recursion concept engine.
The big question is whether the Suzuki Hayabusa will use the 588cc Recursion engine as its power plant, or if Suzuki will do right by the Hayabusa name, and offer a near liter-bike displacement instead.
If it is the latter, Suzuki will effectively be taking head-on the supercharged Kawasaki Ninja H2 and 300+ horsepower Kawasaki Ninja H2R motorcycles – effectively starting a new speed/power war amongst the Japanese brands.
We hope for Suzuki that the return of a halo machine in the hyperbike category will help show the revitalization the brand is currently going through.
Out of the four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers, none of them took the recession harder than Suzuki, which effectively halted all motorcycle production and development for over a year because of global economic situation.
Now finally waking from that deep slumber, we are seeing Suzuki releasing a bevy of new motorcycles from its iconic lineup – the new Suzuki GSX-R1000 being the first of these machines.
Expect to see a new GSX-R600 and GSX-R750 for the 2019 model year as well, which could be launched alongside the new Hayabusa.
Source: Bothan Spies
