| From the word go, the Suzuki Hayabusa sparked off cults and controversy. Its looks were never what a doting mother would call pretty, and even its performance was always borderline anti-social. |
| Suzuki have been content to let it run amuck in original form except for two major changes along the way "" restricting the poor 'Busa to 296 kph after the top speed related uproar, and the whole bunch of paintjob upgrades along the way. All that has changed with the scary-fast Kawasaki ZZR1400. |
| Now, Suzuki has announced the 2008 Hayabusa. It does not have an inline-six from the Stratosphere, but instead, it gets a 1340cc inline-four which it shares with the equally pupil-dilating B-King. |
| Rumoured to make 200 bhp (or very close to that figure), the new Hayabusa is expected to top the ZZR1400 in performance. If it can do that without losing its easy-to-use personality, the new Hayabusa will go down as one of the truly great all-time motorcycle upgrades of all time. |
| So what have Suzuki done? The 1340cc motor is all-new, with a 16-valve DOHC format that brings 11 per cent more performance and greater smoothness. An evolution of the dual throttle valve system also makes an appearance, as does the three-way mode switch from the GSX-R1000 (to select low, intermediate and full power modes for riding in different conditions). |
| The motor also sports titanium valves, new pistons, a super-high 12.5:1 compression ratio, and special cylinder coating. As is considered normal now, a heavier 4-2-1-2 exhaust system is employed with a large catalyser, dual triangular canisters to meet Euro 3 and Tier 2 regs. |
| The chassis is new as well under the new fairing, which still screams Hayabusa but is subtly different. Forks are new as is the new braced aluminium alloy swingarm with a new shape. Radial brakes are here, as are new wheels and tyres. |
| Suzuki have further lowered the rear subframe for greater pillion comfort and lowered the tank as well so a topspeed-crazy rider can tuck deeper into the fairing. The headlight design is new as well. It also features four analog meters (speedo, tacho, fuel gauge and water temp) and includes a mode indicator, gear position indicator and an adjustable shift light as well. |
| As you can see, this is a pretty serious upgrade to the venerable Hayabusa. Now we cannot wait for two things, first the direct head- to-heads with the ZZR1400, and the probable launch come March 2008. |
| Yes, Suzuki have gone on record saying the Hayabusa and the GSX-R1000 are being considered for direct import launches in India and the programme could bear fruit as early as March 2008. The Hayabusa is already a popular motorcycle icon in India and we expect the launch price to hover around the Rs 11 lakh mark. Start collecting. |
| The Hayabusa's close and fairly frightening looking cousin, the B-King has also gone on sale in some markets worldwide. Featuring the same 1340cc inline-four as the '08 Busa (some would say the B-King loaned its motor to the Busa), the B-King, in production form, comes with no tuning for the midrange sort of nonsense. |
| The engine spec is close to the Busa (read above) and even the ride mode selector is there. The B-King does get its own chassis though and first ride reports suggest an unmistakable riding experience that does play havoc with the senses. The B-King is not on Suzuki's India list. Yet. |
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