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Future collectible - Suzuki Hayabusa
Bird of Prey
by Guy 'Guido' Allen; Pics: Suzuki & Lou Martin
June 2020 (updated Oct 2020)
Suzuki’s Hayabusa was unquestionably a top order predator
Suzuki celebrated a minor milestone last year – the 20th anniversary since the launch of its iconic sports-tourer, the GSX1300R Hayabusa. In some ways, it’s a little surprising more of a fuss wasn’t made - the international celebrations for the tenth anniversary were far more substantial – as the model had managed to become both iconic in the performance world and something of a cult classic.
While we may have become used to the bulging lines of the first edition across the years, at the time of the launch in Paris and then Spain back in 1999 they were truly shocking. It was the work of designer Koji Yoshiura, who told Autoevolution online in 1999, "We showed the head of marketing the final clay prototype, and he was stunned. Totally speechless! He didn't know what to say, which is a little like the reaction we got at the Paris show. The bike was a bit polarising - people didn't know quite what to think of it."
Amen to that. In fact, you could well imagine Suzuki wondering if it might have a potential sales disaster on its hands. Motorcyclists are notoriously conservative in their buying tastes and it was easy to imagine them walking away.
Three colour schemes were offered, including black/grey, a red/black combo and the most famous of all, the two-tone copper scheme.
However it was what was under the paint that saved the design. Suzuki rightly claimed fastest production bike in the world status, immediately passing Honda’s Blackbird by a substantial margin with a top speed in excess of 300km/h. Production bikes managed anything up to 310, depending on the individual machine and conditions.
What powered this monster? It was a very conventional package underneath the radical (and aerodynamically efficient) bodywork. The liquid-cooled inline injected four ran four valves per cylinder, and displaced 1298cc. It was encased in a big twin-spar aluminium frame, with upside-down suspension at the sharp end and a monoshock on the rear.
Yup, that was it. Nothing radical. A set of six-piston brake calipers graced the front end, and that was about as exotic as things got.
However the numbers stacked up to something performance hounds could dream about: 175 horses (130kW) – an industry-leading number at the time – with a claimed dry weight of 217kg, or closer to 240 wet. Drag strip times busting the 10 second barrier were part of the package.
The company’s media launch happened at the Catalunya GP track, though Suzuki staffers soon realised the track didn’t really allow the bike to properly stretch its legs. So journos were quietly cut loose on the nearby freeways, where they could enjoy the near-religious experience of a ’Busa at full flight.
And the name? Well, that was Suzuki’s little corporate joke. You see the Honda Blackbird was the performance leader that needed to be knocked off its perch. While Honda saw the name, and styling, as alluding to the ultra-fast Lockheed SR-71 spy plane, Suzuki took a different and more obvious interpretation. It named the rival after a peregrine falcon that was known for its ultra-fast dive speeds (300km/h, coincidentally) and had blackbirds (the feathered variety) for lunch. Ho, ho.
At an introductory price of $17,500, they walked out the door.
Suzuki managed the launch just before a worldwide industry agreement that nailed top speeds at 299km/h (so much safer than 310…). That meant the second iteration of the Hayabusa (the K1 in 2001) arrived with a speed limiter and a speedo that showed increments but no numbers past 280km/h (above). Previously, they’d been marked to 340.
In turn, that revelation started a mini-industry in aftermarket replacement speedo faces and plug-in speed limiter eliminators.
While there was an element of customer outrage at the lower speedo numbers, sales kept humming along nicely. Anyone who bought the slightly later models benefited from two significant mods. The first was replacement of the aluminum rear subframe with a stronger steel unit. It added around 4.5 kilos to the weight, but was no longer inclined to bend under the weight of a generously-proportioned pillion.
Far less publicised was the upgrade of the processor in the ECU to 64 bit from 32, which actually gave the bike a slight performance lift. We’re only talking a couple of horses, but it was there.
Unquestionably the Hayabusa was a damned good motorcycle. A serious performance weapon, obviously, though a little big and heavy to be a serious track bike. The broad spread of power made them a thoroughly entertaining road mount, pretty much regardless of the conditions.
There’s no question they out-performed the Blackbird, and sold far better than the soon-to-be-launched and surprisingly over-shadowed Kawasaki ZX-12R. However Blackbird sales continued to burble along nicely, and deserved to, as it was still a quick and very refined mount.
The Hayabusa works brilliantly as a road bike, even today. It handles and stops acceptably while proving to be a surprisingly good tourer.
One sub-culture that the Suzuki enjoyed was becoming the darling of the modifier crowd. Like the legendary air-cooled GSX platform of the 1980s, the engine package responded well to all sorts of wild tuning approaches and proved incredibly robust. Turbo kits were particularly popular, though often cobbled together with all sorts of plumbing poking out the side of the fairing.
Generally, the design has proved ultra-tough and fuss-free. Taller riders will soon find themselves getting a bubble style windscreen, as the stock unit is low and cuts off the view of the top of the instruments.
They also run a marginal battery size, which can be an issue if the bike isn’t used regularly or the battery ages. The hot tip is to get a lithium unit, which makes all those issues go away.
Suzuki got Yoshiura to revisit his design for the MkII version of the Hayabusa (above), giving it a significant rework. It kept much the same profile, but for a lighter look to the whole thing. Upgrades were extensive, including a slightly larger (now 1340cc) and more powerful (190hp/147kW) engine, new suspension and different brakes. The fronts now ran four-piston calipers that offered more power and feel. As an owner of a first-gen Hayabusa, I reckon the second-gen is a worthy upgrade.
There is talk of a third-gen Hayabusa being launched next year, with a 1440cc powerplant.
As a collectible, the first copper-coloured bikes are already very much on the radar and most of the survivors seemed to have been squirrelled away. Expect to pay high teens for a good one. I have a suspicion owners are biding their time with these things, hoping for further gain.
Any first model (1999) is going to be a good bet for holding its value, though I’d be wary of planning your financial future around them as they were sold in substantial numbers. Bronze originals in top shape are fetching Au$15-18,000 (US$11-13,000, GB£8-10,000). Other colours are still valued lower. We've recently seen what appears to be a very good red/black example with 14,000km on the odo offered at Au$12,000 (US$8600, GB£6600).
Year 2000 models were identical to the 1999 versions, other than colour schemes. That year you were offered blue/silver, red/silver and silver. Values on these are difficult to assess. They should do well in in the long term, once the market realises what they are.
Bikes from 2001-on (K1 model-on) are in plentiful supply and often great value for money. As little as $6000 will get you a decent one with 50-60,000km on the clock, while $9000 will get you something in great condition with minimal miles. In either case, you’re getting a huge amount of bang for your buck.
One day all of the first-gen shape will be worth something, but we’re talking a long way down the road. Regardless of those considerations, these bikes are rightly famous and always a talking point among riders, even today. That adds up as a pretty compelling package, if you’re in the market.
See the 1999 road test from Classic Two Wheels
See the SuzukiCycles.org listing for this model
***
Yoshiura
Interviewed by Motor Cycle News UK for the tenth anniversary of the Hayabusa, designer Koji Yoshiura had this to say:
“The mission was to create a total new styling that will not be out of date within few years, and a styling that will be the ‘face’ of Suzuki.
“‘Fastest production motorcycle’ was never a concept nor a target of this bike (at the beginning of the project, the Hayabusa was not 1300cc but 900cc–1100cc, which was the main market in those days).
"As a consequence of, pursuing the best handling, acceleration, safety, power, riding ability, original styling, etcetera for the good of the customers, it became the fastest production motorcycle.
“My aim was to create a somewhat grotesque design and create a strong initial impact.
"By doing this, once the model was out in the market and the performance of it have been proven, I thought that people will start to show interest to the weird design, and then the design would be caked in peoples mind.”
Blackbird vs Hayabusa
It seems to be one of those rules in life that you can’t publish anything online about Hayabusas without someone raising the earlier rival Honda Blackbird.
Suzuki’s first-gen Hayabusa claimed more power (175 vs 164hp) and a little more torque lower down the rev range (126Nm @ 6250rpm vs 124Nm @ 7250rpm). Equally significant from a performance point of view was the claim for superior aerodynamics and its accompanying dramatic styling. In the end that meant a top speed of just over 300km/h versus 290.
However, in day-to-day use the Hayabusa’s bigger powerplant does feel like it has more accessible punch. Overall it has a bit more ‘attitude’ about it.
As someone who owns both models, I can tell you the Blackbird is actually a more refined ride and probably the pick for long trips. It’s smoother and just that little bit better integrated. It also has linked brakes, which may or may not be a benefit, depending on your point of view.
So which one is better? It depends on what you’re looking for…
See our Honda Blackbird buyer guide here
Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa
Good
Very quick
Robust
Capable road bike
Not so good
Not a track bike
May eat your licence
SPECS:
Suzuki GSX1300R first generation
ENGINE:
TYPE: Liquid-cooled, four-valves-per-cylinder, inline four
CAPACITY: 1298cc
BORE & STROKE: 81 x 63mm
COMPRESSION RATIO: 11:1
FUEL SYSTEM: Mikuni Denso EFI
TRANSMISSION:
TYPE: Six-speed, constant-mesh,
FINAL DRIVE: Chain
CHASSIS & RUNNING GEAR:
FRAME TYPE: Aluminium twin-spar
FRONT SUSPENSION: USD telescopic fork, full adjustment
REAR SUSPENSION: Monoshock, full adjustment
FRONT BRAKE: 320mm disc with six-piston calipers
REAR BRAKE: 240mm disc with two-piston caliper
DIMENSIONS & CAPACITIES:
WET/DRY WEIGHT: 240/217kg
SEAT HEIGHT: 805mm
WHEELBASE: 1480mm
FUEL CAPACITY: 21lt
TYRES:
FRONT: 120/70-17
REAR: 190/50-17
PERFORMANCE:
POWER: 130kW @ 9500rpm
TORQUE: 126Nm @ 6750rpm
OTHER STUFF:
PRICE $17,500 + ORC in 1999
See SuzukiCycles.org for a full model listing
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