Suzuki 1990: Rumors And Speculation
Suzuki 1990: Rumors and Speculation
ROUNDUP
IF GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE who wait, then hold on, because Suzuki must have some great bikes for 1990. Scheduled to be the last of the Japanese manufacturers to announce its new hardware, Suzuki is being particularly mum about what it will unveil a month from now. Our spies and rumormongers have been hard at work, though, and have compiled the following information—which, they warn, should not be graven in stone.
Intruder meets Katana: We are almost certain Suzuki will have a standard-style motorcycle available in 1990. Some Suzuki personnel have wanted a bike like this for several years, and feel the time is right. In fact, last year’s GS500 was a test case for the upcoming motorcycle.
Look for the new bike to be a 750, and to have minimal bodywork. Also, the most-reliable rumors indicate that it will be powered by the narrow, V-Twin 750 Intruder engine, though it’s not clear if the Intruder’s shaftdrive will be kept. The bike sounds like it could be similar to the Honda Hawk, only bigger and more powerful.
There is also a possibility the bike will be powered by a Suzuki GSX-R engine, thus making it a larger version of the 400 Bandit now available in Japan. The chance that the bike will come in this configuration is slim, however, because we’ve heard the standard’s target price is about $5000, and a GSX-R-derived engine would take the bike over that figure.
Is there a DR in the house? The
long-outdated DR dirtbike lineup has been an albatross around Suzuki’s neck for the last several years. The bikes were so rusty not even Suzuki employees would ride them. As we reported last year, it looks as if a range of all-new Suzuki dirtbikes is coming; perhaps a 250, a 350 and a 600. Powerplants will be up-to-date, four-valve, fourstroke Singles. Also, the chassis and suspension on each are reported to be of near-motocross quality. One source claims that the bikes are considerably better than the Honda XRs, which, if true, would make the Suzukis the most-serious four-stroke dirtbikes ever from Japan.
Other possibilities: Look for several other news-worthy Suzukis for 1990, our insiders tell us, though they haven’t been able to dig up much more information. We surmise one of the bikes may be the sleek, R-model GSX-R750, intended as a basis for Superbike racing. If it comes here, it will undoubtedly be a limited edition and will be very expensive. And, a displacement bump for the homemarket GSX-R400 could yield an American-market GSX-R600, if Suzuki has decided it wants to do a little Yamaha FZR600 hunting.
Those are some educated guesses as to what Suzuki has in store for 1990. Tune in next month, and we'll see how close we came. Camron E. Bussard
