Suzuki Superstars

Suzuki SUPERSTARS

Five hot ones from Hamamatsu

SUZUKI WILL UNVEIL FIVE STUNNING NEW MOTORCYCLES before the turn of the century, reports England’s scoopsniffing Motor Cycle News. Topping the list is an Open-class GSX-R, which could displace a mind-boggling 1500cc. Also in the works is a four-stroke motocrosser, a Ducati Monster knock-off, a TL1000-powered dual-purpose bike and a small-bore retro roadster.

According to MCN, in a story supposedly leaked through Suzuki France, the brute GSX-R is intended to flat trounce Yamaha’s YZF-R1, thanks to maybe 150 rear-wheel horsepower. Copious amounts of carbon-fiber and aluminum drop

dry weight to a svelte 440 pounds, down 80 from the present (and rapidly aging) GSX-R1100. The bike’s forecast fuelinjected inline-Four has magnesium cases and plastic covers to help shed that weight, and serves as a stressed member in the grand prix-style twin-spar aluminum frame.

Futuristic bodywork should help the bike nudge closer toward the elusive 200-mph barrier. The wedge-like fairing houses a computer-controlled, twin-inlet ram-air system that shuts the larger of the two intakes at lower speeds, upping low-end and midrange power. The second runner wA Ip-./TjQ re-opens at higher veloci«HL ties, boosting top end. The \lk i tailpiece is topped with a radV \ ical, fin-like cowling that smoothes airflow around the rider and creates stability-enhancing downforce.

Replacing the DR350 is the DRX400R, a dynamic, supercross-inspired four-stroke

that may also find its way into production in streetfighter trim. The liquid-cooled, four-valve, dohc, single-cylinder engine is housed in a Honda CR250-style twin-beam aluminum frame and features a ceramic-coated piston and cylinder, twin balance shafts and lightweight valvegear. Electronic fuel injection supplies snappy throttle response and satisfies stringent emissions standards. The fully adjustable fork is a large-diameter conventional unit. A supermotard version with roadrace-spec binders and cast 17-inch wheels reportedly is also in the works. Should be fun.

Aimed at the unfaired middleweight sportbike market (how’s that for a narrow niche?), the TL750 Super Bandit is fired by a sleeved-down TL1000S V-Twin housed in a Ducatiesque, trellis-type tube frame. Mikuni fuel injection stokes 46mm injectors-one per cylinder-and is mapped for titanic low-end and midrange poke. You want numbers? Try 80 ponies at the rear wheel and a top speed of more than 135 mph. Keeping costs minimal, the cleanly turned-out, single-shock machine specs a 46mm conventional fork and four-piston front-brake calipers. Capping the collaboration are scrumptious-looking megaphone-style mufflers. Hey, Suzuki, how ’bout a Super Bandit race series?

Borrowing from Yamaha’s popular (in Europe, at least) TDM850, the sporty Freewind 1200 is powered by a big-bore version of-what else?-Suzuki’s TL1000S V-Twin. With a sleek half-fairing and high-rise muftiers, it’s styled similarly to the existing dual-purpose Freewind 650, which is not sold in the U.S.

The 1200, however, is decidÆr£^ edly more street-focused ÆjfÊ^'r } and, if produced, should A offer blistering baekroad potential. Superbike-bend handlebars and an upright H|Kwin"*.* I riding position endow the * bike with cut-and-thrust \\ cornering capability and • comfort far superior to any GSX-R. This is furthered "by a very tidy wheelbase, super,5, sharp steering geometry and long-travel su^^^^^^ 125 Classic will rocket riders back to the Fifties. Aimed mainly at Europe and Japan, where  such bikes are top-sellers, the Classic spawns % from the entry-level GN125 and makes all of 12 ]| horsepower. If such a machine makes it II Stateside, expect power via the Savage cruiser’s 1 air-cooled, sohc, 652cc Single. Here’s another " teaser: Suzuki’s not the only Japanese manufacturer ripe to introduce a retro roadster-our lips are sealed, we can say no more...

American Suzuki big-wigs would not confirm plans to produce any of these machines. The bikes do, however, make sense. A 150-horsepower GSX-R, for example, would sell like hotcakes. “Our GSX-R1100 is old,” says American Suzuki’s Diane Carter. “If you were looking at our model line and asked what’s missing, an Open-class GSX-R would be one area. But you have to produce something dependable and reliable. That (displacement) could be a problem. Also, - five js a hUge number of new models, which makes the idea seem even more farfetched. If anything, I’d P expect the number of new models to slow down.

“Also, Europe is a totally different market,” Carter adds. “One of the better-selling models over there is the A DR650S. Go figure. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but here, it’s not anywhere close to the top of our sales charts. What works for those guys '*• doesn’t always work for us. And vice versa.” »A \Keep your fingers crossed, Suzuki fans. mí d||! -Matthew Miles