After two decades of pure motorcycle mayhem, Suzuki has finally decided to pull the plug on the Hayabusa for the European markets. The 2018 Suzuki Hayabusa will be the last examples made for EU with the next generation or replacement model yet to be announced. Having said that, the Suzuki Hayabusa will continue to be sold in India as a 2019 model, which is likely to be the iconic motorcycle's final year of production globally. The news does emerge as rather bitter-sweet given the following the motorcycle garnered over the years globally. In India, the Hayabusa is priced at Rs. 13.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Production of the Suzuki Hayabusa will end in Europe by the end of this month. In its current setup, the Hayabusa does not comply with the Euro 4 emission norms which came into effect on January 1, 2016. The European emissions regulatory body had given manufacturers two years to clear existing stocks of non-compliant vehicles that ends on December 31, 2018. This means, the Hayabusa won't be street-legal in Europe starting next year.
August 23 is marked as 'World Hayabusa Day' by Suzuki Japan
Meanwhile, for markets like India and the US, the Hayabusa will continue to remain in production. The US emission norms are different from that of Europe, which makes it eligible to be sold in the country. That said, Suzuki will sell the motorcycle till the stocks last. In India, meanwhile, Suzuki is expected to continue selling the Hayabusa till 2020, possibly until the BS6 norms kick-in. The motorcycle continues to garner strong demand and is in fact locally assembled for the Indian market.
The Suzuki Hayabusa made its debut in 1999 and quickly became the fastest production motorcycle in the world with with a top speed of 303-312 kmph. The bike was named the 'Hayabusa' not only because it means peregrine falcon, which is the world's fastest bird, but also because peregrine falcons eat blackbirds. The Suzuki offering had dethroned the Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird as the fastest production motorcycle at the time.
The Suzuki Hayabusa will continue to be sold in India until 2020
The Suzuki Hayabusa garnered praises not only for being the fastest bike around but also for being an overall accessible bike to live with. Owners appreciated the fact that it could handle well - especially the second generation model that came around in 2008 - returned a decent fuel economy and you did not have to break the bank for owning. The Hayabusa's success and acceleration prompted motorcycle manufacturers to establish the unofficial gentleman's agreement in Europe, limiting top speeds to 300 kmph. Such was the impact of the Hayabusa on the motorcycle market.
In its current setup, the Suzuki Hayabusa is powered by a 1340 cc in-line four-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that is tuned for a whopping 194 bhp and 154 Nm of peak torque. The motor is paired with a 6-speed transmission. The bike comes with the Suzuki Drive Mode that allows you to select between different engine control maps. Suspension duties are handled by 43 mm KYB USD forks up front and a link-type suspension at the rear. Braking performance comes from 310 mm discs at the front and a 260 mm twin disc setup at the rear. The bike weighs a hefty 266 kg.
The next generation Suzuki Hayabusa has been rumoured for a long time now and is expected to be showcased in production form around 2020. Speculations suggest a lot of new technologies on the 'Busa including turbocharging. That said, the all-new offering will have a lot to live up to!
