Suzuki Trademarks Katana Name

Suzuki has filed for a new trademark application for the 'Katana' name and logo, a name which was synonymous with a lot of Suzuki models in the 1980s, but best known for the 1981 GSX1100 Katana sportbike. Early last month, Suzuki filed a new trademark and log for use on 'motorcycles and the part and fittings thereof' leading to a lot of speculation that the Suzuki Katana could be the name of a new, upcoming performance model from the Japanese manufacturer. Many observers feel that the Katana brand may make a comeback, with the production version of the Suzuki 'Recursion' concept.

According to some reports, the new Suzuki Katana is expected to go on sale next year, and will use the alpha numeric code 'GSX-700T', the number 700 referring to the engine capacity and the T a reference to the turbo-charged engine of the Recursion concept. While there's no word on if the new trademark filing will be for the turbocharged bike, the Recursion concept's styling is also looked at taking inspiration from the original Katana.

The Suzuki Recursion Concept was introduced in 2013

The Recursion concept was first showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2013, and is powered by a turbocharged 588 cc, parallel-twin engine with 100 bhp at 8,000 rpm and 100 Nm of peak torque at 11,140 rpm. The latest reports about the Katana though indicate a new 700 cc engine, and that could be the turbocharged engine the production model could come with. But all this is mere conjecture at this point. This is not the first time Suzuki has trademarked the Katana name. The last time Suzuki trademarked the Katana name was in 2010, but nothing since has come off that trademark listing.

Also Read: Suzuki Katana Showcased At EICMA 2017

Last year, a Suzuki Katana concept was showcased at the EICMA show in Milan, but rather than being an official concept, the "Katana 3.0" as it was called was created by Motociclismo with the help of Rodolfo Frascoli and Engines Engineering. The Katana 3.0 concept though was built around the Suzuki GSX-S1000F, and was a sort of tribute to the 1980s Katana, and how it could be imagined and designed as a modern, contemporary Katana. As for a new production model Katana, it still remains to be seen if Suzuki actually gets around to introducing the new model.