20 YEARS OF THE SUZUKI GSX-R1300R HAYABUSA
P88
Feature
traction control system is used on a bike
that pumps north of 180 horsepower
at the wheel, although there are three
variable riding modes—you know, in case
you want to go slower.
The U.S. is one of the only coun-
tries that still has the Suzuki Hayabusa
for sale in dealer showrooms, with the
2020 edition going for a very respect-
able $14,799. As a result of ever more
stringent emissions laws, the Hayabusa
was forced from Euro showrooms in
2018, although it's been given a reprieve
by the emission
lawmakers here in
the U.S.
Getting that mo-
tor through emissions test-
ing was proving too much
of a headache for Su-
zuki to care anymore.
But that's ironically
one of the things that has
made the Hayabusa such
a legendary machine—how
strong and how tunable
that motor is.
Go to any drag racing event across the
country, and you're bound to find Haya-
busas waiting to launch down the strip.
That inline four motor is one of the stron-
gest and most horsepower lovin' lumps
of alloy ever to come from Hamamatsu,
and it's not uncommon for a stock bottom
end to be able to pump north of 300
horsepower (with a turbo), consistently,
without breaking. The 'Busa is a tuner's
delight—it'll pump out 104 lb-ft in standard
form—and it loves a shot of nitrous or hav-
ing a great big turbo bolted to it (I rode a
350-horsepower
turbo 'Busa in 2008
and let me tell you,
it's every bit as men-
tal as it sounds).
The motor has also
proved adept at car
racing, with any number
of home-brewed Suzuki
powered hillclimbers taking
the start of the Pikes Peak
International Hill Climb,
and the motor being used
for single-make series like
That rear end is
unmistakable.
