R
eviving a name synony-
mous with a class-
defining legend is a
high-stakes game. If the model
falls short of expectations, it
can ruin a carefully built legacy
at best, and cost a company
massive dollars at worst.
We've seen this in the car
game many times. Those
who remember the butt-ugly
Ford Mustang (it was really a
Ford Capri) of the late 1980s
can attest to the damage that
model did to what is one of
Ford's greatest manufacturing
exploits.
VOLUME 57 ISSUE 10 MARCH 10, 2020 P87
THERE ARE
FEW NAMES IN
MOTORCYCLING WITH
AS MUCH CLOUT AS
"KATANA." WE'VE
SPENT THE LAST
COUPLE OF MONTHS
WITH THIS NEW
MACHINE TO FIND
OUT IF IT LIVES UP TO
THE NAME
Reviving old monikers
isn't so common in the bike
sphere—Kawasaki's Z-range
probably topping the old-bike-
is-new game—but the Katana
is something different.
The 1981 Suzuki GSX 1100
S Katana is widely regarded
as one of the greatest sport-
bikes of the 1980s, and
was a prequel to one of the
company's all-time hits in the
1985 Suzuki GSX-R750. The
Katana stunned the world with
its 1980's video game-style
bodywork, all sharp and boxy-
looking, and a performance
that really announced Suzuki's
arrival into the 1980s—the
decade that would redefine
what a superbike should be
with bikes like the GSX-R750,
Yamaha FZR750R OW01 and
Honda RC30 all released be-
fore the decade was out.
Eventually, the Katana
became a diluted version
of itself, with Suzuki trading
off the once great name to
release uninspired models like
the 2006 GSX-F750 Katana—
a porky, underpowered sport
tourer that possessed none of
the panache of its forefather.
RETURN
OF THE
LEGEND
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK I PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
