Always The Wind
Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa
2000 Model Update

"Motorcycle of the Year"
- Motorcyclist Magazine - 
- Best Street Bikes of 1999-

"Best Superbike"
- Cycle World Magazine -
- Ten Best Bikes of  1999-

"Fastest Bike in the World"
- Guiness Book of World Records - 
- 1999 -

One fateful Friday afternoon, members of the product planning and engineering departments met at Suzuki headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan. The product engineers wanted a motorcycle so advanced that it didn’t fit into established machine categories. A machine that would redefine street performance. A machine that drew upon lessons learned in endurance and drag racing.

With breath taking acceleration. Nimble handling. Strong brakes. State-of-the-art suspension. A comfortable riding position. World-class fit and finish.

A machine that exemplified effortless performance and instilled pride of ownership in its rider.

A machine so advanced that it demanded an entirely new performance category: Ultimate Sport.

Meeting the engine performance goals would be no problem, the engineers replied. Building an excellent chassis would be no problem. Brakes, suspension, comfort, fit and finish, all no problem.

The challenge, the engineers added, would come in making the performance seem effortless. They would think about the project, the engineers said, agreeing to reconvene the meeting the following week.

The answer came to a young member of the engineering team on a family wilderness outing that weekend. Walking along a trail, the engineer spotted a streak in the sky, high above the trees lining nearby cliffs. Startled, he watched as it swooped at an impossible rate of speed, then turned and whirled back over the treetops. He recognized it as an indigenous falcon the Japanese call Hayabusa. It is not the biggest bird in Japan, nor is it the strongest bird in Japan. But the Hayabusa has a unique ability to cut through the wind to reach top speeds over 300 kph (186 mph).

As he watched, the engineer reflected upon the fact that the Hayabusa does not spend its entire day at 300 kph. But the ability to slice through the air at such a high rate of speed makes its normal flight seem effortless.

Effortless performance! Suddenly, the engineer knew he had the key to designing the advanced machine the product planners wanted! Make it able to slice through the air like a Hayabusa, and normal performance would be almost effortless. As he reached for his notebook, the engineer was already sketching the new machine in his mind.

It would be the most aerodynamic Suzuki ever built.

And it would be called Hayabusa.

The all-new Hayabusa (pronounced high-uh-boo-suh) is a falcon indigenous to Japan that through nature's perfect aerodynamics can reach speeds in flight up to 186+ mph. The Hayabusa served as inspiration for, and loaned its name to the Suzuki GSX1300R.

The GSX1300R is an integrated design by a team of talented designers and engineers working together. Aggressively styled aerodynamic art, a powerful, compact 1298cc engine with Suzuki Ram Air Direct induction, and precise fuel injection combined with a rigid twin-spar frame and quality suspension components define the term "effortless performance."