#92 suzuki katana 600 update#

The GSX1000SZ (circa 1981) was a 998cc variant of the GSX1100SZ produced in sufficient numbers to homologate the bike as a production machine that was eligible for racing modification under the then-current international superbike racing rules (which included a 1000 cc displacement limit). Several variants of the 1982 (Z model year) Katana 1100SZ were produced by Suzuki to support racing. Portions of the design ethos are still visible in many current sport bikes, including the faired-in seat and tank. Nevertheless, the Katana was a sales success, and it had a lasting impact on motorcycle design. So radical was the design departure from previous mass-market cycles that most major motorcycle magazines of the era thought the design would not appeal to the masses. In comparative track testing Cycle Canada Magazine recorded a top speed of 237 km/h (147 mph) for the Suzuki 1100 Katana against 227 km/h (141 mph) for the standard GSX1100E. Upon the GSX1100S Katana's release in late 1980, Suzuki claimed it to be the fastest mass-production motorcycle in the world, ensuring that its new looks were matched by unprecedented performance levels. Examples include the overlapping dials on the instrument cluster, and the offset fuel cap, which allowed for a clean continuous seam weld on the tank. Target's design philosophy-keeping components compact and close-fitting-was applied to all areas of the bike's design to reduce production costs, weight, and number of components required. The production 16-valve Katanas of 1981 differed only slightly from the prototype changes included a small wind deflector screen, paired mufflers, and black accent paint on the front fender and airbox covers.

The same is true for a motorcycle.”' Production “If you don’t treat it right, its sharpness can be lethal. “The sword first serves as a weapon, but a katana also has a mythological meaning in Japan,” Muth said when he presented the design to Osamu Suzuki. On the side cover Muth added the Japanese character for the katana sword, interleaved with a red image of the same sword. Originally, it had no windshield-that was Suzuki's requirement. Muth's design was rendered in silver-like the sword. Central to the Katana's unique identity is its “V-shaped gas tank,” describing the way the tank narrows toward the rider and diverges toward the front of the bike. 'Muth characterizes the Suzuki Katana by what he calls its dramatic “flyline,” melding five key components into stylistic and aerodynamic unity: headlight, fuel tank, seat, and front and rear fenders. The 1,100 cc (67 cu in) ED2 would form the prototype for the larger 16-valve GSX1100S, GSX1000S, and GSX750S. The same generalized design forms had already been used early in 1979 for Target's MV Agusta 'Prova' concept. The shark-like faired ED2 was a more radical design which incorporated favorable aerodynamics, with a special emphasis placed on high-speed stability, and was repeatedly wind tunnel tested in Italy. The ED1 design would be modified for production as the GS550M Katana, and later the GS650G Katana. This meant that the rider essentially sat more in the motorcycle than on it (as was the norm). The unfaired ED1 design featured a tall, sculpted fuel tank, with both curves and straight edges that merged the tank with a concave seat flanked by angular side panels. The original design was a 650 cc (40 cu in) model called the ED1. The Target designed machines were in general production until 1985, when all the original model Katanas were discontinued, although 'Katana-esque' styling appeared on many in-house designed Suzuki machines for some years to come.

The design worked through several variations, with the ED1 and ED2 versions ('ED' for 'European Design') revealed to the public in 1980. Muth's three-man Target Design team consisted of himself, Jan Fellstrom and Hans-Georg Kasten.

#92 suzuki katana 600 update#

Suzuki formally engaged Target design and a three-man team led by Hans Muth, ex-chief of styling for BMW, who had done much to modernise the image of the venerable Bavarian Boxer Twin, began work to update the Suzuki's image. The Katana name was later applied to a range of in-house styled sport touring motorcycles in North America through the 2006 model year and, starting at the turn of the millennium, a line of 50 cc scooters in Europe. It was designed in 1979–1980 by Target Design of Germany for Suzuki. The Suzuki Katana is a street motorcycle sold between 19 and then since 2019.