Suzuki Hayabusa 1999

Information

The Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa is a sports motorcycle made by Suzuki since 1999. It immediately won acclaim as the world’s fastest production motorcycle, with a top speed of 303 to 312 km/h (188 to 194 mph).

In 1999, fears of a European regulatory backlash or import ban led to an informal agreement between the Japanese and European manufacturers to govern the top speed of their motorcycles at an arbitrary limit starting in late 2000. The media-reported value for the speed agreement in miles per hour was consistently 186 mph, while in kilometers per hour it varied from 299 to 303 km/h, which is typical given unit conversion rounding errors. This figure may also be affected by a number of external factors, as can the power and torque values.

The conditions under which this limitation was adopted led to the 1999 and 2000 Hayabusa’s title remaining, at least technically, immune, since no subsequent model could go faster without being tampered with like early 2000 models. After the much anticipated Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R of 2000 fell 6 km/h (4 mph) short of claiming the title, the Hayabusa secured its place as the fastest standard production bike of the 20th century. This gives the unrestricted 1999 models even more cachet with collectors.

Besides its speed, the Hayabusa has been lauded by many reviewers for its all-round performance, in that it does not drastically compromise other qualities like handling, comfort, reliability, noise, fuel economy or price in pursuit of a single function. Jay Koblenz of Motorcycle Consumer News commented, “If you think the ability of a motorcycle to approach 190 mph or reach the quarter-mile in under 10 seconds is at best frivolous and at worst offensive, this still remains a motorcycle worthy of just consideration. The Hayabusa is Speed in all its glory. But Speed is not all the Hayabusa is.”

First generation (1999–2007)

1999 Hayabusa

Also called: GSX-1300R-X (1999), GSX-1300R-Y (2000), GSX-1300R-K1–K7 (2001–2007)
Engine: 1,299 cc (79.3 cu in), 4-stroke inline-four, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 16-valve, Keihin/Denso fuel Injection, wet sump
Bore / stroke: 81.0 mm × 63.0 mm (3.19 in × 2.48 in)
Compression ratio: 11:1
Top speed: 1999-2000 303–312 km/h (188–194 mph) | 2001–2007 299 km/h (186 mph) See performance and measurements
Power: 129 kW (173 hp) (claimed) | 113.0–121.3 kW (151.5–162.6 hp) (rear wheel) @ 9,500–9,750 rpm, See performance and measurements
Torque: 126.6–135.0 N⋅m (93.4–99.6 lb⋅ft) (rear wheel)@ 6,750–7,000 rpm, See performance and measurements
Transmission: 6-speed constant-mesh sequential manual, #532 chain drive
Suspension: Front Inverted telescopic fork, fully adjustable spring preload, 14-way adjustable rebound damping and 13-way adjustable compression damping | Rear Link-type, gas/oil damped, fully adjustable spring preload, 22-way adjustable compression & rebound damping
Brakes: Front 6-pot Tokico calipers on 320 mm stainless steel discs | Rear Single hydraulic disc
Tires: Bridgestone Battlax BT56 Front 120/70-ZR-17, Rear 190/50-ZR-17
Rake, trail: 24.2°, 97 mm (3.8 in)
Wheelbase: 1,485 mm (58.5 in)
Dimensions: L: 2,140 mm (84 in) | W: 740 mm (29 in) | H: 1,155 mm (45.5 in)
Seat height: 805 mm (31.7 in)
Weight: See performance and measurements 215–242 kg (474–534 lb) (dry) | 250–255.3 kg (551–563 lb) (wet)
Fuel capacity: 21 L (4.6 imp gal; 5.5 US gal) | (California 19 L (4.2 imp gal; 5.0 US gal))
Fuel consumption: 1999 6.4 L/100 km; 44 mpg‑imp (37 mpg‑US), | 6.11 L/100 km; 46.2 mpg‑imp (38.5 mpg‑US) | 2005 7.4 L/100 km; 38 mpg‑imp (32 mpg‑US)

When first shown to the press in 1999, the first Hayabusas made a profound impression. No previous motorcycle has broken the production model top speed record by such a margin, 16 to 23 km/h (10 to 14 mph), depending on which measured speeds the source was relying on for the CBR1100XX and the GSX-1300R.

Hayabusa (隼) is Japanese for “peregrine falcon”, a bird that often serves as a metaphor for speed due to its vertical hunting dive, or stoop, speed of 290 to 325 km/h (180 to 202 mph), the fastest of any bird. In particular, the choice of name was made because the peregrine falcon preys on blackbirds, which reflected the intent of the original Hayabusa to unseat the Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird as the world’s fastest production motorcycle. Eventually, the Hayabusa managed to surpass the Super Blackbird by at least a full 16 km/h (10 mph).

The first generation had a 1,299 cc (79.3 cu in) liquid-cooled, inline-4 engine with sixteen valves driven by dual-overhead camshafts. This configuration, technologically unremarkable for that time, delivered a record-setting claimed 129 kW (173 bhp) at the crankshaft by virtue of the largest displacement ever in a sport bike, and a ram air system that forced cool, pressurized air into the cylinders at speed. Combined with sophisticated aerodynamics, this powerful engine pushed the Hayabusa’s top speed above the Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird by a significant leap, contrasting with the incremental gains that preceded the Suzuki hyper sport entry. The 1997 carbureted CBR1100XX had previously only inched past the previous top speed record holder, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 of 1990.

The Hayabusa’s abundance of power at any engine speed made the Hayabusa easier to ride by giving the rider a greater choice of gear selection for a given speed and stunning acceleration.

The ram air ducts at the front of the drooping, rounded nose squeezed the frontal area away from the headlight, and this, along with the need for a narrow frontal area, necessitated a stacked headlight and high beam behind a single lens. Moreover, the need to reduce the extreme drag encountered at high speeds determined the Hayabusa’s entire bulbous, and much-criticized, bodywork design. Koblenz remarked, “non-traditional styling generates the main controversy of the Hayabusa.” When viewed through the eyes of those who judged its beauty on the basis of its functionality, or given a little time to get used to it, the bike’s looks did find admirers. The striking two-tone brown/silver paint scheme was similarly loved by some and hated by others but was successful if the intent of an all-new, flagship product is to make a bold statement. So while it was called ugly by some in the press, this aerodynamic shape was key to the Hayabusa’s ability to reach record-setting speeds.

Reflecting in 2009 on the initial design, the creator of the Hayabusa’s look, Suzuki’s Koji Yoshirua, said that the intent in 1999 was, “to create a somewhat grotesque design and create a strong initial impact… The mission was to create a total new styling that will not be out of date within few years, and a styling that will be the ‘Face’ of Suzuki.” Yoshirua also said that the goal was not to achieve the status of the fastest production motorcycle, which in early stages was slated to be only 900 to 1,100 cc (55 to 67 cu in), but that, “as a consequence of, pursuing the best handling, acceleration, safety, power, riding ability, original styling, etc., for the good of the customers, it became the ‘Fastest production motorcycle’ … By doing this, once the model was out in the market and the performance of it have been proven, I thought that people will start to show interest to the weird design, and then the design would be caked in peoples mind.”

The engine used a gear-driven counterbalancer to reduce vibration to the point that the engine could be solidly mounted to the frame, for the purpose of increasing chassis rigidity. Employing a conventional twin beam frame, fully adjustable upside down forks, using specially developed Bridgestone tires, and being relatively light at 215 kg (473 lb) dry, the Hayabusa’s handling was considered excellent for a machine of this class. One reviewer, Koblenz, noted a hesitation perhaps related to poor low-rpm mapping at low speeds, noticeable as a “pause and slight lurch” when rolling on and back off the throttle.

Top speed limited by agreement
With rumors and then pre-release announcements of much greater power in Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-12R in 2000, clearly attempting to unseat Suzuki and regain lucrative bragging rights, the speed war appeared to be escalating. There were growing fears of carnage and mayhem from motorcycles getting outrageously faster every year, and there was talk of regulating hyper sport motorcycles, or banning their import to Europe.

The response was a so-called gentlemen’s agreement between the Japanese and European manufacturers to electronically limit the speed of their motorcycles to 300 km/h (186 mph). The informal agreement went fully into effect for the 2001 model year. So for 2001 models, and those since, the question of which bike was fastest could only be answered by tampering with the speed limiting system, meaning that it was no longer a contest between stock, production motorcycles, absolving the manufacturer of blame and letting those not quite as fast avoid losing face. Both Kawasaki and Suzuki would claim, at least technically, to have the world’s fastest production motorcycle.

Other developments
After the inclusion of the speed limiting system in 2001, the Hayabusa remained substantially the same through the 2007 model year. An exception was a response to the problem of the aluminum rear subframe on 1999 and 2000 models breaking when the bike may have been overloaded with a passenger and luggage, and/or stressed by an aftermarket exhaust modification, so 2001 and later Hayabusas had a steel instead of aluminum rear subframe, adding 10 lb (4.5 kg) to the 1999 and 2000 models’ approximately 250 kg (550 lb) wet weight.