A brief history of Suzuki motorcycles
Like many of the Japanese motorcycling greats Suzuki Motor Co. began life from the seeds of a different business venture, and was entirely driven by one man’s passion for speed and engineering.
Michio Suzuki was already the man behind the Suzuki Loom Company in Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki constantly updated his own design of weaving machines, which at the time, were very complicated.
With an interest in speed and engine design, Suzuki threw himself into the design of a new car in the late 1930s. By 1940, Suzuki’s prototype cars were up and running with a new breed of four-stroke, liquid-cooled, 800cc four-cylinder engines.
However, Suzuki’s plan for mass production cars was scuppered with the advent of WWII. After the war, with engineering and manufacturing plans severely restricted, Suzuki went back to making his weaving looms. But, a slump in cotton trading in the early 50s halted expansion plans.
After seeing other Japanese firms producing cheap public transport in the shape of two-stroke powered bicycles, Suzuki knew his engineering skills could be put to use and produced his own powered bicycle called Power Free. This bike used a 36cc two-stroke engine but had the unique feature of a double-sprocket gear system to allow the rider to pedal without engine assistance, pedal with assistance, or run with the engine doing all of the work.
The new Japanese government gave Suzuki a financial lift to develop his passion for powered bikes and the Suzuki Motor Corporation was formed. This was followed by strong sales of his products when Suzuki’s new Diamond Free 60cc machine won its first race at the Mount Fuji Hill Climb.
Suzuki went from strength to strength with production of reliable large four-stroke and two-stroke engines. By the early 80s, the Suzuki GS range had become synonymous with power and reliability.
Suzuki’s range of motorcycles
- Scooters
A small but perfectly formed range of four-stroke scooters under the heading of Burgman range. This range features 125/200/400/650cc models with different levels of accessories. All bikes are designed to be comfortable everyday use machines.
- Adventure
At the bottom of the scale is the learner legal DR125SM, which is a supermoto-style machine. The biggest adventure model is the V-Strom 650, of which there are four different versions (Touring, Street, ABS-assisted etc) sharing the same chassis and V-twin engine layout.
- Sport
Today’s Suzuki sport bikes come under the title of GSX-R and include a 600 and 1000cc machine. Suzuki also has the unusual inclusion of a GSX-R750 as a tribute to a long forgotten 750cc sports bike and racing machine class that the original Suzuki 750 completely dominated.
- Street machines
A huge range (125cc-1340cc) of naked and half-faired road bikes adept at everyday riding, but also capable of delivering sports bike thrills with their competent chassis and performance-inspired engines. At the top is the mighty naked muscle machine, the B-King. Its lowest capacity street bike is the VanVan 125 – popular with the younger, learner legal crowd. In between these, there are cost-effective commuting machines, bikes with touring capability and the modern naked GSR range of bikes – including the new Inazuma 250.
- Custom
Suzuki has made good inroads into a traditional American custom scene with its range of Intruder custom cruisers. There are three large capacity 1800cc Intruders, two of the muscle (M) street cruiser-type and a custom (C), chrome-laden version, and similar spec bikes of 1500 and 800cc. The smallest is the Marauder 125, a learner legal machine.
How Bennetts provide Insurance for Suzuki owners
Bennetts has over 85 years experience in motorcycle insurance. By establishing your needs, we can search our panel of insurers for our best possible insurance quote for the Suzuki of your choice. Whether this includes added protection of European cover, legal cover costs or manageable payment terms, we will strive to supply the right insurance for you.
Bennetts understands we are all individuals and our motorcycles are one of our most cherished assets. This is why we don’t underline our customers as generic groups – we use the services of seven leading insurance underwriters and a wide-reaching range of insurance schemes and benefits.
How to get a quote for your Suzuki motorcycle
Getting insurance is easy with Bennetts. We search our panel of insurers to find you our best price for the cover you need.
Simply complete our online form or contact us.
Sources of interest for Suzuki owners and fans
www.suzukicycles.org/ – one man’s collection of all things Suzuki throughout the years. Brochures, specifications, dates and oddball models.
www.suzuki-gb.co.uk – Suzuki GB site with details of all new Suzuki models, accessories, events, racing programme, dealer search and more.
www.suzuki-club.co.uk/ – the Suzuki owners club is one of the oldest motorcycle clubs in Europe. Everything you need to know about Suzuki models, events and people is all here.
www.suzuki-racing.com/ – the bible for global Suzuki racing events, from WSB to motocross.
