Suzuki Celebrates 25 Years of Hayabusa With Tribute Model

[Hugh Janus]

To celebrate its quarter century in the go-fast game Suzuki has unveiled a special 25th Anniversary Edition of the Hayabusa. (Suzuki Motor USA/)

Ultimate sportbike. Fastest stock motorcycle. Drag racer’s dream.

To the list of superlatives lauding Suzuki’s iconic Hayabusa you can now add another description: a quarter century old.

Hard to believe it’s been 25 years since the big Suzuki melted Cycle World testers’ faces when it ran a 9.86-second, 146 mph ­quarter-mile in its 1999 debut. (It also did 194 mph for our radar gun.) That’s not an insignificant stretch of time in the motorcycling world, and for all those two and half decades, the ‘Busa has been sparking debate and polarizing opinions, not only for its bulbous styling (EIC Hoyer called it “a cosmic suppository” at the time) but also for its head-snapping performance.

It’s also worth noting that the Hayabusa has been a huge sales success over the last 25 years (nearly 300,000 units sold around the world) and Suzuki is eager to mark the milestone with a special model, officially introduced as the 2024 Hayabusa 25th Anniversary Edition.

Stacked headlights and aerodynamic (or is it polarizing?) styling remains instantly recognizable, but Glass Blaze Orange and Black color conveys special-edition status. (Suzuki Motor USA/)

That the ‘Busa is not only still here but sitting pretty atop Suzuki’s sportbike category is notable enough, and maybe not so surprisingly, you won’t find all that much special about the anniversary model save for some special decals, badges, color accents, and and a unique 25th Edition-only livery in orange and black.

Then again, Suzuki’s big sportbike has seen its share of revisions over the years, starting with 2008′s Gen 2 effort, and most recently, the Gen 3 update to meet Euro 5 emissions standards in 2022. For that, Suzuki had to carefully revise the engine, going through nearly the entirety of the 1,340cc liquid-cooled four, and the bike was also granted ride-by-wire and a new suite of electronics supported by an IMU to work in concert with all the other bits of Suzuki’s SIRS (Suzuki Intelligent Ride System), which includes wheelie control, traction control, cornering ABS, and more.

Special 25th-anniversary emblem takes a prominent place on the fuel tank, which also carries raised Suzuki logos on the sides. (Suzuki Motor USA/)

In short, the bike we see here is essentially the same updated Gen 3 bike with no mechanical tweaks under the hood (or beak, as it were); this is strictly a tribute bike that’s made to stand out visually, and the 25th Anniversary Hayabusa makes its mark with an eye-popping Glass Blaze Orange and Glass Sparkle Black color combo that riffs on one of the more popular Gen 2 color options, also set off with special V-shaped red graphic.

More reminders on the 25th Anniversary Hayabusa: Brake rotor carriers are gold-anodized. (Suzuki Motor USA/)

You get more reminders of the bike’s special anniversary status courtesy of a distinctive 25th-anniversary emblem, while 25th-anniversary logos are etched on each muffler.

Other cosmetic features specific to the special edition include raised Suzuki logos plastered onto the fuel tank and the Hayabusa Kanji logo appearing on the drive chain plates, while the brake rotor carriers are gold-anodized. Out back, a single-seat cowling is included as standard equipment.

The special-edition ‘Busa also gets the logo etched onto its upswept pipes. (Suzuki Motor USA/)

The 25th Anniversary identifiers and accents are ladled atop the Hayabusa’s already robust feature set, which includes that brawny 1,340cc inline-four stuffed into a twin-spar aluminum frame, adjustable KYB suspension, bidirectional quickshifter, cornering ABS, Brembo Stylema brake components, stacked LED headlights with ram-air ducts, and more.

Leave your passenger at home; single-seat cowling is included as standard equipment on the 2024 Hayabusa Special Edition. Price is TBD. (Suzuki Motor USA/)

The 25th Anniversary Edition will sell in the usual countries and outlets as the base-model Hayabusa, and Suzuki says the special edition will hit dealerships in late summer. No price has been set just yet, but for reference, a 2023 base-model Hayabusa retails for $18,799.

Source

[Buckster]

Ideal for tuning, assuming you are not a total pussy.