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Suzuki
Hayabusa Horsepower
Suzuki has announced the 2008 Hayabusa. It does not have an
inline-six from the Stratosphere, but instead, it gets a 1340cc inline-four
which it shares with the equally pupil-dilating B-King. Rumoured to make 200 bhp
(or very close to that figure), the new Hayabusa is expected to top the ZZR1400
in performance. If it can do that without losing its easy-to-use personality,
the new Hayabusa will go down as one of the truly great all-time motorcycle
upgrades of all time.
The engine, as we reported earlier, is shared with the Suzuki B-King. The 1340cc
inline-four a higher compression ratio (12.5:1, up from 11.0:1), titanium valves,
chrome-moly con-rods, and updated fuel injection. Suzuki claim a 12 percent
boost in performance - a claimed 197 horsepower at the crank! Top speed is not
likely to be more than 300km/h, though the new Hayabusa, which weighs 220kg, may
accelerate harder than the Kawasaki ZZR1400.
To get an idea of the speed and power that is involved; the 2007 Suzuki Hayabusa
1300 had an unlimited top speed of 315 km/h. The 2008 model is 1340cc and
features 12% higher engine performance from its four stroke, four cylinder,
liquid cooled engine. With a dry weight (no fuel) of 220 kg, this is a monster.
This is the bike to drive if you want to leave a Ferrari in your rearview. A
turbocharged version set the street bike speed record of 411.68km/h. Just
remember, at over 300 km/h with no seatbelts, airbags, roll cage or vehicle body
to protect you, your body is the crumple zone and inertia is not your friend. If
you have the skills and the insurance to handle one of these, you are in for a
wild, wild time.
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