Suzuki Hayabusa

When Suzuki launched its GSX1300R Hayabusa in 1999, it pulled no punches with what its latest and greatest was intended to do. It was built from the ground up to be the fastest production bike on the planet.

Not only that, but the new bike needed to be able to give the 300kmh barrier a nudge, because in the eyes of the motorcycle-buying public, that's what any self-respecting 160ps motorcycle should be capable of.

The Hayabusa delivered.

In fact the bike lived up to the hype immediately. A French journo, equipped with a data-logger, recorded a genuine 304kmh at the world launch of the thing. On a public road.

This was back in 1999, so you'd assume that by now, after four years of development, the mighty 'Busa's top speed must be somewhere north of 320kmh, right?

Wrong. The '03 Hayabusa has been gelded! And we know, 'cos we took it to Avalon Airfield, along with our Stalker radar gun, to find out.

MR SENSIBLE
The debate over what constitutes a 'sensible' top speed for a motorcycle is not a new one, but the Hayabusa's impressive peak velocity inspired varied reactions amongst the world's bureaucrats. Some questioned the need for a machine, which is after all designed for road use, to have the capacity to travel at more than 80 metres-per-second. The reason, of course, is to sell motorcycles.

To own a bike that can clock over 300kmh is also to own the bragging rights.

"Why hello there. My bike does over 300kmh. Wanna double?"

For $17,490 in 1999, any Joe Blow with a full motorcycle licence could own something which out-performed a $250,000 Porsche.

Kawasaki, too, strode up to the line with its ZX-12R in 2000, a bike which also had the legs to run to 300kmh, given enough room. It was a funny thing that, because when the big K released its ZX-10 in 1988, it proclaimed it would never build a faster bike - it figured things were getting silly enough. Mind you, Kawasaki had said the same thing about its GPZ1000RX a couple of years previously...

Obviously getting used to fibbing by now, Kawasaki released the ZZ-R1100 in 1990 - which AMCN splashed on the cover of Vol 39 No 25, accompanied by its radar-recorded top speed of 282kmh.

So, silly top speed obviously sells motorcycles.

CASTRATED
An AMCN trip to Avalon in 2000 (Vol 49 No 22) yielded a radar-recorded top speed of 302kmh from the Suzuki, while another trip in more favourable conditions (slight tailwind) netted 311kmh. Seriously fast.

But I returned to Avalon recently, with the same Stalker radar gun and a 2003-spec Hayabusa, and try as I might I couldn't top 296kmh.

The reason? The Hayabusa has been nobbled. Castrated. Made a eunuch. And it's no fault of Suzuki. It's all because of politics.

Don't get me wrong - 296kmh is plenty fast. A three-kilometre runway disappears pretty quickly at that rate, and the sense of speed is almost overwhelming, even on a flat, open expanse of airstrip.

But that's the point. What difference is 4kmh going to make? At that speed, not much. Suzuki is bowing to political pressure in speed limiting the bike to 296kmh - it's apparently un-PC to top out at an 'evil' 300kmh. As for 296kmh, well that's okay...

GENTLEMAN'S CLUB
This 'gelding of the beast' took place in 2001, but there was no press release or official statement from Suzuki on the matter. There still isn't.

There's nothing from Honda (its CBR1100XX Blackbird was top of the pops until the Haybusa's arrival) or Kawasaki either.

That's because the decision to limit bikes to 300kmh is a 'gentleman's agreement' amongst the Japanese firms.

All three basically agreed that the pursuit of motorcycling's 'Top Speed Crown' was in fact damaging to the attitudes towards motorcycling in general, and drawing unwelcome attention from the law-makers around the world. H ence the decision to make 300kmh the benchmark, the crossing of which was deemed a no-go zone.

DATE WITH A RADAR
The recent day at Avalon proved the speed limiter works, although Suzuki's intention was for the bike to achieve 300kmh on the dot.

Therefore, at 10,089rpm the injection pulse is thinned (ie less fuel is provided) for the #1 injector whilst in sixth gear. This rpm equates to a theoretical 300kmh with standard gearing.

There's no missing the effect when you're riding the bike, either. It just stops pulling.

The trip from zero to 160kmh happens pretty quickly. In fact it averages just 5.70sec according to our radar figures - that's faster than most mega-buck high-performance four-wheelers take to get to 100kmh! 250kmh seemingly arrives not long after that, the Hayabusa still pulling like a teenage boy.

The bulbous fairing protects you well from the ravages of the cyclonic breeze those speeds generate, whilst still allowing ample view of distant, rapidly approaching objects - in this case a lone figure armed with a radar gun.

By this stage, at around a genuine 270kmh or so, the speedo's red needle is off the clock - a clock which in 1999 read to 340kmh, but now ends with the digits 280. A sign of the times.

Then, as promised, the tacho needle sweeps past 10,000rpm and the acceleration dulls, then ceases - and that's it.

No matter what Simon and I tried - removing knee sliders, sitting in different positions, etc - the Bus would go no faster. It doesn't slow down, it just sits there, as stable as could be, at 296kmh. We made at least five runs each, just to make sure...

SNAIL PACE
We were sharing Avalon's runway with sister magazine Motor, which was top speed testing its 22 Performance Car Of The Year finalists - no slouches in that lot - and the Hayabusa whipped them all.

"F*%k that thing looks good," commented more than one car journo as they observed the Suzuki scorching down the tarmac, at a velocity which made the tin-tops look like slugs.

To be fair, there was a fair bit of speed limiting going on with the cars as well, many limited to 250kmh, so us motorcyclists can't whinge too much in that regard. We get an extra 46kmh before the fun stops! The bottom line is, we can still buy something faster, for less. Much less.

Mmm, if only the car journos had been there in May 1990 when the modded 202ps PTR 'Busa was let off the leash (Vol 49 Nos 20 and 22). An impressive 324kmh was the result.

SPEED LIMITED
The good news is that even with the 2003 Hayabusa missing 15 or so kmh from its top end, the bike's engine is otherwise free to warp a rider's brain with its smooth, fat power delivery. We proved this in AMCN's 2002 Tour Of Duty (Vol 52 No 12) when we took a Hayabusa to Phillip Island in the company of a ZX-12R, CBR1100XX and ZZ-R1200 - oh, and current 600 Supersport lap record holder Adam Fergusson.

Aboard the Hayabusa, Adam scored a very respectable best lap in the 1:48s and, at the fastest racetrack in Australia, never once mentioned that the speed limiter had hindered his progress. We'd still be looking for him in Bass Strait if that was the case...

For those interested in land speed records, there are items available with which to negate the effects of the speed limiter (see Top Gear, page 98), for closed circuit use only of course. The other option is to change the gearing, as the bike would handle it.

OPEN ROAD
So, it may be knobbled, but at $18,490 the Hayabusa still packs an awesome punch. And let's be honest, only those that hail from the Northern Territory will miss that extra few kmh, thanks to the lack of speed limits on their open roads.

For the rest of us, there's still plenty to get excited about aboard a 'Busa, and the reality is the top speed war had to end somewhere.

For the time being, we'll have to make do with 'just' 296kmh.