2022 Suzuki Hayabusa | Hot Lap

Описание: Cycle World contributing editor Don Canet thrashes the 2022 Suzuki Hayabusa around Utah Motorsports Campus. No words, just speed.

It’s difficult to imagine it has been 22 years and change since the Suzuki Hayabusa set the motorcycle world on fire. Time flies, and so does the Hayabusa. Quite literally, in the sense of the Japanese falcon that lent its name to the fastest production motorcycle ever tested by Cycle World magazine.

Some Hayabusa History

My first encounter with the legendary ‘Busa was at its 1998 debut in Barcelona, Spain. Present-day Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer recently related the shared adventure from that epic launch. But at the time Hoyer was a young scribe working for a competing publication, and I was in my prime and among the quickest riders in attendance. I recall machining a few extra degrees of cornering clearance off the Japanese monster while hot lapping the classic Circuit de Catalunya.

Sparks flew at every apex as hard parts gouged the grippy Spanish tarmac. Back in that pre-rider-aid era, painting rubber streaks at corner exits typically required skill, confidence, and right-wrist feel on par with the likes of Kevin Schwantz. But the big Suzuki had a planted sense of high-speed stability and cornering ability that transcended the norm for the heavyweight sportbikes of the day. Its arm-stretching acceleration made me feel like a racing hero, and even though the tire marks were light, the arching claw marks scraped into the track by touching down engine covers and other hard parts at full tilt were a gratifying sight, lap after lap.

I also recall the neck-muscle burn endured during a sustained triple-digit blast on a Spanish mountain freeway out to the coast. Seduced by an intoxicating cocktail of broad three-lane roads, billiard-smooth surfaces, and lazy sweeping curves, the sure-footed ‘Busa made its own insane sense while keeping our rabid ride guide in sight. That guide was one Ludwig Braun, a heavy-wristed staffer at Suzuki Germany and an importer said to have played a key role in the bike’s development; later, I would jokingly dub our fearless German leader “AutoBraun.” As we strafed past slow-lane traffic like it was standing still, I remember thinking: Damn all guilt. Screw the throttle open and hope our host had greased local law enforcement.

Riding the 2022 Suzuki Hayabusa: A Speed Reunion

Over the past two decades I’ve enjoyed several thrilling rides aboard the Hayabusa, and was stoked to have the chance to get reacquainted with the beast at American Suzuki’s recent press ride aboard the thoroughly updated 2022 model. To my delight, I arrived to learn our street and track guide for the event staged in Salt Lake City, Utah, was Michael Martin, my Team Valvoline Suzuki Endurance teammate many years ago, and a rider with a multitude of WERA roadracing championships to his credit. It’s no surprise the man can still ride like the wind. As for the ‘Busa, meeting strict Euro 5 emissions hasn’t silenced the thunder. In fact Suzuki claims a boost of low-to-midrange torque production.

It was great catching up with a couple of old brothers in arms, man and machine. Back in the early 2000s I got a taste of salt fever aboard a built Hayabusa on Bonneville’s famous salt flats. The goal was to become a member of the 200-mph club, a badge of honor I regrettably still don’t wear. Run after run we topped out at 198 and 197 mph. The irony was that I’d previously gone 194 mph on the stock 1999 Cycle World testbike, but the rear tire was loose on the salt surface and spinning at top speed. Adding ballast in the form of tools wrapped in a towel and tucked under the solo cowl didn’t help. We even tried cutting additional grooves in the rear tire, but all to no avail. I can’t help but wonder if the 2022 ‘Busa’s traction control system would do the trick.

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