Wednesday, December 3, 2008

THE FASTEST MOTORCYCLE IN THE WORLD...!





A machine that captivates the gaze. I've long been fascinated by the the Suzuki Hayabusa. I think it will be only a short time until I own one.Each trip to the dealer to check out this bike is like a pilgrimage to Mecca. To those of us who saw the sport bike evolve over the last 15 years. From the '86 GSXR750 to where we stand today, this bike is by far the pinnacle of progress.

The Hayabusa in unlike anything I have ever ridden before. It's more refined than my ZX-11. When you rev the motor and accelerate off into the distance, it feels designed for this. As if it's sole purpose were entrenched in allowing the ride to travel at any velocity in relative safety and ease.

The Falcon has landed! The iconic Hayabusa, Japanese for the peregrine falcon, which is the fastest bird when it dives for a kill, is Suzuki's hyper-tourer. The new for 2008 Hayabusa has a 1340cc liquid-cooled four-cylinder engine with nearly 200bhp, and given enough room, can accelerate to over 300kph. The Intruder on the other hand, is a surly, burly power cruiser, boasting a huge 1783cc V-twin. This is Suzuki's most powerful cruiser ever.

I realize now the level of discipline and restraint it requires to own this bike. Well, maybe I wouldn't call it restraint, but just plain discipline. The whole package takes some readjusting as to what you might think of as normal. You're headed down the freeway, the speedometer indicates 70 mph, yet it barely seems to have risen around it's circular path.The bikes have been launched in 7 cities – Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and will cost Rs 12.5 lakh each, ex-showroom. The same price applies across the country.

Given the current economic recession, sales may not be as big Suzuki might have hoped for, but the fact remains that Indians are warming up to powerful stylish motorcycles, a fact vindicated by the strong sales of Japanese rival Yamaha's products.

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