Suzuki Shows Edge with Iconic All-New Suzuki Katana

Suzuki has literally showed its edge with the legendary Suzuki Katana being brought to the country. During the Philippine Moto Heritage Weekend at the Metrotent in Pasig City last weekend, Suzuki Philippines was proud to unveil the iconic Katana, following its introduction in EICMA last year. Prior to the public reveal, Suzuki made a preview of the street bike legend during the 13th Inside Racing Bike Festival in March. The original Suzuki GSX1100S was first launched in 1981. It won the hearts of riders around the world and forever changed street motorcycle trends. Each of the styling features and performance components that distinguish the Katana underwent many iterations to achieve the desired level of refinement and functional beauty. Overall, the development process came to closely resemble the arduous process of creating the Japanese sword from which the model's name is derived. Design inspiration for the original 1981 Suzuki Katana came from the famed Japanese sword of the same name. It is a fitting motif for two reasons. Firstly, it reflects well the sharp lines and outstanding performance of the legendary Katana's functional beauty. As importantly, it reflects well Suzuki's philosophy of uncompromising craftsmanship and attention to detail. The Philippines is not unfamiliar with the Katana; in fact numerous Filipinos own the early iterations of the iconic bike. For the arrival of the 2020 Suzuki Katana in the country, Team Suzuki did it during the Philippine Moto Heritage Weekend--a very apt venue to launch a bike that celebrates the heritage of Suzuki as a brand. Suzuki Philippines' National Sales Manager Mitsunori Shiraishi, Big Bikes Marketing Supervisor Mary Ann Garcia, Big Bikes Sales Supervisor Allan Panlibuton, as well as Wheeltek Motor Sales Corporation's General Manager for Big Bikes Bobby Orbe and Suzuki Big Bikes Center Makati Branch Manager Mhae Javier, spearheaded the launch alongside Ride PH's host and the man behind the Philippine Moto Heritage Weekend Jay Taruc. Special guest to the occasion was Dr. Ricardo Quintos, owner of a 1992 Katana. He shared his experiences and love for the bike and its design and even dubbed it as one of the first--if not the first--street sport bike in the country given its design and power. He is also one of the first buyers of the 2020 Katana which was activated the same day to the delight of the spectators. The 1992 Katana was displayed side by side with the 2020 Katana Black and Silver models during the two-day event at the brand's booth aptly called as the Suzuki Hub. Buyers of the 2020 Katana were also treated with a special design Katana Helmet by Arai upon purchase of the bike during the Moto Heritage weekend. Giving that distinct Katana character are its classic yet modern look, thanks to its, sporty profile with sharp, sweeping lines with a sharp front end and a clean, taut-looking rear end. It has a distinctive new LED headlight and LED front position lights and a unique satellite rear fender extending from the swingarm. The new Katana sports its red logo decal inherited from the legendary 1980s version. Powering the new Katana is the 999 cc fuel injected, liquid-cooled inline-four engine inherited from the GSX-R1000 with advanced engine control management and Dual Throttle Valve (SDTV) system. It is also fitted with a Suzuki Exhaust Tuning (SET) system and a custom 4-2-1 exhaust system on its lightweight, rigid aluminum frame. It has a fully-adjustable Ø43mm KYB inverted front forks and radial-mount 4-piston Brembo front brake calipers for extra comfort. The new Katana has a three-mode traction control system, Low RPM Assist, Suzuki Easy Start System, Back-torque limiting clutch, Antilock Braking System (ABS). Available in Metallic Mystic Silver and Glass Sparkle Black, the new Katana is priced at PHP817,000. [gallery size="vw_two_third_thumbnail_no_crop" ids="67422,67423,67427,67426,67424,67425,67421">