Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa: Long-Term Test Report

It’s long, it’s fast and it’s designed to go very fast in a straight line, you can see why Suzuki’s Hayabusa earned itself the nickname of The Eurostar in my garage. The 1340cc inline four is a bewitching mix of muscularity and sports, combining turbine-like torque with a frisky, free-revving nature. It’s totally addictive.

I chose to spend my year with Suzuki’s 185bhp, 245kg, aerodynamically sculpted continent crusher simply because it’s the polar opposite of the two other bikes in my garage. As the Eurostar rolls out under my garage door each morning my 2004 Honda RS125 and 1990 Kawasaki KR-1S two-strokes breathe a sigh of relief – the big Busa certainly takes up some floor space. 

It’s partial to a drink, too, with my regular town and country commute returning an average of 35mpg, although long motorway runs boost the performance significantly to 47mpg, meaning its 21-litre tank returns 210 miles before it needs refilling.

After setting my sights on a 200mph target I knew some performance modifications would be on the horizon, mainly a new exhaust system, ECU remap and some electronic de-restriction. However, the essential mods any Busa owner should consider getting are uprated brake pads as the Suzuki’s standard pads seriously lack any sort of bite or feel, and a bigger screen because the original screen is damn near useless on long journeys, and makes an otherwise comfortable ride pretty unbearable.