Suzuki to revive the Katana nameplate, releases a new teaser

KUALA LUMPUR: As we are all aware, Suzuki is one of the major auto and motor brands that consistently work on refreshing its brand and products. Recently, Suzuki two-wheeler wing came into play and released a teaser video. The twenty-two second long YouTube video with no bike portrayed making of a two-wheeled Japanese warrior in progress.

The officially released video showed a swordsmith working on its next creation, prepping it in the fire, as the metal glows to a burning red. Towards the end comes the Japanese word meaning ‘Feel the edge’, followed by a Coming Soon tag. To be specific, the video even mentions the date and venue of the upcoming Suzuki reveal, that is at INTERMOT on 2nd Oct 2018. For those who aren’t aware INTERMOT stands for International Motorcycle Fair, a biennial shown based in Cologne, Germany.

This immediately strikes the code that it might be the revival of the 1981 sport touring Suzuki motorcycle range, the Katana. Why? Well, because Katana means a long, single-edged sword used by Japanese samurais, like the one shown in the teaser. Also, connecting the dots, Suzuki in 2014 field a trademark for an updated Katana logo with the European Intellectual Property Office. Post that, moving straight to 2018, Suzuki again filed a trademark application but this time with the US Patent and Trademark Office. It was followed by filling of the new logo both in the U.S and Europe. Meaning, that the logo would be used on a range of merchandise and apparel.

Time to know about the forgotten Katana tag. Target Design, Germany in 1979 created the very first Katana for Suzuki. Post that Suzuki launched a number of sport touring motorcycles under this brand name from 1981 to 2006. Included in the lineup were 550 cc, 650 cc, 750 cc, and 1000 cc models. Most popular amongst them all was the Katana 1100, and Suzuki even claimed the 1980 model to be the fastest available motorbike of the time.

Talking about its design language, there are two running theories. According to one, the upcoming Suzuki bike would be based on the GSX-S1000, while others believe it would be based on the new turbocharged Recursion concept.

The mystery around the upcoming Suzuki model would be revealed on 2nd October at the 2018 INTERMOT Show. Stay tuned to know more.