Suzuki is a Japanese company that was founded in 1909 as Suzuki Loom Works. Today the company produces a variety of vehicles including automobiles, ATVs and many more, though the company is probably best known for its motorbikes.

Suzuki History

Suzuki actually got its start in the textile industry, specifically the company made looms for silk weaving. They first looked into automobile manufacture prior to the start of World War II, before the government decided that civilian vehicles were not essential to the war effort. After the conclusion of the war, Suzuki went back to manufacturing looms but experienced problems when the cotton market collapsed a mere 6 years later. It was then that the company decided to try to produce motor vehicles again and it was at this time that the company started to produce motorbikes. Suzuki began by simply attaching motors to conventional bicycles which could be pedal powered, engine powered or a hybrid of the two. By the mid-1950s, Suzuki was producing thousands of motorbikes every month and had changed its name from Suzuki Loom Works to Suzuki Motor Co Ltd. It was at this time that the company also started to produce cars again, and they would use components such as rack-and-pinion steering decades before they became popular worldwide. The company went from strength to strength founding multiple production plants across the world.

Suzuki's Motorbike Racing Success

Suzuki was not only one of the first companies to begin manufacturing motorcycles, they were also one of the first manufacturers to achieve racing success. They hired the Grand Prix driver Ernst Degner from East Berlin after he defected to the West and he would win the FIM road racing World Championship in 1962. Suzuki would go on to be the first Japanese manufacturer to win the motocross world championship with the 250cc title in 1970. They have also won the Isle of Man TT 93 times, taken second 100 times and come third 92 times.

Notable Suzuki Motorbikes

Suzuki have produced a number of notable motorcycles featuring both two-stroke and four-stroke engines. These include the X6 Hustler Twin which was marketed as the fastest 250cc motorbike available from 1966 to 1968 after which the T500 Titan became their flagship bike featuring 47hp and a top speed of 180km/h. In 1980 Suzuki released the Katana, a motorbike that has gone on to take its place in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame as it is said to have revolutionised sportbikes.