Suzuki Katana

The Suzuki Katana comes as a fresh breeze of design, as it debuts a very distinctive design language in the modern books of Suzuki. The Katana brings back the iconic design of its predecessor version sold a long time back, which has been re-incarnated to suit the modern design preferences. The outcome is a stunning-looking design that has a strong road presence.

At the front, the Suzuki Katana welcomes you with its semi-fairing, which looks striking and is positioned quite lower. At the centre of the fairing sits a retro-themed rectangular-shaped LED headlamp, above which there is a sloping glossy black visor. The front lower edges of the semi-fairing come with integrated small daytime running LEDs, while the slim LED turn indicators are mounted slightly backward on the bottom of the lower side portion of the semi-fairing.

Look at the Suzuki Katana from the side, and it impresses you with the sheer uniqueness in its design. The sharp-looking semi-fairing neatly blends with the bulky-looking fuel tank, which boasts sharp creases on its sides. While the fuel tank of the motorcycle has the bold retro logo of Suzuki, the sides of the semi-fairing have the distinctive “Katana” logo on their bottom portions. The lower portion of the side profile makes you remind of the Suzuki GSX-S1000, as the black-themed engine, multi-spoke alloy wheels, and stubby side-mounted exhaust pipe have been shared with the latter.

The tail section of the Suzuki Katana looks as unique as the rest of the motorcycle. The slim and suspended tailpiece accommodates the rider and pillion seat, with the latter getting an optional glossy black flat cowl. At the back of the pillion seat is positioned the dramatic-looking X-shaped LED tail lamp. The LED turn indicators and license plate are mounted on the rear tyre hugger.

The Suzuki Katana welcomes you with a full-TFT rectangular instrument console, which is easily the most modern-looking unit Suzuki offers in a production-spec motorcycle. The screen has almost everything on display, including a speedometer, tachometer, odometer, trip meters, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, gear indicator, and a very informative MID screen.

Apart from the engine, the other mechanical structure of the Suzuki Katana too is shared with the Suzuki GSX-S1000. The motorcycle has got a suspension combination of upside-down hydraulic telescopic forks at the front and a linked-type mono-shock at the back. Even the brakes and tyres are the same – 310mm dual discs and 120/70 ZR17 tyre at the front and a single 220mm disc and 190/50 ZR17 tyre at the rear.

The Suzuki Katana might be a different-looking animal, but under the skin, it feels like the same old wine in a new bottle. The four-stroke, liquid-cooled, inline-four, 999cc engine is the same mill that we have seen in motorcycles like GSX-S1000 and GSX-1000 F. Coupled to a 6-speed gearbox, the engine produces a maximum power output of 150 PS and a peak torque output of 108 Nm. While it is not as outrageously powerful as the new brigade of litre-class roadsters, the overall performance of the motorcycle is very much usable in the real world.

In terms of electronic riding aids, the Suzuki Katana is bestowed with a dual-channel ABS and three-mode traction control. This might have come across as a disappointment for those who wanted a more modern and functional motorcycle over the aging GSX-S1000.

While the attractive and extrovert design of the Suzuki Katana is its plus point, what rubs off the shine off it is the same old mechanical setup and feature-list from the GSX-S1000. However, if you can live with the lack of novelty here, the Suzuki Katana is a thoroughly enjoyable motorcycle in the real world, with more than enough drama in both visual appeal and real-world performance.