Auto Expo 2020: Suzuki Katana has started spreading its wings

MANILA: After ruling the roads around the globe for a long, long time, the Suzuki Katana was, unfortunately, discontinued in the year 2006. With the end of the road came an end to an iconic journey that had begun in 1981. Good twelve years later, we saw a brand-new Katana at the Intermot 2018, and the very event announced the return of one of the world's most iconic and legendary 1-litre motorcycles.

We are now one and a half from when the freshly made Katana was unveiled for the first time around in October 2018. And, the iconic motorcycle has started spreading wings in order to conquer various automobile markets across the planet. The newest geography comes in the form of India, where Suzuki has displayed the all-new Katana at the Auto Expo 2020, which is taking place at the India Exposition Mart Ltd. in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.

In terms of appearance, the new Katana is very much reminiscent of its predecessor. However, since the motorcycle belongs to the modern era, it gets various modern-day features such as LED lighting, all-digital LCD instrument cluster, and others. Powering the Katana is a 2005-2008 GSX-R1000-derived 999cc inline-four powerplant, albeit in a long-stroke guise. The specs sheet reads 152 PS of maximum power at 10,000 rpm and a peak torque of 107.9 Nm at 9,500 rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheel via a six-speed transmission with slipper clutch.

Other amenities on the new Suzuki Katana include dual-channel ABS, three-mode traction control system, and others. The suspension setup comprises of upside-down front forks and a linked rear mono-shock. As for the braking duties, the job is assigned to twin front discs with Brembo radial callipers and a rear disc. Suzuki is expected to the launch the all-new Katana in India very soon. Following its launch in India, the Suzuki Katana will rival the likes of the Yamaha MT-10, Kawasaki Z1000, Honda CB1000R, Ducati Monster 1200, and the BMW S 1000 R. With that in place, we hope for the Japanese automaker to launch the bike for the Philippine enthusiasts sooner than later.

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