The Mighty Suzuki Hayabusa Is Back To Feast On Its Prey

No turbocharging, no supercharging, just plain natural aspiration for the 2021 Suzuki Hayabusa. Euro 5/BS6 norms may have curbed its enthusiasm but it is now more rideable than before and comes in some pretty striking colours too. It has finally ridden into the country at Rs 16.40 lakh (ex-showroom).

What’s The Price? Who Are Its Rivals?
Yeah, at Rs 16.40 lakh (ex-showroom India), the 2021 Suzuki Hayabusa is Rs 2.65 lakh dearer than the outgoing model. Suzuki has managed to price it well and despite what we previously thought, the Busa is arriving as a CKD model only, not CBU. The 2021 Busa will be dispatched to dealerships across the country from mid-May with deliveries to begin shortly thereafter.

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Currently, the Hayabusa is a lone warrior in the hypersport NA segment. It’s chief rival, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R, is no longer on sale and the Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE has not made it to our shores yet. In terms of pure performance-oriented litre-class phenoms, you can avail of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, the BMW S 1000 RR or even the Ducati Panigale V4 (when the BS6 model goes on sale later in the year) for your trackday thrills. The Busa, though, is not meant for trackdays. It belongs to the open roads.

What’s New?
With the 2021 model, Suzuki has not reinvented the wheel with the Busa. Its silhouette remains fairly similar to the previous two generations. The design tweaks have made the Peregrine Falcon more purposeful and striking. It looks particularly fearsome in the orange/black shade and with the hump-shaped pillion seat cowl in place.

The biggest change to the Busa is in the electronics department. Earlier, you had to deal with its 1,340cc inline four motor putting down the whole 197PS and 155Nm without any traction control to protect your skin. And while output has taken a hit, 7PS and 5Nm lower, the addition of a six-axis IMU, lean-sensitive traction control, wheelie control, launch control, and engine-brake control are all going to make riding this juggernaut a breezy affair. Not to forget, Suzuki has also thrown in a bi-directional quickshifter to minimise the time lost in gear shifts and maximise full throttle fun.

With great power come great anchors. The last update to the Busa saw the inclusion of Brembo M50 monobloc calipers. With this 2021 iteration pushing the envelope further in terms of rider safety, it was only apt for Suzuki to go the full mile and equip it with the Busa Brembo Stylemas.

What's Unchanged?
Most of the foundations remain unchanged. The twin-spar aluminium frame houses the large 1,340cc motor with a slightly revised subframe for better riding ergonomics. Suzuki has managed to shave off 2 kilos from the previous model, but at 264kg, it ain’t no ballerina.

Fully adjustable suspension components continue to do their trade with slightly reworked internals to suit the bike better.

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What Should Have Been Changed?
Heck, we would have wished for the Hayabusa to go even more ludicrous in its demeanour and performance. However, in these times when more and more youngsters are shying away from motorcycles, we think Suzuki’s safe and easy approach should work well. 

ZigSays
The Suzuki Hayabusa will undoubtedly find loads of takers. So what if power has gone down by 10PS and there’s no turbo, one will never be able to fully utilise the entire 190PS on our roads. Furthermore, this generation of the Busa will be easier to ride and it has enough electronic nannies to keep you from harming yourself. Does it sound like a good buy? We would wait for the CKD version to arrive but if you want a Busa, no time is better than now. Just ask Kartikeya Singhee.