Suzuki Katana styling pays homage to the original; check its price, specs and more

Suzuki Motorcycle launched its Katana in India last month. The model is being imported via the CKD route. In the Indian market, the Suzuki Katana rivals BMW S1000 XR and the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 SX.

The Suzuki Katana, priced at Rs 13.6 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), is available in two colour variants -- Metallic Mat Stellar Blue and Metallic Mystic Silver -- at all the company’s bike zone dealerships. As per reports, the bike started arriving at the dealerships in the Indian market last month itself.

The Suzuki Katana, which is named after a Japanese Samurai sword, was first introduced in 1981. The original bike, which became an iconic model from Suzuki, remained in production till 2006.

The Japanese manufacturer introduced the modern Suzuki Katana in the international markets in 2019 and showcased the bike at the 2020 Auto Expo in India, where it garnered a lot of attention.  However, as the BS6 emission norms were coming, Suzuki updated the engine and has now introduced the bike in the BS6 avatar. The styling of the new model is retro-inspired.

The Suzuki Katana comes with the same chassis and engine as the Suzuki GSX-S1000. It features a monocoque-style bodywork with distinctive styling elements like a rectangular-shaped headlight, fairing integrated turn indicators, a tinted fly-screen, and rear-fender mounted number plate and turn indicators.

The instrument console has all necessary read-outs packed in a backlit LCD unit. The console offers controls for the three riding modes and 5-level traction. Apart from the regular speedometer, odometer, gear position indicator and rev counter, the console also has trip meters, distance to empty, average fuel consumption and a clock. It comes with a night mode.

At the heart of the motorcycle sits the 999cc, inline-four, 16-valve, liquid-cooled engine that delivers 149bhp and 106Nm of peak torque. The bike has a 6-speed gearbox.

The bike comes with the Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (S.I.R.S.) which has a variety of advanced electronic control systems such as Suzuki Drive Mode Selector, Ride-by-Wire Electronic Throttle System and Suzuki Easy Start System.