There’s been a lot of toss-up over the years on what defines ‘the ultimate motorcycle,’ and with good reason.
Bring up the idea of ‘the ultimate bike’ in any crowd, and eventually – after some clever bickering, under-handed stats checks on Google and general run-of-the-mill opinion-tossers – the title turns into ‘the ultimate bike for today’s markets’…which, if we’re being realistic, is really more like ‘the ultimate bike for future markets’…and from there, the answers get more generic (and the opinions, more specific).
Bottom line, everybody has an idea of what – or who – our future lineup of two-wheeled scoots should serve – and right up there with the rest of them is Suzuki Motorcycles, who recently left MotoGP with plans to refocus on sustainability, believing that the ultimate bike caters to an emission-free future.
A Motorcycling Marketing Group Manager, Nobuo Fujii, has explained Suzuki’s current focus.
“Carbon neutrality is not only electrification. At the moment, Suzuki is considering various possibilities, depending on the engine capacity,” explains Fuji in a report from Motorcycle Sports.
Suzuki GB’s Director of Motorcycles, Paul de Lusignan, has also added a few intriguing tidbits to munch on for the next season, too:
“…we’re looking to where we need to be with carbon neutrality…so, our investment is about that kind of bike and what that needs to be in the future in a Suzuki range, in order to come along with where society and legislation are going.”
What about the tech that Suzuki was getting their hands on at MotoGP? Does exiting the track mean that Suzuki’s ability to keep up with the competition will slow down?
Not really, actually; as Lusignan explains, the engineers that were previously working with Suzuki’s teams will now be working in production to contribute to the coming era of alternative bikes.
“Racing in championships has given us new technologies that we’ve been able to use over the years,” adds Fuji
“You’re at a pinnacle of engineering, so you’re always looking for the trickledown effect into production. You don’t lose that information and knowledge the moment you stop racing…”
From what we can see, Suzuki will be working to continue their legacy in the higher-cc segment; until then, best strap in for updates on smaller electric offerings like the one Suzuki Indonesia premiered at the Indonesia Motorcycle Show.
Stay tuned, join the WebBikeWorld gang for an ad-free reading experience, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties.