Suzuki Katana returns as turbo?

The famous Katana name could be returning to the Suzuki brand in a turbo-charged sportsbike.

Rumours of the Suzuki Katana turbo have gathered pace after Suzuki registered the Katana name and trademark Samurai sword and a Japanese motorcycle magazine published an artist’s impression of a Katana-influenced turbo production bike.

Suzuki unveiled its turbo-charged 588cc parallel twin “Recursion” concept sportsbike at the Tokyo show in October.

It is said to make 75kW (100hp) at 8000rpm and 100Nm of torque at 4500rpm, with a weight of 173kg and 50% better fuel economy than a 600cc sportsbike.

The Recursion concept sportsbike is only 30kW and 10Nm shy of the naturally aspirated GSX-R1000, but because it is much lighter it will have a similar power-to-weight ratio.

It’s still only half the power of the supercharged Kawasaki H2, but it shows the industry looking toward a future of forced induction just as the car industry has done in the past decade.

Recursion means “flowing back, repeating” which is what a turbo does with the exhaust. However, that name may not necessarily make it to market.

A more fitting name would be Katana which was their 1980s futuristic designed sportsbike, although it was also used for a scooter and some mid-sized bikes about 15 years ago.

It would also follow Kawasaki’s lead in bringing back its old H2 model name.

Suzuki has also registered the name Gamma which they used in the 1980s for their two-stroke machines, however the Katana name fits better with the pointy nosed styling of the Recursion.

Suzuki has not confirmed the Recursion for production.