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Yoshimura Suzuki Bows Out of MotoAmerica for 2020

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The MotoAmerica grid continues to dwindle in the superbike class, as rumors of Yoshimura Suzuki’s departure were finally made true this week.

The news is shocking in meaning, but perhaps not shocking in surprise, as there have been murmurs of the factory-backed squad leaving the series for a better part of this year (the most notable coming from Ben Spies).

Now out in the open, the move sees Team Hammer taking over as the official team for Suzuki (now called Team Hammer Suzuki), which helps the Japanese brand save some face in terms of keeping its support in the America series, but the reality is that the MotoAmerica Superbike grid will have one less high-level team on the starting line next year.

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Rumors

This Is Our First Good Look at the New Suzuki V-Strom

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For the past many weeks, we have been talking about Suzuki’s plans to bring back the DR Big name – a moniker that has deep ties to Suzuki’s off-roading prowess, and draw links to the iconic Dakar Rally.

Then, we saw spy photos of a new Suzuki V-Strom 1000, which looked better-suited for the dirty trails, and showed a number of updates to this venerable line of adventure bikes.

Now, we get our first solid look at the 2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1000, as the Japanese brand gears up for next week’s EICMA show in Milan.

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MotoGP

Sylvain Guintoli Punished for Using 2020 Engine Spec at Motegi

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Sylvain Guintoli has been disqualified for the FP1 and FP2 sessions of the Motegi MotoGP round, after having been found to have used an illegal spec of engine.

As a result, all of his times set in FP1 and FP2 have been scrapped, and Guintoli listed as having set no time. Guintoli does still qualify for Q1, having set a time within 107% of the fastest rider in FP3.

The punishment came after Sylvain Guintoli used a prototype of the 2020 Suzuki GSX-RR during his third wildcard appearance.

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Dirt

This GSX-R1000 Dirt Bike Is Helping Keep Finland Weird

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I will let you in on a little Scandinavian secret. We don’t really include Finland in the crowd. No party invites, no secret handshakes, and certainly no reindeer jerky Christmas baskets.

Sure, it might seem like the Finns are part of the viking neighborhood, but the Finnish are a bit…different from rest of their Nordic neighbors.

Culturally, Finland has more influence from its Russian border, and the Finnish language sounds nothing like the East Nordic languages of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, which are almost interchangeable with each other.

This has left Finland as the odd ball in the region, and it spills over into their culture. For exhibit A, I bring you this two-wheeled example. Behold what may possibly the most powerful dirt bike ever created.

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Bikes

2020 Suzuki Katana Priced at $13,499 for the USA

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After much teasing, and officially debuting the model almost a year ago, we finally know what the 2020 Suzuki Katana will cost American buyers, and the answer is a stout $13,499 MSRP.

We had hoped that the new Katana would be priced aggressively against its naked bike competitors, especially since the “new” machine is largely a restyled Suzuki GSX-S1000F, which comes with an MSRP of $11,299.

That new bodywork must add over $2,000 of value in Suzuki’s eyes though, with the 2020 Suzuki Katana commanding the largest price tag out of the Japanese models in the relevant category.

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Bikes

Suzuki SV650 Rally Concept by Oberdan Bezzi

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What can one say about the Suzuki SV650 motorcycle? The bike is in its 20th year of production, and though the model has changed a little by little over time, the same basic formula has stayed the same.

Here, we have a special idea from Oberdan Bezzi, who takes the venerable SV650 and turns it into large-format off-roader.

Dubbed the Suzuki SV650 Rally, the concept looks quite convincing, and it plays into the strategy that Suzuki seems to be building off of.

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Rumors

Is A More Rad Version of the Suzuki Katana Coming?

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The Suzuki Katana isn’t even officially out yet for the US market, and already there are rumors of an up-spec version of the classic-inspired sport bike coming from Japan.

The news centers around Suzuki wanting the Katana to compete better with the high-performance naked models already on the market, namely the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100, Ducati Streetfighter V4, KTM 1290 Super Duke R, et al.

The move then is an “R” spec machine, rumored to see its 999cc four-cylinder engine bumped out to 1,135cc. Other go-fast parts are likely to be included (read: brakes, suspension, wheels, etc), and perhaps some updates to the styling to make it more aggressive looking.

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Racing

A Preview of the 2019 Suzuka 8-Hours Endurance Race

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Another year and another Suzuka 8 Hours. This year’s edition promises to be unlike any another in recent years.

Honda and Kawasaki are ready to take a shot at Yamaha, and Suzuki is once again lurking in the background with a package that could spring a surprise.

Yamaha returns as the four-time defending champion, with an unchanged lineup on the #21 Yamaha Factory Racing Team machine.

Katsuyuki Nakasuga missed last year’s edition after a crash ruled him out of the race, but the Japanese star is back in action this year and feeling confident. Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark split the duties last year and return this year, but there’s been changes to the R1 for this year’s race.

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Recall

Suzuki GSX250R Recalled for Rear Brake Light Failure

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Suzuki Motor of America is recalling 2,640 units of its Suzuki GSX250R street bike (model years 2018 & 2019) because of an issue that can cause the rear brake light not to illuminate when the brakes are applied.

According to the recall documents, the issue stems from a water intrusion that may corrode the rear brake light switch which can cause the rear brake light to fail to illuminate or remain illuminated continuously when the brake is not applied.

Obviously, the lack of a functioning rear brake light (or one that won’t turn off) creates a safety issue for the rider and those around them, which is why a recall was initiated with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Racing

Are You Ready for the Suzuka 8-Hours Endurance Race?

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The Suzuka 8-Hours is around the corner. Testing is already underway for some of the leading riders, and it will only ramp up in the coming weeks.

Flying back and forth to Japan isn’t easy for anyone, but it is what is needed if you will be able to challenge at the great Japanese race.

The past weeks saw a host of announcements for rider lineups, with some interesting developments for what we will see on the last weekend of July.

The 8-Hours is the biggest race on the calendar for the Japanese manufacturers, and still the race that has the biggest impact on a rider’s fortunes with them. Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Honda have now all announced their top teams, but what does it mean?

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