This week, Suzuki launched the successor to the GSX-R 1300 Hayabusa, a menacing, evil thing that has endeared itself to the hearts of many as the ultimate expression of speed.  The Hayabusa has been both lauded and ridiculed since its inception, back in 1999 when it displaced the Honda CBR1100 XX Blackbird as the worlds fastest street motorcycle, itself taking the crown from the venerable Kawasaki ZZR 1100 (ZX-11).   Of course, not to be outdone MV Agusta has tuned the F4 to produce what it claims is the quickest motorcycle yet, the 312 km/h F4 312R.

Top speed aside, manufacturers appear to be having an excess power orgy of late, with the Big Four Japanese launching more and more extreme replacements for the R Series, CBR, Ninja and GSX-R lines, each one staggeringly more potent than its predecessor, with higher performance envelopes, more exotic materials and, inevitably, higher prices.  

Rumours abound that BMW are working on a production superbike based on the four-cylinder powerplant in the K1200S, with renderings of what it may look like appearing in most of the weeklies.  KTM is busy readying the RC8 superbike, Aprilia its 1200cc V4, MV (with their usual wild claims) have their F4 312R, and of course Ducati has the Desmoseidici road bike in the wings.  It is only a matter of time before we see the measured response of the Big Four, who will undoubtedly unleash ferocious machines based on their overwhelming technical and financial resources to match or supersede these European challengers.  My question, and I think the question we ought to be asking ourselves as influential partners in the design and product planning process is : is this smart?  Does the motorcycle world need any more superfluous, overpowered, superbikes?  

I know what most will say to this: yes!  Motorcycling is about power and the excitement that pushing the boundaries on roads and track brings.  I also know that this is an old question, and that the simple fact is that motorcycles will always get faster, more powerful and push the performance envelope more.  Not 20 years ago, a bike that put out 100hp was a top-of-the-line Honda CBR1000 Hurricane, now all 600 supersport machines equal or top that figure, and weigh considerably less.  Power is addictive, and listening to the public as we do, all agree that what the public want is more power.

Perhaps many will recall the late days of the last century when Suzuki gave us the TL1000S and Hayabusa.  The market screamed for crazy fast, grand prix handling bikes with prodigious power and, Suzuki at least, obliged.  After unfortunate events that saw the deaths of some people, allegedly due to the TL’s power delivery and quick handling, a witch hunt ensued in the media that killed that fantastic motorcycle, and opened up the usual debate as to whether OEM’s ought to be allowed to make and sell machines like the Hayabusa capable of over 300 km/h.  European officials proposed bans, regulations, and limits; magazines went swinging to both extremes, some calling for moderation and manufacturer liability, others loudly cheering on the circus.  In the end, Suzuki and Honda agreed to a limit of 299 km/h and not to try to exceed it in the future, but more importantly, the market response is what mattered.  The TL1000 died a quietly, its reputation tarnished forever, and yet the Hayabusa went on to sell in large numbers for another 8 years, achieving cult status among many in the motorcycle fraternity.

The relevance of this type of reactionary thinking to us as designers is that we often form the first link in the product development chain, and as such wield enormous influence with the OEM’s on the flavouring of new sport models.  Its true that most product planning is done based on the sales records of existing and past models, which invariable leads to more of the same, reactionary concepts devoid of careful analysis of what the motorcycle consumer is really attracted to.  While all superbike customers will respond to questioning by demanding more power, few to none will be able to explain why, and in what way power satisfies them.

The success of the Hayabusa, particularly in the United States, conveys this theory well.  Despite being a large, heavy and by any superbike standards a pig to handle, these very qualities transmit a sense of power beyond the actual horsepower output of the engine.  It is the proverbial untamed horse, evil from a distance and intimidating precisely because it is big and bloated and looks like it was hatched in some Area 51 alien laboratory.  And yet, unlike the twitchy, nervous and thoroughbred superbikes now on sale everywhere, like its GSX-R1000 stable mate (that actually exceeds the Hayabusa in output per liter), the big Hayabusa is easy to drive slowly, handles remarkable well in real world conditions and is a versatile and relatively comfortable touring machine.  Of course, the tag of world’s fastest motorcycle is what makes the Hayabusa attractive initially, but its not what makes it so endearing to the thousands who swear by it a decade later.  This model flies in the face of design orthodoxy by sporting styling that is ten years out of date (some would say even ugly), and none of the usual superbike fads like underseat exhaust pipes, minimalist fairings, and a almost invisibly thin, pointy tail.  No serious motorcyclist will ever forget the Hayabusa, for good or ill, yet no one remembers the 2001 GSX-R, despite the unprecedented media hoopla surrounding its debut.  I suspect it is because while the Hayabusa was a genuine, original design with clear, clever intent, the first 1 liter Gixer was a trend follower without depth.

We all want to spend our days designing the ultimate superbike.  We all dream of having the freedom to make some exotic, Italianate superbike that will use only the finest materials and be hand crafted by white-gloved technicians.  But the reality is that the frustration to realize this dream has, I believe, caused many designers and product planners to twist the real world of mass production motorcycle design towards the absurd, with every model, regardless of size or market segment trying to look and feel like a refugee from racetrack. Never has supersport or race replica styling influenced motorcycle design as a whole as it does now.  One look at the ubiquitous thin, pointy tail on nearly all new bikes, from commuting scooter to Touring model confirms the lasting impression made by the 1998 Yamaha R1.  Does it make sense to shrink-wrap a 1000cc superbike in fairings so small and so tight that the user has virtually no protection from the windblast or weather?.  Is this what the public need or want?  I don’t think so.  Offering OEM aftermarket double bubble windscreens and belly pans; selling 1000cc bikes with 12 or 14 litre fuel tanks and corresponding 120km ranges (when a MotoGP machine sports 24 litres); and no storage whatsoever are, I feel, very poor design solutions.

The huge success of bikes like the BMW GS1150, itself an expensive and high performance product suggests (among other things) that there is a large group of highly experienced riders want to ride fast, but in real world conditions with seats that actually support, real  world tank range and some degree of practicality.   I am not for one second suggesting that superbikes be compromised to compete with anything other than dedicated superbikes, but rather that now there is an opportunity to use good design to be clever, and to have our cake and eat it too.  

What I am proposing are high performance motorcycles that look and feel extreme enough to satisfy the users emotional expectations, while at the same time offering genuine usability, by taking advantage all the amazing new materials and electronics technology.   It is high time to design high performance motorcycles make some sense, are actually innovative and not just 5% lighter and faster than last year’s model.   Perhaps even challenge the traditional displacement categories for once.  What I think the market needs now more than ever, are super bikes, not another superbike.  

- Michael Uhlarik is Principal of Type U Motorcycle Design S.r.l www.type-u.com

Michael Uhlarik