Naveen Soni 
Retro seems to be the name of the game these days as far as motorcycles are concerned, and the idea of cashing in on the success of past hits is nothing new. Suzuki is trying to do something similar with a modern take on its legendary Katana. The original Katana was a breakthrough motorcycle for Suzuki, offering a revolutionary design and not to mention blistering performance. It was always going to be a task to replicate the original. The new Katana was launched in 2019, but recently it got a bunch of updates to meet the latest emission norms and give it a fresher look. We spent some time with the updated bike recently to find out if this new blade really cuts like the old one.
For any motorcycle to be retro-modern, it has to be the perfect amalgamation of the past and the present. To achieve that, the design team referenced the 1981 Katana, and in many ways, the new bike looks like an evolution of the original. This is clearly evident from the shape of the bodywork — which largely comprises flat surfaces and sharp lines running from nose to tail.
The highlights include the rectangular headlight with a tiny windscreen above it, fang-like LED position lights, and the seamless semi-fairing look around the fuel tank.
For 2022, Suzuki has also introduced new colours with these contrasting Enkei alloy wheels. Fit and finish feel good, the plastics are great, and so are the switches and controls. Overall, Suzuki has done a great job with the design, but it is still not an instant head-turner.
The LCD instrument cluster appears pretty old-school. You don’t get a fancy TFT screen like most other modern-age superbikes, and there is not even smartphone connectivity on offer.
It could be a turn-off for tech-savvy riders, but to save some face, Suzuki has made sure that there is all the information you’d want on the cluster, and an orange-red backlight with adjustable intensities makes it easy to read as well.
The base platform of the new Katana is the street version of the tried and tested Suzuki GSX-S1000. It features a twin-spar aluminum frame with a fully adjustable suspension set-up. Despite its name, the Katana isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed like the original. The new version offers an upright and relaxed riding position, and, unlike the original Katana which was shipped with racy clip-on bars, the modern iteration gets a wide single-piece handlebar. The seat is big and cushy, and with a saddle height of 825mm — it’s a relatively easy bike to manage.
It doesn’t tip into corners with the sort of immediacy that’s characteristic of other modern-day naked bikes. But there is linearity in the way it changes direction, and you get a lot of feel and feedback from the front end as you arc around a corner. And the straight-line stability is something that the Katana has mastered very well. So, one should not misinterpret the new Katana as a thoroughbred track weapon. It is an easy-to-ride superbike with muted aggression and the capability of covering long distances without breaking your back. And then, you can further fix things by tuning the suspension to your liking.
The engine in the original Katana was possibly one of the greatest ever made, and the new version is no different. At the heart of the new Katana is the legendary Suzuki K5, inline four-cylinder engine. The 15-year-old motor has been derived from the original Gixxer but has been timely updated to meet tighter emission norms.
For 2022, it gets new cam profiles, new valve springs, electronic throttle bodies, new clutch and exhaust system. All that significantly changes the characteristics of the engine, and the power has gone up by 2bhp over the 150 horsepower of the previous model. But the more significant change is the redline shifting from 10,000 RPM to 11,000 RPM.
The engine has a strong bottom-end grunt — quite like it was before; so high-gear, low-speed, lazy riding isn’t going to be a bother. And then, Katana’s low RPM assist further lets you crawl at slow speeds without the need to crack open the throttle. We tried riding the motorcycle at as low as 45 km/h in the sixth gear and it never felt like it’d stall.
The 106Nm of torque is spread well over a wide curve and the delivery is quite linear too, ensuring a tamed, flexible, and utterly smooth experience. But the monster awakens once you throttle past 6,500 RPM. And that, coupled with a deep induction growl, screaming exhaust, and the sight of the horizon coming towards you at an eye-popping pace is capable of putting you in a state of sensory overload.
Thankfully, there are three ride modes that are simply called A, B, and C, along with a switchable 5-level traction control system to save you from throwing yourself into trouble. These modes temper the power delivery significantly but without altering peak power outputs. The gentlest one, Mode C, is quite handy on wet roads and heavy traffic conditions, while you can switch to Mode A when you want to explore Katana’s full potential. The traction control intervenes a bit abruptly when set to the maximum level. But otherwise, it works well and quite transparently in the lower levels.
To haul it down, the Katana gets radially mounted Brembos at the front and a Nissin set-up at the rear. The system offers strong braking performance — putting the bike down to a halt quite effectively. And we don’t think there is anything to complain about the dual-channel ABS as well. The only caveat is Katana’s compact 12-litre fuel tank which equates to between 120- and 140-kilometres range or even lower if you ride it spiritedly. But otherwise, there is hardly anything to complain about, and what makes it a great deal is its price, which starts at INR 1.36 million.
In summation, it looks as sharp as the Katana, befitting the name, and comes with all the necessary equipment as well. And more importantly, you get this hit of nostalgia, the moment you look at it. We know it’s not to everyone’s taste but if you are an ‘80s or ‘90s kid, you would relate to what we are saying. It is a friendly and well-engineered machine that’s easy to handle in a wide spectrum of riding conditions. But this same machine can also baffle your mind with its performance when you want that kind of exciting experience, maybe on a track day.
