Michio Suzuki first produced engines in 1952 after the slk loom industry in which he had previously traded collapsed. The Power Free engine clipped to bicycle frames and was a cheap way to get about in post war Japan. This engine was developed and became the Diamond Free a year later.

In 1954 the company produced it's first complete motorcycle. The Colleda had a 90cc four stroke, single cyclinder engine and beat 85 competitors when it was entered in that year's Mount Fuji hill clim event.

Like so many of it's competitors Suzuki concentrated on producing small capacity two stroke bikes thoughout the 1950s and 1960s. The X6, a 250cc two stroke was Suzuki's first major export success. It sold well in the USA when released in 1966. The 6 in it's name referred to it's six speed gearbox and the company claimed a 100mph top speed

In 1967 the company made it's first large capacity bike. The 500cc T500 or Titan as it was known in America had a two stroke engine that developed 46bhp and had a top speed in excess of 100mph. This bike saw the firm through to the late 1970s as the GT500 gaining a disc brake and electronic ignition along the way.

The GT750 was introduced in 1971. This 750cc triple had relaxed power delivery, plenty of torque and top speed of 115mph. This bike was not a match for the big brash Kawasaki H1 of the same time but was popular nonetheless.

Suzuki were not to play second fiddle to Kawasaki for long and in 1978 they released the GS1000. Not only did this bike outperform the Z1 in terms of engine performance it had a frame stiff enough to give great handling too. There was nothing particularly special about the GS in terms of design. The inline four cyclinder engine and tubular steel frame were nothing new but it's hugely powerful engine and sharp handling shamed all other sportsbikes.

In the 1980s Suzuki made some of the most distinctive motorycles around. The GSX1100S Katana had angular fairing panels and a pop-up headlight. It's aggressive looks matched it's performance. The top speed was around 140mph and handling was excellent.

1985 saw the release of the GSX-R750, a bike that is still going strong today and has spawned larger and smaller capacity siblings. This bike looked truly modern with it's twi headlights set in a full race style fairing. Everything on this bike was designed to be light and materials such as magnesium and aluminium helped to reduce weight drastically over prior models. The engine had the two stroke like peaky performance that has been associated with many of the 600 and 750 variants seen since. The use of an 1100cc engine produced an enormously fast GSXR but handling did suffer and the 1100 never really lived up to expectations. Probably the most balanced GSXR has always been the 750 though the 1000cc models of recent years have been far less of a handful.

Suzuki produced another iconic but shorter lived bike in the 1980s. The RG500 was intended as a true race replica and was based on the race bike of the same name that had been competing since 1974. The race bike had a reputation for seizing at high speeds which earned it the name Whispering Death. This had been largely fixed by the time the road version was released but it was never the most reliable bike in the world. This didn't really matter to the buyers though whol loved it's vicious powerband and real race looks with no less than four silencers exited the back of the bike. The engines still live on today as the basis for many home made specials.

In the late 1990s the GSX1400 Hayabusa became Suzuki's entrant in the top speed competition between the Japanese manufacturers. The bike was named after a bird which eats Blackbirds, a non too subtle dig at Honda's then dominant Super Blackbird. The Hayabusa looked like something from a futuristic Manga cartoon and it's styling divided opinion. Also concerns were raised about it's rear subframe collapsing at speed. These problems did not stop it being a huge success though as it took high speed bikes to a new level. Incredibly powerful, highly aerodynamic and with great handling this bike had none of the tourer respectability of the Honda Blackbird.