SUZUKI EXTENDS MK DONS SPONSORSHIP
Suzuki has extended its sponsorship of the MK Dons football club, in a deal that will run until the end of the 2023/24 season. The new deal will take the partnership between the two to the 10-year mark, demonstrating Suzuki’s long-term commitment to the club and the Milton Keynes community.
The Suzuki logo will remain on front and centre on all MK Dons first-team and replica shirts through the next two seasons, while the partnership continues to extend way beyond the football pitch, with Suzuki dedicated in their support of the Milton Keynes Sport and Education Trust.
A huge supporter of all the Sport and Education Trust’s community initiatives, with a particular focus on disability football, Suzuki will actively encourage their employees to involve themselves in the partnership, both in terms of attending matches at Stadium MK as well as volunteering at events, such as the upcoming Ability Counts Day.
Stadium MK will also provide Suzuki with the ideal facility to engage with their dealer network across the two-wheel, four-wheel, ATV and marine divisions.
MK Dons chairman, Pete Winkelman, said, “We continue to be so proud of our association with Suzuki, who have been with us through thick and thin. Their backing and support through the most difficult of times in these last couple years, is something I will, personally, never forget.
“The partnership not only focuses on the football and helping us provide a team that our supporters can proud of, but also the vital work of our Sport and Education Trust and their various programmes, not least disability football.
“I think it also demonstrates the strength of Milton Keynes too, with two of the biggest names in the area working together to deliver for the people and the community. I can only see our partnership going from strength to strength as we continue forward.”
Nobuo Suyama, managing director of Suzuki GB PLC, said, “Our long-established sponsorship of MK Dons has again proved a successful and mutually beneficial partnership. Collaborating for the next two seasons will take us to our 10th year as title sponsor, which we know provides a solid foundation on which to further our strong relationship with the club. We are also proud to help maintain the support of the renowned and invaluable work that MK Dons Sport and Education Trust (SET) do in the surrounding community.
“We are delighted to announce our further sponsorship with MK Dons; as well as reaching out to people outside our business, we also see it as a great way of building pride and engagement with our head office staff, many of whom live in and around the city. Suzuki has been based in Milton Keynes for over 17 years and we are proud to be part of the area’s successful commercial sector.”
Commercial manager at MK Dons, Andy Wooldridge, added, “To have a global brand like Suzuki willing to commit their support to MK Dons into a tenth year is massive for the football club and for Milton Keynes. Our relationship with Suzuki remains so multi-faceted. Whether it is sponsoring the SET’s disability football programme or helping to support club events, they are with us every step of the way. At MK Dons, we take a lot of pride in working closely with our partners to feel valued and appreciated and to ensure they reap the benefits of associating with the club. Our long-term partnership with Suzuki is hopefully evidence of what an attractive proposition we are.”
SUZUKI CONFIRMS RETURN TO ADVENTURE BIKE RIDER FESTIVAL
Suzuki has confirmed it will return to the Adventure Bike Rider festival, with the 2022 event taking place on 24-26 June 2022 at Ragley Hall in Alcester.
The Japanese firm will again be bringing a comprehensive fleet of test ride machines, including its adventure flagship: the V-Strom 1050XT. With a suite of electronics including lean angle-sensitive ABS and traction control, selectable engine maps, cruise control, hill hold, and linked brakes that provide clever slope and load-dependent control systems, it will be available to demo alongside the base model V-Strom 1050, and the V-Strom 650 and V-Strom 650XT middleweight adventure machines.
Those bikes will also form part of an expansive static display, while for the three days members of the Suzuki team will be on hand to answer any questions and provide information and details on its range of models and any current offers and promotions.
AKRAPOVIC SILENCERS FORM PERFORMANCE ACCESSORY PACK FOR HAYABUSA
Suzuki has launched a new Performance accessory pack for its Hayabusa hypersport machine, which comes with an RRP of £2,599, representing a saving of £1,112 over the cost of the individual items.
The standout accessory in the kit is a pair of titanium Akrapovic silencers, which save a total of 4kg and boost power by 2kW, as well as enhancing the soundtrack. Capped with a carbon fibre tip and featuring a carbon fibre heat shield, the silencers are finished with a classy, laser-etched Akrapovic and Hayabusa logos.
Billet aluminium brake and clutch levers replace the original items, with extra style coming from a colour-coded pillion seat cowl, an accessory seat with Hayabusa logo and red stitching, plus a tank pad also adorned with a Hayabusa logo in a choice of gold or red, to suit the bike’s colour.
The Performance accessory pack can be fitted at the time of purchase, meaning it can also be incorporated into any finance deal, spreading the cost monthly, and benefits from the same three-year-warranty.
With an RRP of £16,499, the third generation Hayabusa uses a heavily redesigned engine – including new pistons, conrods, crankshaft, and camshaft – specifically aimed at producing enhanced performance in the lower to mid rev ranges, making it the fastest-launching Hayabusa yet with more cumulative torque than its predecessor.
It gets Suzuki’s most advanced suite of electronics ever, with 10 lean angle-sensitive traction control modes, lean angle-sensitive ABS, three power modes, a bi-directional quickshifter, cruise control and a speed limiter, and three stages of launch control, all controlled via easy-to-use switchgear and managed through a neat colour TFT display, nestled between two analogue dials reminiscent of the original Hayabusa’s clocks.
Design cues from the original also extend to the bodywork, which is sharper and more angular but nonetheless immediately recognisable as Hayabusa.
SUZUKI TO ATTEND MANCHESTER BIKE SHOW AS EVENT RETURNS AFTER TWO-YEAR HIATUS
From the 2022 product range Suzuki will have its new GSX-S1000GT, offering the latest technology and all-day comfort. This sports-tourer will be showcased in its striking metallic triton blue and reflective blue colourways.
Also on display from the GSX-S stable will be the GSX-S1000, which combines aggressive looks, relentless torque, agile handling, and enhanced electronics.
Now in its third generation, the iconic Hayabusa – famed for its abundant power and imposing presence – will be displayed in it’s brilliant white colourway, following its UK debut in December.
From Suzuki’s twins range the V-Strom 1050 and V-Strom 650XT will feature alongside the SV650, with the 650s available on 2.9% APR Representative finance, with £0 deposit required and an additional £500 test ride bonus also available.
Other models on show include the refreshed Burgman 400 – the perfect commuter scooter – as well as the special edition GSX-R1000R Phantom.
Away from the road bikes, Suzuki will also display Kenny Roberts Jr’s world championship-winning RGV500 from the 2000 season, alongside the Yoshimura SERT Motul GSX-R1000R superbike, fresh from winning the 2021 EWC title.
The Manchester Bike Show takes place 29-30 January at Event City, Manchester, M41 7TB.
Suzuki can be found on stand 105. For ticket information, click here.
TAKE A TOUR OF SUZUKI’S MOTORCYCLE LIVE STAND
Take a tour of the Suzuki stand at this year’s Motorcycle Live show, and find out just what the Japanese marque has on display.
With Motorcycle Live back for 2021, after a year away as the result of the global pandemic, Suzuki, too, has returned to the show with another display of its latest on and off-road product ranges and a collection of classic and vintage models. Stealing headlines at this year’s event is the gathering of all seven of Suzuki’s world championship-winning Grand Prix machines, from Barry Sheene’s 1976 and 1977 XR14 RG500s, to Joan Mir’s 2020 title-winning GSX-RR. Join Ian, Steve, Tim Jak and Geoff for a closer look at the bikes on display.
SUZUKI RELEASES NEW COLOURS FOR V-STROM 650 RANGE
Suzuki has released new colour options for its ever-popular V-Strom 650 and V-Strom 650XT middleweight adventure machines.
The base model V-Strom 650 will continue to be available in the pearl brilliant white with its blue graphic on the beak, and for 2022 will be joined by a reversed option, which sees pearl vigour blue bodywork offset by white decals. A glass sparkle black scheme, with its black cast aluminium wheels, provides an understate all-black option, topped with a striking yellow beak graphic.
Suzuki’s trademark yellow – synonymous with its off-road racing heritage – will remain available on the V-Strom 650XT, with RM-Z-inspired blue and grey graphics on the beak and tank. The look is completed with gold spoked rims.
The same gold rims feature on a white variant of the XT, while a classy, new-for-2022 blue paint scheme and an all-black with blue and grey graphics get treated to blue rims.
Both versions of the V-Strom 650 use the proven 645cc V-twin engine, packed with character and a broad spread of power and get traction control, Suzuki’s easy start system and low RPM assist.The XT swaps cast aluminium wheels for lightweight spoked alternatives, and adds hand guards and a lower cowling as standard.
SUZUKI REVIVES THE PHANTOM WITH SPECIAL EDITION GSX-R1000R
Suzuki has revived the Phantom name with a new special edition GSX-R1000R, available with an RRP of £17,499.
Like the iconic GSX-R1000 K6 Phantom from 2006, the new GSX-R1000R Phantom is completed with a Yoshimura exhaust – this time an R11 silencer and heatshield finished in black metal magic with a carbon cap – and a smattering of genuine Suzuki accessories, including track-focussed brake and clutch lever guards, a tank pad and fuel cap trim, and a smoked double bubble screen.
A single seat cowl matches the matt black livery, which is complemented by gloss black decals. Standing out against the stealthy black colour scheme are gold wheels and gold Showa Balance Free front forks.
The GSX-R1000R produces 202PS from its inline-four cylinder engine, which uses the same variable valve timing system as the MotoGP world championship-winning GSX-RR. A full suite of electronics features a bi-directional quickshifter, lean angle-sensitive, 10-mode traction control and ABS, launch control, and three power modes.
OLYMPIC MEDALIST DECLAN BROOKS VISITS SUZUKI GB
Tokyo Olympic medalist Declan Brooks visited Suzuki GB last week to meet the team, show off his medal, and collect his new SV650.
Brooks claimed bronze in the freestyle BMX at the 2020 Olympics, the first time the sport has been included in the Games, but when not performing backflips and bar spins in mid-air the 25-year-old can often be found swapping pedal power for horsepower.
After passing his test in 2019 but being confined to an A2 licence, Brooks was finally able to graduate to a full A licence earlier this summer, and last week arrived at Suzuki’s UK headquarters to swap his restricted SV650X for a full power SV650.
While on site, the Team GB athlete was warmly welcomed by Suzuki’s motorcycle division, and spent the morning recounting tales from the Olympic Games while posing for photos with the team.
He said afterwards, “It was great to get up to see everyone at Suzuki and to pick up the new bike. They laid on a bit of breakfast, which was nice, and it was good to chat about BMXing, the Olympics, and just talk bikes. I don’t think it matters if it has an engine or not, if you’re into two wheels then you can get into any type of bike sport, and they spent a lot of time asking about BMX, the sport, and how we do what we do.
“It was good to swap to the full power SV as well. I’ve had to spend a couple of years on the restricted one but obviously rode the unrestricted version for my test, and we went out for a bit of a ride after I’d picked it up as well. I definitely think I’m going to like having a bit more power and I’m looking forward to getting some miles in before the end of the summer.”
Suzuki GB head of motorcycle marketing, Ian Bland, added, “It’s not every day you get to hold an Olympic medal, so we’re very grateful for Declan for coming in and meeting the team and sharing his experiences. It’s an incredible achievement and one he should be proud of. It’s also great to see he enjoys bikes with an engine in the middle as well as pedals, and has now passed his test and is embarking on his own motorcycle journey.”
SCOTLAND’S FOUR CORNERS CHALLENGE FOR CHARITY
Gordon Stuart is no stranger to motorcycle endurance rides, having completed various challenges previously, from John O’Groats to Lands’ End in 2016, to crossing the Arctic Circle in 2018, all in aid of UK brain injury charity Cerebra and special care babies’ charity Tiny Lives. Originally, Gordon intended his next challenge to be much further afield, until the Covid-19 pandemic had other ideas. Forced to look closer to home, he settled on riding his V-Strom 650XT between the four corners of mainland Scotland: 800 miles – with less than 50 miles of motorway – in under 24 hours.
Continuing with tradition, Gordon would complete this ride to raise money for Tiny Lives, a Newcastle-based charity supporting the Neonatal Unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. The charity supports over 750 babies and their families annually, and aims to raise £250,000 a year to maintain this support. Gordon and his wife received this support on two occasions, for their daughter Isla born in 2014 and then again with son Hugo born in 2017, with both spending time on the Neonatal Unit following premature births.
“Tiny Lives holds a special place in my heart,” he explained, “and with this ride I wanted to raise money and give back as a way of saying thank you for their care.”
In the run up to completing the four corner challenge, Gordon prepared by riding in the evenings around Northumberland and doing day routes of a few hundred miles, with limited motorway use. The challenge would be Gordon’s first long trip on the V-Strom 650XT, the do-it-all middleweight adventure machine, equipped with Givi Outback Trekker panniers and camping equipment on the pillion seat.
But at midday on Friday 16 July, Gordon set off from the Mull of Galloway, the southernmost point in mainland Scotland.
“The Mull of Galloway was stunning,” Gordon described on reflection. “I was lucky to visit on a lovely morning where from the top of the hill, where a lighthouse sits, I could see the Lake District to the east, Isle of Man to the south and Northern Ireland to the west.
“From there I headed north into Dumfries and through to Galloway and Ayrshire, following the coast between Stranraer and Girvan, before turning northeast towards Glasgow and then onto Stirling, which I reached at around 15:00, and had a brief stop.
“The ride between Stranraer and Girvan along the southwest coast was unexpectedly fun; sweeping bends, large rolling hills, with the terrain of Argyll and the Isle of Arran in the distance across the water. This made me pleased I’d ridden a route that wouldn’t have been on the list.”
After Stirling, it was onto Perth and the motorway section of the ride, which took Gordon past the imposing 220ft National Wallace Monument to the north of Stirling. On this stretch of the ride on the M9, Gordon found his V-Strom was comfortably keeping up with the traffic despite being loaded up, admitting he, “wouldn’t want to do a tour like this on a different bike.”
From Perth, Gordon headed east to Dundee through rush hour before turning north towards Montrose, Aberdeen, and then onto Peterhead where he made his next pit stop at 19:00. While there, he visited the most easterly point in mainland Scotland at Keith Inch, part of the Port of Peterhead, utilising the 650’s nimbleness in town when looking for the port. From Peterhead the route headed west towards Inverness where Gordon stopped again, briefly, at 22:00.
Once back on the road, Gordon turned north to follow the NC500 route up the North East Coast to Thurso, then onto Dunnet Head, the northernmost point in mainland Scotland. It was at this point that the temperature dropped but Gordon powered on assisted by his heated vest (and an Alan Partridge audiobook!), arriving there for a scheduled stop at 01:00.
“At Dunnet Head I had a much needed, 90-minute rest in my pop-up tent, which, weirdly, was one of the most normal experiences on the trip: I was no stranger to solo camping, but social-distancing and masks was still very much out of the ordinary.”
Following the closest thing he’d get to a good night’s sleep, he headed south from Thurso to Inverness before moving south-westerly along Loch Ness to Fort Augustus, where he stopped briefly again at 07:30am, before continuing onto Fort William.
“Riding south from Thurso towards the NC500 coastal route at sunrise was a delight,” Gordon recounted. “The road rides high over the plains of Caithness with unspoiled views of the northwest Highlands in the distance. And the route following the Great Glen from Inverness down to Fort William is something to behold. Again, I was lucky to ride in nice weather and doing so early in the morning meant, apart from a few deer, I had the road to myself.”
At Fort William, Gordon headed west towards Mallaig before turning south into the Ardnamurchan peninsula. This brought him on to the home straight towards the finish line at the most westerly point of Scotland’s mainland, Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, where he arrived at 11:21am, 23 hours and 21 minutes after setting off.
“The A830 from Fort William to Lochailort via Glenfinnan – and its famous viaduct – was possibly one of the best roads I’ve ever ridden on a bike; sweeping bends, dips and peaks, it was like the best rollercoaster I’ve been on with good views of the road ahead, long lochs, and mountains to the side. Great fun.”
Gordon had done it: 800 miles, all four corners of Scotland in under 24 hours.
“I was absolutely shattered but it was an amazing feeling to have completed the challenge,” Gordon said on reflection. “I was a little bit emotional actually. It was been beautiful the whole time, and it was amazing knowing I had so many people behind me.
“The bike was really comfortable, and it handled the twisty A and B roads of Scotland sublimely and was really confidence-inspiring. You can just throw it into the corners, and you know it will come out the other side where you want it to, it’s just easy to ride. It just seems such a workhorse. You can pile it high with gear and it just doesn’t care.”
Despite this ride not being part of Gordon’s original plan, he was glad he was able to make something positive out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Looking ahead to his next adventure, Gordon hopes to complete a multi-country Arctic ride to Russia (with no-less than 13 border crossings) to complete his years long ambition of riding a motorcycle across the Arctic Circle.
BRAND NEW KATANA FUEL TANKS NOW IN STOCK ON VINTAGE PARTS PROGRAMME
Brand new, genuine Katana fuel tanks are now in stock and available on Suzuki’s Vintage Parts Programme, after the Japanese firm remanufactured a limited run.
With an RRP of £746.76 including VAT, the brand new fuel tanks fit GSX1100SD and GSX1000SZ Katanas and are finished in the glorious silver and adorned with the same red Suzuki lettering.
Suzuki GB aftersales co-ordinator Tim Davies, said, “We’re really excited to have these new Katana fuel tanks in stock, in the UK, and that the factory have been able to reproduce this limited run.
“No one needs me to point out how iconic the Katana is and how they’re still so sought after, and we see so many restorations or custom builds based on the bike. Of course, over time, bikes left to stand can suffer from all sorts of problems with stale fuel or water and moisture in the tank, so being able to replace it completely for a brand new, genuine item is a great thing to be able to do for a bike that is 40-years-old.”
Designed by Hans A. Muth and Target Design, the Katana was like nothing before it. It was a radical departure from current motorcycling fashion and was a sales success for Suzuki.
Other parts still available for the Katana include centre stands, brake and clutch levers, clock surrounds, sprocket covers, con-rods, pistons, and piston rings, an array of gaskets, valves, cotters, seals, and springs, and even the carburettor intakes pipe rubbers.
The new fuel tanks and other parts on the Vintage Parts Programme can be ordered through authorised Suzuki dealers.