Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa
The first Hayabusa treated the rider, fairing, engine and frame as one high-speed system. Suzuki put a 1,298 cc fuel-injected four inside a low twin-beam aluminum chassis, shaped the body in a wind tunnel and gave it a name meaning peregrine falcon. The result became the defining high-speed production motorcycle of 1999.
1999modelzwart.JPG · FlyboyHCH · Public domain
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
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More than a set of wheels.
Suzuki revealed the Hayabusa at Germany's Intermot show in 1998 and began selling it in Europe and North America in 1999. It was not a Japanese domestic-market model that year. The company called it the Ultimate Sport and combined ram-air induction, two-stage fuel injection and a long-wheelbase aluminum chassis with bodywork inspired partly by samurai armor. In Cycle World's 1999 instrumented test, the motorcycle reached 194 mph, ran the quarter-mile in 9.86 seconds at 146 mph and produced 160.5 hp at the rear wheel. Those are results from that test, distinct from Suzuki's 175 PS engine specification.
Look a little closer.
The Japanese name and peregrine-falcon badge did not mean it was sold at home in 1999: Suzuki says the first Japanese domestic Hayabusa arrived in 2014.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Aerodynamics shaped the whole package
Suzuki lowered the steering head inside a twin-beam aluminum frame and sculpted the fairing around the rider, while designers drew on samurai armor and helmet forms. The rounded nose and integrated tail were not styling pasted onto a conventional superbike; they were part of the machine's high-speed stability and drag strategy.
Source: Suzuki Digital Archive — 1999 GSX1300R Hayabusa ↗“Fastest” requires a test label
Cycle World's stock-bike comparison recorded 194 mph, 9.86 seconds at 146 mph in the quarter-mile, and 160.5 rear-wheel horsepower. Suzuki's archive lists 175 PS at 9,800 rpm at the engine. The two power figures come from different measurement locations, and the speed belongs to a particular test, so none should silently replace the others.
Source: Birds of Pray — Cycle World June 1999 ↗Where these facts come from
- Suzuki Digital Archive — 1999 GSX1300R Hayabusa
- Suzuki Celebrates 25 Years of the Hayabusa
- Hayabusa: A Legend Is Born and Grows
- Birds of Pray — Cycle World June 1999
- Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa First Ride — Cycle World May 1999
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-02.