Japanese swordsmiths devote countless hours to repeatedly forge, hammer, fold the raw steel to achieve the right balance needed for the blade to perform optimally. Fired by the same spirit, Suzuki’s development team tested and tuned each component to create a compact, lightweight chassis that is engineered to provide agility, ease of control and a fun-to-ride character.

The twin-spar aluminium alloy frame is engineered to provide nimble handling and great road holding performance. The frame’s main tubes are designed to run straight from the steering head to the swingarm pivot.

The sleek two-tone seat is comfortable, and the seat strap provides the passenger with a good grip. The seat height of 825mm provides comfort and allows riders to plant their feet on the ground when stopped. The slim design where the seat meets the fuel tank also helps make it easy for the rider’s feet to reach the ground.

The Ø43mm KYB inverted front forks provide 120mm of stroke for a sporty yet plush ride. The forks feature fully adjustable damping, rebound, compression and spring pre-load. The 63mm stroke of the link-type rear suspension is tuned for a superb progressive feel and to react efficiently to road surface conditions, delivering an agile and stable feel. The rear suspension offers adjustable rebound damping and spring pre-load.

Brembo radial mount monobloc front brake calipers are mated with Ø310mm floating-mount dual discs to provide powerful braking performance. Each caliper has four opposing Ø32mm pistons. The Antilock Brake System monitors wheel speed 50 times per wheel rotation, and matches stopping power to available traction. The ABS control unit, produced by BOSCH is compact and light weight.

The KATANA uses a small rear mudguard supported by the swingarm that hugs the rear tyre. Moving it, along with the rear turn signals and number plate holder, to this position eliminates parts extending from under the seat to give the tail section clean lines and a purer, lighter look.

The vertically stacked LED headlight with a unique rectangular shape and LED front position lights accentuates the sharp look of the KATANA’s face. At the back of KATANA, the LED rear combination lights feature a sharp line and unique lighting pattern that heighten the advanced look of the KATANA’s styling.