1992 Suzuki GSX400 Katana

There is no more significant name in Japanese motorcycle history than the Suzuki Katana. Japanese for “sword”, the Katana was for a whole family of bikes, beginning production in the early 80s until the mid-2000s, before being re-released in 2019 and continuing to be produced today. In the late 1970s, Suzuki had become concerned about the stagnating design of the ‘Universal Japanese Motorcycles’ of the era and wanted to make its bikes stand out with a European-type design. They made sure to set the Katanas apart from the crowd, drawing on sharp angles, and blended-in bodywork, seats, side panels and tanks to create an iconic design, which made the space-age newcomer stand out. Elements of ‘Katana style’ didn’t just dribble down across Suzuki’s range in the early ’80s, it lives on to this day.

The GSX400S Katana was a late addition to the Katana range, first produced in 1992. It was produced as a little brother to the recently released GSX1100S Katana, serving as a less powerful and smaller style model, and following the same design conventions that defined the 80’s Katanas. The GSX400S does a few things differently, incorporating the newest technologies on both the engine and the chassis. The 4-stroke engine was designed to emphasize torque, and tuned for optimum performance in the low to mid-rpm range. This bike was designed to be ridden on the street the best, but also possessing a good amount of power to reach those higher speeds.