The Motor Corporation

Faced with this colossal challenge, Suzuki's thoughts went back to motor vehicles. After the war, the Japanese had a great need for affordable, reliable personal transportation. A number of firms began offering "clip-on" gas-powered engines that could be attached to the typical bicycle. Suzuki's first two-wheel effort came in the form of a motorized bicycle called, the "Power Free." Designed to be inexpensive and simple to build and maintain, the 1952 Power Free featured a 36cc two-stroke engine. An unprecedented feature was the double-sprocket gear system, enabling the rider to either pedal with the engine assisting, pedal without engine assist, or simply disconnect the pedals and run on engine power alone. The system was so ingenious that the patent office of the new democratic government granted Suzuki a financial subsidy to continue research in motorcycle engineering. And so was born Suzuki Motor Corporation.

In 1953, Suzuki scored the first of countless racing victories when the tiny 60cc "Diamond Free" won its class in the Mount Fuji Hill Climb.

By 1954, Suzuki was producing 6,000 motorcycles per month and had officially changed its name to Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. Following the success of its first motorcycles, Suzuki created an even more successful automobile: the 1955 "Suzulight." Suzuki showcased its penchant for innovation from the beginning. The Suzulight included front-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering -- features common on cars half a century later.

Coming to the U.S.A.

Suzuki continued its motorcycle racing efforts, developing its engineering skills and learning everything it could. By 1962, Suzuki was in Europe winning the first-ever 50cc Grand Prix World Championship. A year later, Suzuki won the title again, as well as the 50cc class at the classic Isle of Man TT.

It was also in 1963 that Suzuki brought its newest motorcycles to America. Success came quickly by offering riders a new level of value and reliability with a fast-growing line of motorcycles. Most notable were Suzuki's two-stroke vertical twins. In 1966, the X-6 Hustler became Suzuki's first true street-legal performance machine, and the fastest Japanese 250cc of the time. A 500cc model, the Titan, soon followed, and remained in Suzuki's lineup until the 70s.

Suzuki also began competing and winning off-road. In the World Motocross Championships, long dominated by European makes, Suzuki won the 1971 500cc title with the help of Roger DeCoster. Soon to be a racing legend, the Belgian and his bright yellow Suzukis won the World Championship four more times, in 1972, '73, '75 and '76. Suzuki extended its MX success with an incredible string of victories in the 125cc World Championship, winning the eight-liter title from 1975 to 1984. And Brad Lackey became America's first 500cc World Motocross Champion on his works Suzuki in 1982.

Stateside between 1975 and 1990, riders Darrell Schultz and Danny LaPorte (500cc), Kent Howerton and Tony DiStefano (250cc), Mark Barnett (125cc and 250cc Supercross) and Guy Cooper (125cc) would all win national championships with Suzuki.

Back on the road, Suzuki's two-stroke line grew to include a series of in-line triples, capped off by the GT750 -- the largest mass-production liquid-cooled two-stroke street bike ever offered to the public. Briefly, in 1975, Suzuki experimented with Wankel rotary-engine technology, introducing the now-collectible, short-lived RE5. And Suzuki's Grand Prix road racing efforts expanded to the premier 500cc class. Briton Barry Sheene won two-straight World Championships aboard the exotic RG500 square four. This enduring race bike would go on to two more title wins in 1981 and 1982 with Italians Marco Lucchinelli and Franco Uncini riding.

But with tightening emissions standards, four-stroke inline fours would lead Suzuki's charge starting in 1976. The new GS750 boasted a relatively short stroke, double overhead cams, double disc brakes and fine handling. The GS1000 that soon followed was arguably the best one-liter four-cylinder of its time. The GS series worked well on the track, too, and Wes Cooley and Yoshimura won the young AMA Superbike Championship for Suzuki. By the early 1980s, Suzuki had firmly staked out its territory as a major player in the market for tough, reliable, high-performance road machines.

Suzuki Timeline: http://www.globalsuzuki.com/corp_info/history/index.html

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/SubcategoryDisplay.aspx?id=EB4630B5-4028-49A5-A351-2D72DD33D7F8