Remember the wild old Suzuki Katana 1100 from the early-1980s? Suzuki certainly do, which is probably why they showed the Stratosphere concept at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. In spirit and in style, the Stratosphere seemed to be the modern-day equivalent of the original Katana. And the best part is, though it’s taken some time for Suzuki to make up their minds, it now seems they’ve decided to put the bike into production. Expect the Stratosphere to hit the roads by 2009!The Stratosphere will be powered by Suzuki’s all-new, 1100cc, inline six-cylinder engine, which we think should easily make close to 200 horsepower. Suzuki say this engine is exceptionally smooth, yet as compact as four-cylinder engines of the same displacement.The bike will also get an automatic gearbox, but one that would also allow the rider to shift gears manually if he wants to. From auto mode, the system will automatically shift to manual mode if the rider uses the clutch. There’ll also be other hi-tech bits like keyless start, colour LCD display panel, LED headlamps, GPS and advanced anti-theft features.Like other sportsbikes with six-cylinder engines – the Honda CBX, Benelli Sei and Kawasaki Z1300 of the 1980s – the Suzuki Stratosphere 1100 should be able to offer great straight-line performance. And given today’s tyre, chassis and suspension technologies, it should also be able to handle well and corner like a proper sportsbike. Bring it on, Suzuki
