Just as there are many famous advertisements for motorcycles, there are many masterpieces and lost copies of motorcycles as well. I have carefully selected these for each of the four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers.
First up is Suzuki. Suzuki has released many unique motorcycles, and therefore has many unique copies!
Written by Hiroaki Numao
This article was originally published in "Best Car Web" on January 11, 2023.
Space Invader (GSX1100S Katana)
Let's start with one of Suzuki's most iconic models, the GSX1100S Katana. Launched overseas in 1981, the Katana was a huge hit with its striking Japanese sword-inspired design and excellent performance. Its popularity has remained strong, leading to the introduction of the new Katana in 2019.
I thought that the famous copy must have been used, but the catalog for Europe at that time had the words "Space Invader" on it!
Space science fiction was all the rage at the time, with the release of the movie Star Wars in 1977 and the second movie in 1980. In Japan, the video game Space Invaders was booming, as Osan-san knows (although I was unable to obtain a copy, there is an advertisement in Europe that uses a background that looks like the game Invaders).
In addition to such a world situation, perhaps an invader from outer space was appropriate only for a katana with a design that is innovative even from today's perspective.
Incidentally, in 1982, a scaled-down 750 version appeared in Japan, with a copy of "KATANA in Japan" dancing in the catalog. Due to Japanese regulations, the 750 was screenless, and instead of a separator handle, it was replaced by what is commonly known as a cultivator handle. The original design was spoiled, and the 750's copy sounds a bit "ironic" to me.
The Katana has a sharp motif of a Japanese sword, but the catchphrase "Space Invaders" is a bit unique. Is it because the katana's silver body color makes it look like a spaceship?
1981 GSX1100S Katana. It was first unveiled at the Cologne Show in the fall of 1980, and its design was so original that it was called the "Shock of Cologne.
Air-cooled 4-stroke, parallel 4-cylinder 1074cc, 111ps, dry weight 232kg
Catalog for the GSX750S released in Japan in 1982. A number of people changed the handlebars to those for 1100, which was illegal at the time and subject to a crackdown. This was what is commonly referred to as the Katana Hunt.
VanVan if you want to get on earth (VanVan Series)
The cute VanVan Series, with its ATV-like extra-thick tires and minimalist chassis, first appeared in August 1971.
Like Honda's Monkey and other models, it was a popular leisure motorcycle. Starting with a 90cc model, 50cc and 125cc models were released in 1972, followed by a 75cc version in 1973. Another modern version, the Bang Bang 200, debuted in 2002 (now out of print).
The catchphrase is bang bang if you want to get on the planet. Frankly, I don't know what it means (laughs), but it's magnificent! It looks like it could go anywhere on earth, just because the motorcycle's name comes from its ability to go bang bang anywhere.
The first-generation 90 had front and rear tires 170 mm wide, and other models were also voluminous, with rear wheels 170 mm in size. Equipped with an air pump inside the frame so that the air pressure could be adjusted according to the road surface, they were also useful for business use on golf courses, construction sites, and rural villages.
VanVan was developed as a new leisure motorcycle. Newly designed with small-diameter and extra-thick tires called rectangle tires. All motorcycles in the series were equipped with a manual, air-cooled, 2-stroke single-cylinder engine and were very powerful.
Love is a message. (LOVE)
What a motorcycle that superstar Michael Jackson appeared on in catalogs and commercials. It was the Love, a scooter released in 1982.
The Love was sent into the exploding scooter market following the full-fledged Gemma. Aimed at women and young people, it was a lightweight 50 cc model with a slim, fully covered, lightweight body and an automatic two-speed transmission, making it easy to drive.
The catchphrase is Love is a Message. It is a straightforward copy that is a play on the name of the motorcycle and Michael's character.
Michael was 23 years old at the time, just before Thriller became a mega-hit. Although he was very popular in the U.S., he was not yet that well known in Japan, and Love was his first appearance in a Japanese commercial. Nevertheless, the booming economy of the time can be felt.
There were two versions of the TV commercial. One version had Michael dancing on the roof of a mansion with Off the Wall as the background music, and the other version had him dancing with a beautiful woman with Don't Stop Tonight in the background. In both versions, Michael ends with "Love is my Message!
A young Michael appears on the cover of the catalog. This image was also used on the single disc of Don't Stop (original title Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough) for the Japanese version tonight. Love is equipped with an air-cooled, 2-stroke, single-cylinder
BORN IN TRACK（GSX-R）
The GSX-R is a 4-stroke 400cc racer replica that debuted in 1984, equipped with the coveted twin-lens headlight, half cowl, and Yoshimura's signature collective exhaust system.
At the time, Suzuki's GS1000R was taking the World Endurance Championship and Suzuka 8 Hours by storm, and the GSX-R looked exactly like an endurance racer. Riders were in an uproar.
The copy used in the catalog was "BORN IN TRACK. At a time when motorcycle enthusiasts were beginning to visit tracks in rodes, the fact that the GSX-R was a "direct race machine" was more appealing than anything else. It was a great copy that directly appealed to the character of the GSX-R.
The GSX-R featured an aluminum frame, the first in its class, and a liquid-cooled four-cylinder engine that was adopted early on. The GSX-R was the strongest in its class at 59 hp and weighed only 152 kg, and as its name implies, it was also strong in races such as the TT-F3, in which contestants competed on the basis of production vehicles.
Catalog of the first generation GSX-R. On the cover is a copy of POWER ENDURANCE. For old men, the GSX-R is also familiar as the motorcycle that Gunn and Hideyoshi raced in the Suzuka 4 Hours Endurance Race in "The Legend of Bali Bali" published by Kodansha Ltd.
The first GSX-R, introduced in 1984, was not labeled "400" in order to express its performance beyond its displacement. It was also the first model in the GSX-R series, which has continued to the present day. Liquid-cooled 4-stroke, in-line 4-cylinder 398cc, 59ps, dry weight 152kg
BACK TO TRACK（GSX-R750）
While the 400cc GSX-R was born on the track, the advanced model GSX-R750, which debuted the following year, adopted a copy of "Back to Track. Back to where it was born.
In fact, its power was overwhelming. At a time when a motorcycle weighing over 210 kg was the norm, Nanahan achieved an astonishing 179 kg with the first oil-cooled engine in a production motorcycle. In addition to winning three consecutive All-Japan TT-F1 championships, 750cc also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
It is also the originator of the lightweight, high-power big motorcycle, or "supersport," that is so popular today.
Catalog for the Japan version of the first GSX-R750. As the copy says, it was photographed at the Track Paul Ricard in France, which at the time hosted the 24 Hours of Bordeaux endurance and the World GP.
Catalog for the first GSX-R750 (domestic spec), introduced in 1985. The oil-cooled engine, inspired by fighter planes, was mounted on an aluminum frame.
The full power version has 100ps. Oil-cooled 4-stroke, in-line 4-cylinder 749cc 77ps, 179kg
