Has the death of the sports bike been exaggerated? Toshihiro Suzuki, President of Suzuki Motor Corporation, has hinted that the EICMA show in November 2025 could see a significant sports bike launch for the company.

Speaking to Motorcycle News in late December 2024, he said: “We cannot tell you the detail, but we think it’s important to bring supersport motorcycles to the market, adapting to the new regulations…We think it’s important, because it’s Suzuki’s heritage.” The reference to ‘heritage’ is significant, because it could signal the return of a four-cylinder GSX-R – Suzuki’s current sports bike offerings are limited to the single-cylinder GSX-R 125 and GSX-8R parallel-twin.

The GSX-R fours were iconic models for Suzuki in the past, allowing it to own the sports bike class at certain times. But the GSX-R600 and 750 were withdrawn from Europe in the face of Euro5 emissions regulations, with the GSX-R1000 following in 2022. With sales of adventure and naked bikes booming, the decline of the sports bike appeared to be a long-term trend.

But now the supersport class (as opposed to the litre-plus superbikes) certainly seems to be having a mini-revival, with Honda’s CBR600RR and the Kawasaki ZX-6R returning to Europe in 2024 and several new entrants coming this year.

At the BMF, Jim Freeman welcomed this potential return of a landmark sports bike. “Now they just have to re-introduce RGVs, only kidding. Gixxer fans will be ecstatic, make the most of it, before they bring out the all-electric versions.”

Written by Peter Henshaw

Top image courtesy of Suzuki