The Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle is named after which bird?

The Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle is named after the peregrine falcon.

“Hayabusa” is the Japanese word for peregrine falcon. Suzuki chose the name partly because the bird is exceptionally fast and because it preys on smaller birds, a symbolic reference to the motorcycle’s aim of challenging Honda’s CBR1100XX Super Blackbird.

Suzuki introduced the Hayabusa, also known as the GSX1300R, in 1999. Its aerodynamic bodywork and large-displacement inline-four engine made it one of the defining high-speed sport motorcycles of its generation.

The name is sometimes mistakenly translated as “hawk” in a general sense, but the specific bird is the peregrine falcon. The model’s first-generation styling was distinctive, with smooth, bulbous bodywork designed to reduce aerodynamic drag at very high speeds.