For the 2026 model year, Suzuki has picked yet another new colorway from the ancient tree of Bold New Graphics. A combination of white and blue paint, like what is found on the latest model GSX-8R, is available for 2026, along with a black and red variation. The Special Edition Hayabusa will also be available for 2026 in Pearl Vigor Blue livery and features the unmistakable kanji symbol on the fairing. It will, however, set you back $20,129.
According to a report on Visordown, color is not the only thing that’s new about the Hayabusa for MY26. The Japanese manufacturer has also confirmed a few technical updates, to include selectable throttle maps to increase torque at lower RPMs, an updated cruise control system (which Suzuki says will “remain active during gear shifts”), a refined launch control program, along with an Akrapovic exhaust system that’ll set you back roughly $2600.
But is this what motorcyclists really want? Fresh colors and a fancy exhaust system? Or is it time for Suzuki to rethink what the Hayabusa is, entirely?
I remember a time when the battle of big horsepower bikes was the cover feature on most of the motorcycle publications I subscribed to. A duel between the Japanese OEMs for top speed superiority and how much horsepower they could squeeze out of a DOHC 1300cc or 1400cc in-line four-cylinder motor. My father would pick up a copy of the latest Cycle World at the supermarket (remember when they sold motorcycle magazines at the supermarket?!) and hurriedly flip to the ZX-14R vs Hayabusa shootout story to see which one made more HPs before the cashier totaled up his goods.
There was a ceiling, though.
You can only squeeze so much horsepower out of a naturally aspirated motor of that size and still ride the damn thing on the street. So, Kawasaki supercharged something and offered us the insane Ninja H2. That was it, right? 240hp in a 529 lb package (300hp if you opted for the track-only iteration) is bonkers, for lack of a better phrase. But the market demanded more, so Kawasaki recently unveiled a limited production Ninja H2R that makes 322hp and retails for $62,100 (!).
All this time, though, the Hayabusa has essentially stayed the same. Powered by a 1340cc, four-cylinder, DOHC engine making 190hp tucked into a twin-spar aluminum frame, the ‘Busa is evergreen, a machine that doesn’t change because it doesn’t need to. The kanji symbol on the side of the Hayabusa translates to "peregrine falcon,” a symbol associated with qualities like "strong” and “fast," but I would have guessed it meant “Going Nowhere, Fast.”
The thing is, the ‘Busa, at one point, was the wet dream of an entire generation of motorcycle enthusiasts. 200hp was a benchmark that many didn’t think could be reached, and the battle to get there was one for the ages. But those days are behind us. Liter bikes do that nowadays! The 2026 Suzuki GSX-R1000R, for example, makes a claimed 192hp, while the Team Green iteration, the 2026 Kawasaki ZX-10 R is slated to make more than 200hp when it becomes available in the spring.
So, where does that leave the Hayabusa?
I recently wrote about my love for sport-touring motorcycles. On a quick trip to Albuquerque, I found myself fawning over the comfort, convenience and sportiness of the Versys 1100 SE LT. Suzuki makes one, too, the 2026 GSX-S1000GT+, which offers riders north of 150hp in an upright, travel-ready package. That’s plenty of horsepower, but if you’re itching for more, the GSX-R and Ninja platforms have you covered. The ‘Busa, though, fills a space between these two things, a space that I think it’s time we move on from. Gone are the days of big bike, big horsepower cover page shootouts, replaced by highly tuned, force induction two-wheel missiles and high-strung liter bikes making more horsepower than my grocery shopping father could have ever imagined possible.
The 2026 Hayabusa is a throwback to a golden age in motorcycling, but perhaps it’s time Suzuki put that ‘Busa energy into producing things that people actually want to ride nowadays?
