Suzuki B-King 1300

Suzuki first introduced the B-king as a concept bike in 2001 at the Tokyo Motor Show. In it's original form, the B-King sported a Hayabusa 1300 engine equipped with a supercharger. At that time the Hayabusa engine produced 175 bhp. Brake Horse Power is the HP at the crank prior to loss that would come from the gearbox, exhaust etc. With the addition of the supercharger the engine muscled up an enormous 240 bhp. Some of the materials used in construction of the B-King were carbon fiber, stainless steel, aluminum and leather.

The rear tire was a whopping 240mm wide. The B-King had an alarm system with on board audio so that the owner could contact the bike via cell phone and be heard over the audio system. I'm not sure at that point what use this would be other then to beg the thief not to take it or if he did, to treat it right.
In 2007 Suzuki introduces the B-King to the world as their new production muscle bike. Over the years the B-king had a few changes. The original 1300 supercharged Hayabusa engine was replaced with the 2008 Hayabusa 1340cc engine. The engine was not left untouched. Suzuki changed the valve dimensions, intake and exhaust dropping the Horsepower at the wheel by 9.4 hp. Torque was reduced by 6 ft. L

bs. as well. In the grand scheme of things these reductions are minor as the power plant still generates enormous toque and hp at the rear wheel. On the road, torque is king. The B-King produces approximately 70 ft. Lbs. of torque @ 2,500 RPM. This low end torque reduces the need for shifting and provides for quicker times off the line.
Suzuki went way over the top with the bold futuristic design of the B-King. The body style and colors are very polarizing. This is evident if you stand around any show room or cycle show long enough to listen to people's reactions or read the forums for that matter. Bottom line is that people either like the bold style or they hate it. I personally like it and found that the all black model seemed to draw me in.
 

Brakes - Suzuki gave the B-King Radial mount front brake calipers which feature an all new design built specifically for the B-King and work with 310mm brake rotors to provide superior braking performance. On the rear a lightweight single piston brake caliper works with a 260mm rear disc. The front brake master cylinder has its own reservoir tank as well as the clutch master cylinder. Both of these components were designed specifically for the the B-King.

Chassis - The B-King got an all new twin-spar cast aluminum alloy frame that provides optimum rigidity balance and superb handling. The swing arm is newly made of cast aluminum alloy constructed of 3 main sections for minimal welding lines and a clean overall look. The front forks are new as well. The KYB inverted front forks are specifically designed for the B-King and are fully adjustable for compression, rebound damping and spring preload to suit rider preferences. As for the rear suspension, it's new aluminum alloy rear shock absorber features three-way adjustability with excellent damping characteristics of Suzuki's super sport models. One really nice feature is the standard steering dampener that sucks up any energy from the road and provides added stability.
 

Instruments - Suzuki gave the B-King an all new instrument cluster with an analog tachometer, digital speedometer, fuel gauge, water temperature gauge, twin trip meters, clock, maintenance interval, running time, average speed, gear position indicator, and a S-DMS mode indicator. The S-DMS mode switch allows the rider to select A or B mode. Each mode provides a different fuel and ignition mapping. A mode is the full mode and the default. B mode limits the Hp to approximately 114 Hp. This would be used in a wet pavement situation. As for the instrument cluster, it's one of the nicest gauge cluster's I have come across.

Ergonomics' - The rider position is closer to upright with a slight lean into the bars. The rider position is similar to that of a sport touring bike. The pegs are a bit high for a rider with a 32" + inseam but still comfortable. The bike is beautifully balanced. The B-King weighs in at 518 lbs. but feels as if it weighs much less. The bike is very easy to maneuver at low speeds and feels like it's riding on rails in the turns. The wide cowls on each side of the tank actually play a positive role in reducing wind on the riders lower extremities. In fact, the wind felt on the rider is from the mid chest up.