New patents filed in the US reveal the most detail yet of what’s likely to be the showroom-ready descendant of the 2013 Recursion concept bike.
It’s a story that’s been played out through patent filings since the Recursion appeared as the star of the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, and in the latest ones we see a bike that still resembles the Recursion in its profile, but which has otherwise developed beyond recognition.
It still has a parallel twin, but it’s not the original Recursion engine. Instead the latest patents show a bike built around the more production-ready XE7 turbo engine, which was shown separately at the 2015 Tokyo show. Unlike the original motor, it’s a DOHC design with its intercooler and intake plenum mounted above the cylinder head, slotting into the space that would be taken up by an airbox if it was a conventional engine.
The alloy frame is gone, replaced by a steel trellis. That’s a logical design step because the trellis makes it much easier to route the turbo engine’s pipework and cooling hoses; Kawasaki took a similar route with the H2 for the same reason.
While Suzuki was open about the Recursion’s performance claims, it has never revealed details of the XE7 engine. It appears about the same size – 600cc or thereabouts – but the DOHC head suggests it’s tuned for more power and revs than the original Recursion.
With superbikes getting ever more powerful and 600cc four-cylinder supersports machines starting to disappear from the market, there’s a clear gap in the range for a sportsbike with something near 100kW. Unlike an equally powerful naturally aspirated four, the turbo Suzuki would have enough torque to shame a 1000cc machine, spread widely across the rev range.
In terms of its final appearance, the bike is likely to share some cues from the Recursion, but don’t expect it to have the exact silhouette shown in the latest patents. A pillion seat is likely to be added, and the Recursion’s single-sided swingarm might fall by the wayside if Suzuki wants to keep costs down.
Given that the Recursion appeared at the 2013 Tokyo show and the XE7 engine was revealed at the following biennial event in 2015, it seems likely Suzuki will have some big turbocharged news at the 2017 show in October.
RECAP
The original Recursion was powered by a 588cc parallel twin, with a single overhead camshaft and a turbo blowing through an under-seat intercooler. Power was stated as a neat 75kW while torque was an astounding and equally neat 100Nm at just 4500rpm. The motor sat in an alloy beam frame wrapped in retro-modern, café racer-inspired styling.
By Ben Purvis
