Suzuki's 100th birthday present is a limited edition sports bike

Suzuki is 100 years old. Hurrah! And this is its birthday present to itself. Not a Swift with some token stickers on it, but a riotous sports bike with 200bhp. And a price tag that’s equivalent to a Swift with stickers on it…

This is the GSX-R1000R Limited Edition, priced at £16,999 – a mere £400 more than its base bike – and sporting a livery that apes Suzuki’s current Moto GP contender, the GSX-RR. Only in the world of two wheels can such a look be carried off so classily. Imagine covering your Mercedes C63 in the same livery as Lewis Hamilton’s F1 car…

As well as its motorsport styling, it comes with a wealth of tech, including a ten-stage traction control system, launch control, a gearbox with quick-shifting and auto-blipping and ABS that reacts with the lean angle of the bike.

Also, for those at the back still pondering Suzuki being nearly as old as Morgan: its first cars and bikes didn’t come along until the 1950s, but 2020 marks 100 years since the founding of Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Co. Something of a caveat, but if it excuses us eating cake (and bestows us with a glorious sports bike) we’re all in.

My life in cars: Suzuki Moto GP rider Álex Rins