The 2020 Suzuki Katana is a modern interpretation of the original 1981 GSX1100S Katana, with edgier lines and built on the GSX-S1000 platform. (Photography courtesy Suzuki)

Among the many memorable motorcycles created by German industrial stylist Hans Muth, two became icons of the late 20th century. They?re iconic not only for their timeless style but also for changing the direction of motorcycle design as well as the direction of the companies that produced them. The first, in 1974, was the café racer-styled BMW R90S–with its bikini fairing, silver-into-black ?smoke? paint job and hot-rodded engine, it single-handedly transformed BMW?s conservative image and went on to win the first AMA superbike championship in 1976. The second, in 1981, was the Suzuki GSX1100S Katana–a superbike with integrated, ergonomic- and aerodynamic-driven bodywork that revolutionized motorcycle aesthetics.
The original Muth-designed 1981 Suzuki GSX1100S Katana, on display at Suzuki’s museum in Hamamatsu, Japan.

The R90S was an internal BMW project pushed through by then-executive VP Bob Lutz, who credits the bike for saving the company?s motorcycle division from insolvency. A commission from Suzuki to develop a new, provocative design language for its motorcycles motivated Muth and two other designers–Hans-Georg Kasten and Jan Fellstrom–to leave BMW and start their own firm, Target Design. Based on earlier design studies, they developed a concept that wrap...