The French are out in full force this week, with a Katana from Lucky Cat Garage and an R nineT from Le Motographe. Big news from the OEMs too, with the new Harley-Davidson Sportster S and Zero FXE both breaking cover.

Suzuki Katana by Lucky Cat Garage Suzuki’s new generation Katana is a visual smash hit?a modern retro that recalls the past, but stands on its own merits too. If we had to customize it, we’d leave its bones alone and focus on subtle tweaks to add an air of exclusivity to it. That’s what Lucky Cat Garage has done here, and it’s magnifique.

Lucky Cat is run by Séb Lorentz, who started the popular Sultans of Sprint race series, and his partner Laurence Chatokhine. Lucky Cat built the bike in collaboration with Suzuki France and Royal Vintage?a platform that partners with custom shops and trades in classic and custom motorcycles. They’ll be offering a limited series of 10 Katanas just like this one. ?The idea was to sharpen the Japanese sword with a much more sporty, exclusive and elegant version,? says Séb, ?as an homage to Japanese art, culture and craftsmanship.?

The main custom piece is the redesigned carbon fiber tail section. It’s sporting an Alcantara seat, and an engraved platinum insert that also carries each bike’s series number. There’s a carbon fiber blank-off plate underneath, an LED taillight embedded in the back, and the seat pops off using the stock seat latch.
There’s another platinum...