The Hayabusa has been burning up roadways for a quarter century and has become a sportbike icon. Speed comes easy for the Busa, so whether your destination is the end of a dragstrip or another state, it can get there quicker than almost anything else on wheels. (Photos by Kevin Wing and courtesy Suzuki.)

There are countless excellent motorcycles in the world, but there are just a few veritable icons. Of all the Japanese bikes launched in the last 25 years, the Suzuki Hayabusa is perhaps most worthy of icon status. 

The Hayabusa is globally renowned for major-league power, seen here in its third generation.

The sportbike paradigm shifted in 1999 when Suzuki introduced the GSX1300R Hayabusa. It had the most powerful engine in a production motorcycle and aerodynamic bodywork that looked like nothing else on the road. 
The Suzuki Hayabusa celebrates 25 years with a special-edition 25th Anniversary Edition model.

For a quarter century, the Hayabusa has defined what an ultra-fast motorcycle should be. More than 200,000 Busas have found their way into the hands of speed-addled enthusiasts, from lightning-quick dragracers to sport-touring mavens who strap on luggage and blaze highways at blurring speeds. 

Fast Design | Suzuki Hayabusa

There?s always been a need for speed, and velocities ramped up in 1990 with the introduction of Kawasaki?s ZX-11, which could exceed 170 mph. Honda retaliated in 1996 with its CBR1100XX Super Blackbird, which could hi...