Please briefly tell us about yourself and your position in the project.
During the 1990’s, Eiji Sasaki competed in the Suzuka 8 hours endurance races.
I joined Suzuki in 1987 and have been responsible for our large capacity engines since 2002.
I have worked on engine development for the SV650, GSX-R600, GSX-R1000 etc. Our team is also working on refining the engine character of the V-Strom 1000.
My private motorcycle life started with a Hustler 50. I participated in road racing aboard a RGV250Γ and a GSX-R750. Now I enjoy touring on a Bandit 1200S ABS.
What are the team’s main tasks during engine development?
In our engine design department, tasks are separated between a design drawing team and an experimental team; I am engaged in the latter one. In plain words, my task is to develop the engine character and specifications through testing and experimentation.
Based on the proposed target performance, we design the power and torque curves, and then determine the design specifications to achieve this. After building a prototype engine, we propose further design improvements based on our test data.
We also conduct engine durability testing on a test bench.
Engine bench test
