January/February 2009
Doug Mitchel
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1967 Suzuki X-6 Hustler
Doug Mitchel
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Years made: 1965-1968
Claimed power: 29hp @ 7,500rpm
Top speed: 100mph (period test)
Engine type: 247cc, 2-stroke, air-cooled parallel twin
Weight: 134.7kg (297lbs)
Price then: $650 (approx.)
Price now: $1,500-$3,500
MPG: 45-50mpg (est.)
When Suzuki first hit the U.S. market in 1963, it was just another link in a growing chain of new — and often forgettable — companies from the Land of the Rising Sun. Three years later we got the Hustler, and Suzuki got remembered.
Suzuki chose three models to headline its 1963 U.S. lineup; the S31, powered by a 124cc 2-stroke twin, and the S250 Colleda (a transcription of “Kore-da” or “that one”) and TC250 El Camino, both powered by a 248cc 2-stroke twin. Like Honda and other Japanese manufacturers, Suzuki hoped to cash in on U.S. riders seeking a smaller, simpler machine than the booming twins coming from Milwaukee or Great Britain at the time.
1964 saw those models phased out in favor of a new trio consisting of a 50cc single, an 80cc single and a new 246cc twin, the T10. More new models were announced in 1965, including the highly anticipated T20 X-6 Hustler, although it would be 1966 before the new model finally hit U.S. showrooms.
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New frame, new engine
The X-6 made quite a splash when it hit dealers’ floors. With the T10 from 1964 leading the way, the X-6 set new standards for style in the rapidly expanding field of mid-size bikes from Japan. A 247cc, 2-cylinder engine was bolted to a tubular, duplex frame, a first for Suzuki. All previous Suzuki models had used a pressed-steel frame, making the steel tube frame of the X-6 a step in the right direction.
Suzuki tapped Masanao Shimizu to create the X-6’s engine. Masanao, previously in charge of Suzuki’s racing program, had already earned an enviable set of records under the Suzuki banner and quickly turned his talents to the design of the X-6 engine.
The parallel twin Masanao designed was a 2-stroke, as were all Suzuki engines until 1977. A major advancement was the engine’s Posi-Force automatic lubrication system, which freed owners from having to keep a can of 2-stroke oil in their tool bag. As long as the separate oil tank was full, the Posi-Force system did the rest, increasing reliability and ease of use immensely.
Made of aluminum alloy for lightness and strength, the X-6’s 247cc parallel twin was rated at 29 horsepower at 7,500rpm, which was, for the day, a fairly significant figure. Only three years prior to the release of the street legal X-6, the Suzuki factory race bikes were only achieving 28 horsepower at 11,000rpm.
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