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Profile: Suzuki Falcorustyco concept bike
by Guy ‘Guido’ Allen, Feb 2021
It was all about 2WD, out-there tech and high eighties style
Remember back to 1985 if you can. Suzuki had just launched its iconic GSX-R750, to be followed a year later by the 1100. By 1987, the sensational RGV250 series was to emerge.
In among all this excitement it fronted the 1985 Tokyo Motor Show with this, the Falcorustyco. This, according to the company, might have seemed like an out-there concept machine, but the technology existed to put it in production.
Both exciting and controversial were the hydraulic drive power units in the wheel hubs. That's right, two-wheel drive, with a version of powered hub-centre steering. Braking was electro-magnetic and the suspension was also controlled electronically.
It was unclear exactly what the engine was, other than a four-stroke inline four.
While it was theoretically possible to put the design into production, it would have been hugely expensive to test, validate and produce, while it's likely the market would have run away in droves. Still, it gave us all something to chew over.
The 2x2 theme has popped up in many forms across the decades, such as with the Rokon Trail Breaker, using chain-drive at both ends, since around 1960 (you can still buy one).
Australian engineer Ian Drysdale went a whole lot further with the fascinating Dryvtech 2x2x2 circa 1990, which featured hydraulic drive and two-wheel steering. It never got to production stage.
From circa 2004, Yamaha had a go with a neat-looking low volume unit called the 2-Trac, initially attached to a WR450 and the drive system marketed via Ohlins. There have of course been other attempts over the years which, despite some widely recognised advantages when it comes to grip, have failed to inspire the market.
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