In the days of the CB series, my first street bike was it!

In the most competitive 400cc class of the 1990s, all four families had different flagship models, while Suzuki, with its unique model lineup, had the Bandit series and the Katana series, both of which we are familiar with.

At that time, the trend of street cars in Japan was already at its peak, however, when there were already two successful series of models, Suzuki also launched a street car that might not be as well-known as them - Impulse "Stimulus" 400, although the design was more conservative compared to the other two series, but it did not affect in any way the "Stimulus" was also popular at that time, and the sales were so many that there were many water cars in China's coastal cities in that era. I grew up living in Hailufeng, in that CB rampant era also chose my first street car - Suzuki "stimulus", it has what kind of appeal?

当年也骑着它摩旅初探，这张拍摄于广东惠州巽寮湾的海边照片至今还保留在我的相册。

I rode it for the first time on a motorcycle trip back then, and this photo of the beach in Xunliao Bay, Huizhou, Guangdong, is still in my photo album.

Even though it was once discontinued under strong demand, it has been revived.

In the much-anticipated 400cc class, the Suzuki "Stimulus" appeared in 1986, but was soon discontinued. In 1989, Suzuki launched the Bandit series, with a single shock and a split handlebar, making the Bandit more sporty and thus more like a racing bike.

In order to compete with traditional street bikes, Suzuki reintroduced the GSX400 Impulse in 1994 as a new model, sharing the same name as the 1986 model, but completely different except for the name.

Suzuki Bandit 400

Rebirth of GSX IMPULSE "Thrill" 400 (1994)

The engine is taken from the 1992 Katana "knife" 400, water-cooled 4-stroke DOHC 4-valve parallel 4-cylinder engine, with a displacement of 399cc, a double-cradle frame, small butterfly-type directional handlebars, thick saddle, mid-pedal, forming an upright driving position, although the appearance is quite modest, but the performance can make people shine.

This is my first 400cc street car, the original exhaust sound is gentle and thick in my memory.

When riding this car, the feeling is very natural, the car is very quiet after starting the engine, and when driving at low speed, the driving feeling is completely different from that of the "Bandit", which is obviously more gentle. When twisting the throttle, there is no instantaneous feeling of popping out, but gentle acceleration, very smooth, because the Suzuki "stimulus" engine tuning using the long stroke settings, at low RPM, there will be better torque response, strong power characteristics, and at high speed engine output is also very smooth.

When I was young and wild, I did not have to accompany me to play in the mountains, this photo was taken in Guangdong Shanwei windmill island, which year is not clear.

Although the car weighs 174KG, it was effortless for me, who was a skinny guy at the time, to drive it, and the performance in the corners is also more flexible, because the body design and suspension tuning, the whole car's center of gravity is very suitable, you can easily change the center of gravity by twisting the waist when cornering, and other car models have a different experience in the corners. That's why I often drive it on mountain roads, and it lives up to its positioning: a street car with excellent overall balance.

Back then, they and their friends also refurbished the wheel color change and put it on display in the car store

The last glory

After the Yoshimura version of the flower model was launched in June 1996 with minor changes in 1999, Suzuki decided to discontinue production again.

1996 Model

However, in 2004, the GSX400 "Thrill" was revived. The basic mechanism such as the frame and engine of the Katana 400 was inherited, but the exterior design, which at first glance seemed unchanged, was in fact refined in every part, and the engine was slightly improved to improve environmental performance.

The resurrected 2004 "Thrill"

In addition, the front brakes feature a Brembo braking system, the same as the final model of the previous generation, but with opposed 4-piston calipers. The exhaust is also a separate aluminum silencer, and each component has been improved to enhance sportiness and perfection.

No major changes in appearance compared to the old model

In 2008, the name of the car was finally changed to Impulse 400, with gold wheels and the first generation GSX400FS Impulse using a combination of black and red Yoshimura color scheme, as a limited edition of only 300 units on sale, thus, Suzuki "exciting" quarter century of history has ended, leaving a piece of Sigh.