Many people wonder what the symbol is on the side of the Hayabusa bike. This symbol is called the Kanji. The symbol means hayato or hayabusa meaning approximating to strong and fast.
The name comes from a Peregrine falcon that can travel about 300km per hour in a dive. The designer of the bike came up with the name while walking on a beach and seeing this majestic bird. Some say this is why the front of the bike looks like a falcon.
The Hayabusa name has been used on many other Japanese items. For example a WWII Japanese aircraft, a Japanese space probe and a very fast Japanese train was also called Hayabusa.
The Hayabusa was launched in 1999 and the rest is history.
