One of two special variants of the popular Suzuki A100 bike, the Suzuki ASS100 was designed in 1969 as a performance-oriented small motorcycle. The original Suzuki A100 was very basic commuter bike, under-powered but with enough performance for day-to-day riding. It was a major success around the globe and some Asian companies still produce near-exact copies of the Suzuki A100. Suzuki decided to ride the wave of the Suzuki A100’s popularity by adding some muscle to the basic design.
The Suzuki A100 came with an air-cooled two-stroke 98cc engine lubricated with their CCI automatic oil pump system. This rotary valve engine delivered smooth acceleration across the power band, delivering 9.3 hp at 7500 rpm. On a long road, riders could coax this 83kg motorcycle to speeds touching the magical 100 mph. For the Suzuki ASS 100, the same tried and tested motor was used, with some useful tinkering taking the horsepower all the way up to 10 hp at 8000 rpm!
Suzuki engineers also make a few cosmetic changes to the bike design, such as a smaller 6.5 litre tank (the A 100 had a 7 litre capacity). This brought the kerb weight down to 82 kgs. With more horsepower and lighter weight, the Suzuki ASS100 managed to touch 110 kmph, quite a feat for a 1970s Japanese motorcycle! It had a close twin in the Suzuki ACC100, which showed almost the same performance but a different styling.
The Suzuki ASS 100 shared the same 2.50 x 18 tires found on the base Suzuki A100 model. While these worked great on the commuter model, many owners found them too skinny for all that extra horsepower. Strangely, the similar ACC100 got a wider 2.75 X 18 rear tyre as factory standard. However, the skinnier tyres did give the Suzuki ASS100 a small advantage in fuel economy. Braking kit was standard for the 70s, with a small disc brake in front and drums for the rear.
The Suzuki ASS100 was quite an interesting motorcycle, adding a dash of fun to the 100cc category, which seemed dominated by dull commuter bikes. With the Suzuki ASS100, younger riders suddenly had an inexpensive moped-sized motorcycle that would deliver real thrills. While production only lasted two years, stopping in 1971, the Suzuki ASS100 has a strong fan base of owners and classic bike collectors. A carefully restored example still attracts a lot of attention at used bike sales and auctions. A trusted dealer can still find genuine spare parts for the ASS100, allowing this classic bike to prowl the streets one more time!
