Mike Tabb's Nasty Slabby

When I got the gixer, it was in a very sad state. The loom had caught fire, the forks were shot, it had r1 front calipers held in place by two 1" thick adapter plates that had been hacksawed out and an angle grinder used to remove the required amount of metal to line the calipers with the discs.
A s you can imagine the calipers were binding a bit to say the least. In fact the bike would hardly roll. It had also had the rear subframe cut off at four different lengths. This wasn't a big deal to me as anybody who knows me knows, I like too build my fighters with stumpy/kicked up back ends so the subframe would have to go anyway (see my other bike pics). The list of codges/damage goes on, but any way we hammered out a deal and then the work began.
First up I cut off the remaining subframe and made a new short one (big thanks too Paul Clayton and Paul Woolman for ally welding).
I started to work on the bodykit by cutting and shutting the petrol tank and adding a couple of edges and curves.
I also designed the VMax/B-King-esque side scoops and I fabricated the real petrol tank.
I then started on the seat unit again sticking with the lot of edges theme. Once I'd put them both on the bike I decided that making them into a one piece body kit would be much nicer so I bonded them together and took a mould of it.
After laying up the new one piece I turned my attention to the scoops.
I thought carbon would look cool so again took a mould of both and layed up the new ones in carbon.
Then I turned to the front mud guard. I had a TL one laying about so I got out the filler and sculptured a one-off design.
Again I took a mould and layed up a new one (there's a bit of a pattern forming here dont you think).
Next up the front fairing and bellypan. Yes you've guessed it... I made the patterns, took moulds and layed up new ones in carbonfibre.
Now all this might fit into a couple of sentences but believe me, this took about three months of late nights after work.

Next I decided an under seat exhaust was called for and a mate had some spare stainless steel down pipes off a ZX-9 lying about so I blagged them.
I cut them up and fabricated a 4-2-1-2-1 system.
Next up I needed some decent running gear so a TL front-end was fitted by turning down the stem (thanks Terry/Steve).
The back wheel I believe is a Bandit 12 item.
I then made a wiring loom from scratch as the original one had melted.
This was the first chance to see if the motor was any good.
As luck would have it, it turned out to be a good one. -phew!-
A few more smaller jobs (battery box etc.) and it was pulled down for painting and coating.

Now I happen to work with Keith AKA NastyPaint so after constantly annoying him for a few weeks he finaly gave in and agreed to do me another paintjob.
He had previously painted my spondon and done a mighty fine job of it too so I knew he would do me proud. I asked him if he had any ideas about a theme or color and he told me it had to be silver as it resembled a robot. Infact he named it the tabbernator after my surname.
I liked the sound off that so I left him to his own devices and as you can see he delivered the goods once again.

Meanwhile I had the wheels powdercoated in pearl red, and almost every thing else in satin black. I painted the motor in nissan silver and two-pack laquer. Bought braided lines, dyna coils etc. etc. and started the re-assembly.

Well as you can see I've just finished it and its come out pretty good.
Not a big money bike but still turns heads everwhere.
It needs rejetting to suit the pipe and filters but apart from that I cant fault it.

Well thats about it. Hope you like it.

Cheers, Mike Tabb.