PerversePolisher's GSX-R 1000 k2

OK, OK, I'll be the first to admit that this bike is definitely NOT an OldSkoolSUZUKI. However, as the majority of this site is about modifying your bike, I figured that I'd show how a series of events can turn a relatively standard bike into a fire-breathing beastie.

I bought this bike from Robinsons Suzuki in Canterbury after trading in the worst bike I'd ever had the displeasure to own, a Triumph 955i Centennial edition. I knew that the previous owner had been in some sort of minor bike-tarmac interface as there were the usual signs - non-standard bolts, unfinished painting to the tail-piece, odd number plate bracket, etc. In fact, it looked to me like someone had flipped the bike whilst pulling a wheelie. This didn't dissuade me in any way as the repair looked to be of good quality, even if a little unfinished.
What an animal this bike was.... this wasn't a motorcycle, it's a unicycle! Every ride was a series of wheelies, corners and more wheelies.

Then came that fateful day, when I spotted a mis-spelt item on ebay, a Muzzys Nitrous kit. I had to have it, and I was the only peson who had a bid (I love people who can't spell, especially on ebay!!). The kit turned up and it dawned on me that I didn't have a clue as to how this kit was going to work. One phone call to DynoSpeed Developments in Chigwell, and I was informed that the Muzzy kit comes without the control box, which I would need to fire the gas in successfully. After a few more conversations with Grumpy (ex-owner of the fastest Bandit 1200 ever - as featured in Streetfighters Magazine) I was convinced that I should let him fit the kit and set it up. I also got hold of a Power Commander III to give the engine the extra fuel it would need when running Nitrous.

A few days later, I got a call from Paul (Grumpy) to say that the PCIII was not providing enough fuel for my engine. He said the best sulotion was to get hold of a Power Commander IIIR and with this mated to a Bradley o'Conner Nitrous Controller the fuelling would be sorted.

Sorted, was not the word, my GSXR1000 was making 149bhp on DSD's Dyno without the gas and the fuelling sorted. With the larger nitrous jets fitted the first dyno run was hilarious as the gas kicked in and the front wheel went airborne on the dyno! New tie-down straps everywhere to hold the bike down and another run was attempted. This time the gas kicked in and shot up to 193bhp.

However, this sounds good, but as the nitrous wasn't progressive the kick of the gas coming in as hard as it did would flip the bike without a doubt. Paul suggested using the smaller jets, which gave a much better spread of power, although nowhere near as much as that first run, the bike was now making 174bhp and much less likely to flip.

The nitrous has been set up so that once the system is armed it will only come in when the bike reaches full throttle in third gear or above. This means that there is no need to take a thumb off of the bars to fire the gas into the airbox.

Unfortunately, the inevitable happened one day whilst out having a bit of stunt riding practice with Wingnut. Going for a stand-up wheelie, I launched the wheelie in my usual way, but I felt a slight twitch from the rear wheel just a split second before the front lifted much higher than expected. As the number-plate, tail and exhaust hit the ground I got thrown off the bike and left sliding down the road watching my beloved GSXR somersaulting in front of me.

Click here to see the video clip AVI format 3.4Mb
Click here to see the video clip Mpeg format 5.8Mb

The bike was a mess, most distressing was the fact that I couldn't sit down for a week.

I was able to laugh it off, especially as I decided it was my own fault, and I'm fairly sure I hit a patch of diesel in the road (which Wingnut had pointed out earlier in the day). When I was able to inspect the damage, I found that at the very least I'd need a new rear wheel and a new subframe. I had a complete spare set of bodywork as I was already thinking of making some changes to the bike, I'd just have to bring my plans forward a little now.

Unfortunatley, I also discovered that the bottom yoke was damaged (by the steering damper - a common weakpoint on these bikes) as was the top-fairing mounting frame. I already had a spare swingarm which was already being worked on (although the swingarm wasn't damaged anyway).

So the rebuild has begun with the majority of parts being supplied by that faithfull friend - Ebay! New wheels have been fitted and the subframe stripped, ready to rebuild project GSXR1000