Bomboogie Suzuki GSX1100

Last time we touched base with the Pozzato brothers at Officine GP Design, we were drooling over their incredible custom MV Augusta Brutale 'Pathos', today our salivary ducts are at it again. After being engaged by Italian lifestyle and fashion brand Bomboogie the brothers have just completed their latest build using Suzuki's 110+ horsepower GSX1100 as a donor. If burning rubber around town, digging up front lawns, rocketing through rain filled drains and green light wheelies are your thing the Bomboogie might just be the perfect bike for you.

"Bomboogie is the name of an American B17 used by the pilots of USA Air Force during World War II. The plane took off, the last time in 1944 disappearing mysteriously..." 

To give the Suzuki a clear connection to the Bomboogie brand Luca and Fabio of Officine GP started the build by studying the companies clothing range. After selecting common finishes and patterns from the Bomboogie range they then looked at ways to integrate those elements into the bike. The seat is where this is most prominent with the adaptation of the Bomboogie signature camo print covering the panels and bum stop. The Bomboogie logo was also integrated into the design by laser cutting it into the side panels; and for an extra touch of cool each one is backlit.

The style of the build was defined by Bomboogie's utilitarian approach to functional, urban wear. The brothers translated this ethos into a Street Tracker style designed to maximise the bikes practicality for a rider who spends their time commuting the city during the week and venturing out into the wilderness when the opportunity presents itself.

To get the bike performing as a Street Tracker should the GSX had to first shed some serious weight. Everything was either trimmed, trashed or swapped out for lighter weight components. Chunky dual purpose rubber was selected for great traction on and off the asphalt and custom wheels from Kineo replace the original rims. Suspension has been upgraded using Marzocchi inverted forks and Matris adjustable gas shocks. Brembo calipers were selected for some improved stopping power and for a bit of extra bite (and bark) a custom twin exhaust with funky louvered fins on the mufflers was bolted in place.

All of the bikes 1983 electrical components were thrown in the bin to make way for a full LED system and the power is managed by a lithium battery that's been tucked away in the rear cowl out of sight. As is customary with Officine GP builds the Bomboogie also features a handful of top of the line components from Rizoma including the footrests, brake levers, knobs and mirror. 

OFFICINE GP DESIGN     |     BOMBOOGIE

first appeared in www.returnofthecaferacers.com/

Silver Bullit No. 16 Suzuki GSX

"I have always admired the massive, sculptural quality of the oil-cooled Suzuki engines, whether in their 750, 1100 or other formats. I acquired this bike in June 2013 from the modified and collector Suzuki GSX specialist in the Paris area, KMP. This KMP Suzuki GSXR thus became the 16th machine I have owned at various points in time, hence the number 16 in the title" David Cobbold. 

 

 

Main specs: 1990 GSX-R 1100. Engine bored to 1340cc. Yoshimura camshafts. Vance and Hines crank-case covers. Hindle aluminium exhaust and twin silencers. Suzuki Bandit 1200 carburetors. Ducati 1000 wheels and discs. Front brake: billet calipers and a Nissin master-cylinder. Rear brake: Brembo. Metzeler tires. Reinforced Formula swinging arm. Fournalès rear shock. MotoGadget Chronoclassic.Fibre-glass tank with transparent slot.

 

first appeared in inazumacafe.blogspot.it

THE BOUNDARIES – SUZUKI THUNDER 250 ’00

Specifications :

• Body Custom by STUDIO MOTOR Custom Werkz
• Painting & Airbrush by KOMET Studio
• Shock Depan Teleskopik 41 mm
• Velg TK Japan 18X2.50 Inch & 18X3.00 Inch
• Ban Coker Diamond Thread 4.00-18 & 4.50-18
• Shock Belakang YSS
• Rantai TK Japan
• Filter Udara TDR
• Footstep NUI Project
• Lamp Depan & Belakang Aftermarket
• Exhaust System by Flash Muffler Custom

Has the Turbo Finally Arrived?

Ah, the Awesome 80s.  Bold graphics and hair gel.  Pop rocks and Smurfs.  Tip O’Neill drinking a Bud Dry in a DeLorean.  What you may not remember is a slew of short-lived production turbocharged motorcycles.  In the days when the modern superbike was taking shape, the Big 4 put out a handful of turbos – the SDI of the horsepower arms race.  These were the Honda CX500 Turbo, the Suzuki XN85, the Yamaha XJ650 Seca Turbo, and the Kawasaki GPz 750 Turbo.

We may have forgotten these quixotic oddities, but Suzuki hasn’t, and at the recent Tokyo Motor Show, they unveiled the Recursion, a new concept turbocharged bike with a name that acknowledges that there’s some history there and styling with retro-modern elegance.  Given the success record of those 80s two-wheeled New Cokes, what will be different this time?  Why didn’t it work before, and has the time for turbo production bikes finally arrived?

Suzuki Recursion Turbo

First of all, with the exception of the XN85, the 80s turbos were klugey add-ons to existing platforms.  The CX500 was already a little wiggy to begin with.  Retrofitting a turbo will increase the output numbers, but doesn’t always create an ideal performance profile.  For the added money and complexity, they weren’t necessarily worth it.
Another factor was the insurance costs.  These bikes were part of a proud heritage of “death machines,” and getting the bike insured was often prohibitively expensive.
The most important drawback, however, was the turbo lag.  Motorcycle power is all about control, and the last thing a rider wants is a delay, then a surge of power.  That could ruin your day coming out of a turn.  That’s probably why aftermarket turbo kits tend to be mounted on H-Ds, Hayabusas, and other straight-line sleds.
The Recursion appears to be coming at the design from a different angle.  Instead of just shoveling on more coal, this turbo is an integral part of a design that offers a nice, fat power curve in a small, light bike.  Suzuki claims 74 ft-lb. torque at 4,500 rpm.  That’s fantastic for a 588cc twin.  Max horsepower is claimed to be 100 hp at 8,000 rpm.  If the real-world numbers are anything like that, this should be a bike that maximizes fun and rideability, not just drag times.

Suzuki Recursion Turbo Concept

Turbos have come a long way in thirty years, and lag should not be an issue today.  A sophisticated, computer-controlled turbocharger should feel like a seamless part of the mill, so riders’ main objection to turbos should be a thing of the past.
We’ve see the auto industry embrace turbos recently, and not just for added power but also for efficiency and getting the same performance from smaller engines, sometimes rebranding them as eco-boosters or some other adspeak.  Suzuki seems to be taking this smart-turbo approach, using it as part of their performance toolkit, not just an afterburner.
Suzuki can’t control the insurance companies, but this bike isn’t even close to today’s generation of “death machines,” so unless they are irrationally allergic to the word “turbo,” (which they might be) insurers ought to provide reasonable rates for the Recursion.
Let’s hope this is the start of a new old trend.  We’d like to see more bikes using up-to-date turbo technology to provide light, fun, radical rides.  So pop that collar, put on those Ray-Bans, and let’s ride.

First appeared in rideapart.com

NEC- Suzuki special editions unveiled

Yoshimura-lashed GSX-R750 plus a race-spec Gladius at the NEC show

SUZUKI has unveiled new UK special editions at the NEC motorcycle show including this GSX-R750 with Yoshimura parts.
It’s got a Yoshimura exhaust, bar-end weights, crank case protectors, paddock stand locators, steering stem nut, oil filter plug and timing inspection cap. It costs £10,699, £800 more than the basic GSX-R750.

The firm's stand also features a UK special edition GSX1250F with blue and white graphics and a 'V-Strom 650 Touratech concept' – basically a V-Strom with Touratech accessories thrown at it.
A race-spec, fully-faired SVF650 Gladius is on the stand to ‘show what can be done’ with the model, according to spokesman.

The JHS Racing Gladius has GSX-R1000 forks with Öhlins cartridges, an Öhlins shock and steering damper, GSX-R600 wheels, Brembo radial calipers and a 98hp tuned engine.
Factory special editions include a Hayabusa and GSR750.

Billed as the ‘race bike with lights’, the GSX-R750 is in a league of its own. Set apart by its uniqueness, the GSX-R750 is the bike with which other manufacturers don’t even attempt to compete.  Weighing in at a mere 163kg, it is lighter than some other brands’ 600cc bikes!  Bringing together the flick able handling of a supersports machine with the big-bore power of a 750cc motor, the GSX-R offers the best of both worlds.  Turning quickly, carrying high corner-speed and holding a tight line - the 750 takes it all in its stride.  On to the straight, and it continues to flourish.

The Motorcycle Live show runs until December 1 at Birmingham’s NEC.

Best of Both Worlds: Canyon Carving and Freeway Competent

Last week, the Rides apart team had an awesome discussion about the best performance motorcycle for the street. We heard a ton of different opinions, but one major theme we noticed was people making sacrifices in outright performance for a bike that could do a little distance. Here are the bikes we’d choose to get you from a ride on the highway to the canyons you need to carve.
What’s the difference between these bikes and the absolute best bikes for street performance you ask? These bikes add a little power and a little weight, making them geared better for sitting on the freeway and they are also slightly more stable too. A KTM Duke 690 is one of the best thing’s I’ve ridden on a twisty road (though our reader Bammerburn’s 636 looks pretty awesome too) but the vibes of the KTM’s single cylinder, or high pegs of the 636 make them uncomfortable for long stints on the freeway or after sitting on them for a few hours. The bikes recommended here split the difference. They offer more comfort for freeway rides, but still carry the power to perform like you want them to on the twisties.

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS – $11,999
Kawasaki’s 1000cc upright sport bike makes 140 horsepower, 82 pound-feet of torque, and comes with ABS and traction control. It should stop there, but if you need more convincing, it gets higher spec brakes than Suzuki’s Hayabusa or GSX-R1000. This bike is incredibly easy to ride around town, touring, or riding fast on a fun road. RA readers Jeremyobryan and Bob both felt like it did double-duty better than anything else, and we tend to agree with them.

2013 Triumph Speed Triple R – $15,999
The Speed Triple (and Street Triple) R was the choice of many for best street performance bike. We went with other options as we’d rather be on something like the Ducati Hypermotard SP or KTM Duke for pure twisty riding as long as it was close, but both those bikes require aftermarket additions to make them capable of anything more than brief stints on the freeway. The Speed Triple R, with its upgraded brakes and suspension, and that incredible smooth and 133 hp and 82 lb.-ft. of torque makes sitting on the freeway a breeze and wringing it out on tough roads incredibly rewarding.

2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200S Touring – $19,995
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, there really isn’t anything that is all-around as good as the Ducati Multistrada. Semi-active suspension, multiple throttle configurations, ABS, and traction control, paired with a 155 hp engine delivering 92 lbs.-ft. of well spread out torque make this Multistrada very tailor-able to you needs. It’s one of those bikes that out performs your expectations and we have a hard time seeing a reason to take anything else. Watch Jamie Robinson ride it around Spain here.

2013 KTM 990 SMT – $13,999
We’ve covered our love for supermoto’s time and time again, here at RideApart, so a bike called a “Supermoto Touring,” or “Supermoto Travel” depending on who you listen to, seems like it would fit the bill pretty perfectly. If we’re being honest, we actually haven’t had a chance to ride the 990 SMT yet, but it sits shoulder to shoulder on a very short list of bikes we’d want to own personally. Reports put the gas mileage in the low 30 mpg’s which, while we don’t love to see, is probably something that we would put up with for that beautiful motor and KTM quality component setup. Anyone want to bring their SMT by for a spin?


2014 Yamaha FZ-09 – $7,990
The FZ-09 is on the sportier side of our list, but we were impressed with its ergonomics and great gas mileage and felt it deserved a spot on the list. The 847 cc triple makes a modest 115 hp and 65 lbs.-ft. in one of the flattest torque curves we’ve seen. Despite having such a fun engine, the FZ-09 gets 40-45 mpg and, if that wasn’t enough of a savings, the bike itself retails for only $7,990. The seating position is upright to a degree that its comfortable, while just forward enough that I wasn’t turned into a sail. I even found it to be the perfect angle to use the wind to hold my 6-ft. frame up without much work. While the engine of the Yamaha is beautiful, the fueling needs a re-map to deal with being a tad jerky, and the suspension needs an upgrade if you’re really going to put it through the paces. Still, if you’re looking to ride a few hours to have fun on a nice road for cheap, this is your jam.

2013 Honda CB1000R – $11,760
This de-tuned version of Honda’s CB1000RR makes for a brilliant all-rounder, though is slightly less sophisticated compared to Kawasaki’s Ninja 1000 and its fancy traction control. We spent some time on the CB1000R and were impressed with both its comfort over long periods of time and how much it made us want to misbehave. We’d be hard pressed to choose the Honda over the Kawasaki in this category, but have no problems should you choose to do so.

2013 Suzuki Hayabusa – $14,399
Yes, I’m aware the purpose of this list was to discuss things that were fast and yet still comfortable, thus ruling out sport bikes. The thing is, the Hayabua is actually really comfortable (and this is coming from a guy who’s very rarely comfortable). We did a 190-mile loop for the launch of the 2013 Suzuki Hayabusa, something that normally would have me wincing with wrist, knee, and back pain but, after a full day of riding, I was ready to go back out and do it again. Obviously, the Busa is big as far as sport bikes go and, if you read my review, you’ll see we also found the brakes to be a little too squishy; both making the Hayabusa not as canyon capable as its 600 cc or 1000 cc counterparts. Regardless, it’s still a whole lot faster and more fun to ride on twisty roads than most bikes, while surprisingly capable on the long haul.


First published in rideapart.com