The Start of things to come...

A few years ago I was looking for a project to keep me busy. I've always tinkered with bikes, restoring and customising but never actually built one from the ground up. I always loved the GSX-R, especially the older models - the original race ready road bike, a true hooligan then and continues to turn heads today.

Schwantz and Tsujimoto's TT-f1 Suzuka 8hour yoshimura bike is IMO one of the best looking of its kind, the custom frame that incorporates features that can be seen on both the slabside 1st generation and the slingshot 2nd generation frames.

I sourced the parts i would need and started building.
I don't have many photo's in the way of the actual build but here are some photo's that I can find:

the seat unit and the F-1 fairing were from Harris performance originally, I found the two on ebay the fron wheel is a second gen gsxr 750 wheel, I had to change the bearings to suit the 1st gen spindle... the bearings are pretty hard to get hold of they are mitsubish alternator bearings and usually only available in bulk. I will find the correct size and post here for anybody wishing to know. Rear wheel is from a gsf1200 (bandit) and was a direct fit albeit a little modification to get it spaced correctly. but these made the transition from 18" wheels to 17" meaning that I had a better choice of tyre and a wider Rear. A guy in America had these original Yoshimura carb/frame covers, they were used as part of the cold air feed to stabilise the air around the carbs along with a heat shield and ducting directing the airflow directly to the carb's.

That was as far as I got with the project before some thieving scumbag left me with this, The heat from the fire was so intense that the magnesium covers caught light. Firefighters explained how because of the magnesium spitting and glowing furiously and the position of the bike been down in a ditch from the road that they simply couldn't get in close enough to act faster. I cant see that it would have made much difference if they did the whole of the bodywork was gone the engine was up in smoke the top of the head had melted away and the frame had started to melt.