Quarter Dose: Mr Martini Suzuki GSX-R 1100

“The quickest, baddest manufacturing big-bore sportbike you should purchase.”

That’s what Motorcyclist Journal needed to say concerning the GSX-R 1100 when it debuted in ’86. Suzuki with the assistance of their lead engineer Etsuo Yokouchi had already surprised the motorcycling world with the high-revving, fast-turning GSX-R 750, however the 1100 was a complete ‘nother type of beast.

In a nutshell, the GSX-R 1100 was a beefed-up 750. It had beefier wheels, a beefier (but lighter) alloy box-section body, and significantly beefier efficiency. The bike’s 128bhp 1052cc powerplant may propel it from 0 to 100 km/h in a contact over 3 seconds and would carry on accelerating all the best way as much as 249km/h. The 1100 Gixxer was the world’s first hyperbike and each Nineteen Eighties boy racer’s moist dream.

Such was the success of the GSX-R 1100 that Suzuki produced them proper by till 1998. Throughout that point the Gixxer went by a number of revisions. There have been some rocky patches alongside the best way however with the discharge of the M mannequin in 1991 they’d ironed out the bugs. The dealing with was well-honed and the engine had been bumped as much as 1127cc to ship 143hp and a 269km/h high velocity.

One factor that didn’t change a lot all through the GSX-R 1100 dynasty was its styling. Also known as the Slabside, the GSX-R had giant rectangular-shaped panels flanking the engine. Just like endurance racing bikes its nostril was squared off and fitted with twin headlights and the tail was intentionally broad and low to assist disguise an unsightly subframe and exhaust hanger.

From the skin this closely modified ’91 GSX-R 1100 has little or no in widespread with Suzuki’s unique design. Now wearing cafe racer-inspired apparel it’s the work of Italy’s eccentric {custom} motorbike builder, Mr Martini.

“This bike arrived at our workshop already extremely modified and undoubtedly ugly,” says workshop frontman Nicolai Martini. “The concept behind the mission was to create a glance that extremely contrasted with the unique Endurance-style configuration.”

Nicknamed ‘Quarter Dose’ Nicolai’s aim was to commemorate Sixties cafe racer type. The result’s a stark distinction to Suzuki’s chunky Nineteen Eighties design and regardless of the broad inline-four and boxed aluminum body, he’s one way or the other pulled it off.

In step with his cafe racer theme, Nicolai’s intention was to transform the totally faired Suzuki to a unadorned racer. This meant exposing your complete field alloy body. Though chunky, the entrance half of the long-lasting boxed alloy body is gorgeous in its personal manner, however the subframe is downright ugly. To treatment this Nicolai promptly reduce it off and eliminated any proof of its existence.

Changing the boxed alloy subframe is a tubular metal different that’s a lot simpler on the attention. Since welding metal to alloy wasn’t an choice, the subframe makes use of a bolt-on design. Together with establishing a degree cafe-style bone line, the brand new subframe created an area to stash any misplaced electrical elements that had been uncovered after the Gixxer’s disrobing.

For the bodywork, Nicolai opted to retain the inventory gasoline tank as a result of its glossy lengthy profile works properly with the retro cafe theme. Sitting on the brand new subframe is a wasps tail FRP cowl. Constructed into the tail is a retro-styled tail mild and there’s a tuck-and-roll leather-based seat by Tommi Casaro with a tall kick on the rear to carry the rider firmly in place.

On the pointy finish of the bike sits a Ducati-styled basic fairing that’s been trimmed right down to bikini proportions. It’s held in place by custom-made aluminium brackets that utilise present fixing factors on the bike. It’s an identical setup to what Martini used on his Triumph TT Dash Racer with one main distinction. Since this bike is constructed for the road he’s constructed a headlight into the design. Reasonably than recessing it into the fairing although he’s left it protruding as a hat tip to the Gixxer’s unique endurance styling. For the flip alerts, Nicolai went with small LED models which he’s mounted inconspicuously.

Behind the brand new windscreen sits the Suzuki’s twin gauges that are suspended in a foam bracket as they had been from the manufacturing unit. The switches and controls on the Tomaselli clip-on handlebars are inventory too excluding a single bar-end mirror.

On the consumer’s request, the remainder of this Suzuki is all unique GSX-R 1100 working gear. The mission may have simply changed into an all-out resto-mod, but it surely was determined to maintain its efficiency near unique. This isn’t all unhealthy although as a result of even by at the moment’s requirements the 1100 Gixxer is not any slouch.  The one modifications made to the engine are to the consumption and exhaust the place you’ll discover hi-flow filters by Okay&N and a throaty Supertrapp muffler. Trendy Metzeler Racetech tires assist hold the rubber aspect down.

To complete issues up, Martini hand-brushed the boxed alloy body and swingarm to make them actually pop. The bodywork was handed over to +39Kustom paint store to obtain its new Garda Lake blue and black scheme which is once more a hat tip to Suzuki’s basic racing livery.