worx GSx-r Guintoli replica
Q: SHOULD ALL BIKES BE MADE LIKE THIS? wordS matt wildee picS rory game
Pre-modified and set up by the same people that tweak Crescent’s BSB bikes, meet the Crescent Guintoli replica – the big-value, box-fresh special
akrapovic carbon Slip-on can and link pipe does away with the collector box and silencers. reduces weight, increases power.
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power commander v tuned with a bespoke map on crescent’s dyno to match the bike and pipe.
Crescent Performance takes the £9800 GSX-R1000K9 from their showroom and wheel it into their BSB workshop. They take off the standard exhausts and cat and replace them with a single Akrapovic can and link pipe, fit a Power Commander V and give each bike a bespoke map. Then they get a BSB technician to sort out the suspension. Cosmetics ae next. They give the bike a £1000 Dream Machine paintjob and get Sylvain Guintoli to sign the tail. Add some BSB tickets and the prepped K9 is ready to sell on for £11,000. So that’s a brand new GSX-R1000 that’s been tweaked and modified by a BSB team with almost £3000 worth of kit on it for the same price as a brand new, bog-standard R1. If an £11,000 bike can ever be called a bargain, this could be it. Lightened, honed and free of its suffocating emissions gear, is this how all GSX-Rs should be sold?
CRESCENT GUINTOLI REPLICA GSX-R1000 K9
RaCe RepliCa paintwoRk sprayed by Dream machine. Faithful replica of sylvian Guintoli’s 2009 BsB bike.
PRICE £11,070 POWER 164bhp@11,500rpm TORQUE 79.94lb.ft@8500rpm TOP SPEED 182mph CAPACITY 999cc BORE X STROKE 74.5 x 57.3mm RAKE AND TRAIL 23.8°/98.3mm BRAKES Twin floating 310mm discs with radial calipers, 220mm rear disc TYRES F: 120/70 17 R: 190/50 17 WHEELBASE 1405mm WET WEIGHT 200.5kg PB RATING
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WEBSITE www.crescenTmoTorcycles.com
CosmetiC tweaks R&G headlight cover (and tail tidy) added in an attempt to sharpen looks.
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sportsbike britain PERFECT ‘The bike is now pretty much as I want it. When other people see it they don’t actually pay too much attention. It’s only when they look again that they notice it’s not stock, although the discussion often ends up with a “How much?” I say there’s more to life than money.’ STUART FORRISTER
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bIkES wE lIkE ThIS mOnTh words and pics kar lee
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2005 YAmAhA R1 STUART FORRISTER
whAT One of the most beautifully understated R1s we’ve seen in a long time. Stuart’s spent the last two years and a hefty chunk of wedge building his ultimate road and track bike but we think he’s created a minor masterpiece. whY? Because bikes were made for riding as well as tweaking and Stuart’s outlook is refreshing. With limited room for a separate trackbike he went about transforming the R1 into a track tool that could be used in road trim, with all the day-to-day usability and reliability of the motor left intact. hOw? Engine modifications were modest but with the help of JHS Racing the peak power figure has been upped from 146bhp to 158bhp with a smoother power and torque curve. There’s a BMC air filter, Factory Pro velocity stacks, an AIS blanking kit, Denso spark plugs (at £25 each), a Akrapovic full system, Sigma slipper clutch and revised gearing. There’s an onboard PISTA dash/datalogger (which Stuart has added a GPS and Lambda unit to) HID lights, Power Commander, carbon fibre race seat and HM quickshifter. Öhlins Road and Track forks and an Öhlins PRXLS stiffen up the stock soft ride. The stock swingarm was replaced with a lighter Harris WSB-style item, extending the wheelbase by 20mm. The ride height was raised by six mm, and using Harris adjustable yokes brought the rake back to 23.6° with trail roughly the same. Brakes were upgraded ‘with the best technology I could find at the time’: Axis CMC front discs, Ferodo FXR pads, Brembo master cylinder, four-piston radial monoblocs, HEL lines and Staubli dry-break couplings. BST carbon wheels wear Metzeler Racetecs. There’s an Öhlins steering damper, Harris clip-ons and Gilles rearsets. So how does it all work? ‘It feels more balanced at speed – the faster you go the more sense it makes,’ Stuart says.
33%
64%
3%
understated
chassis makeover
you only live once
1996 Honda RVF400 nC35 miCHaeL RüHL
With carbon bodywork draped across the flanks, there’s no mistaking this German-registered 400 is the tastiest 400cc track bike we’ve seen. As for the list of modifications, it’d probably be easier to spot what’s still standard. Sporting a VFR400 TT F3 motor that’s making 72bhp thanks to a plethora of HRC parts, it’s currently using Keihin FCR flatslides. The forks are from a 2003 Honda RS250 GP bike while the fork bottoms are specialist items bought from Italy and cost €600 alone. ‘Some people say I should’ve spent my money on a bigger bike, while others compliment my nice RC45,’ says 41-year-old Michael. And he’s still not finished with it. Next on the to-do list after a fuel injection mod is a capacity hike to 450cc. Total cost so far is in the region of €15,000. ‘I’ll be sleeping in the garage when my wife reads that,’ he adds.
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32%
8%
lightweight corner slayer
carbon fibre
marriage breaker
WHY? ‘I needed to rediscover the simple pleasure of biking because apart from trackdays my bike just sat in the garage. I’d just got a little bored of the race-rep thing and fancied something different.’ maRK daLTon
FaVouRiTe BiTs ‘The Keihin FCR carbs. When the bike is running and you hear the rattle of the slides it’s really sexy, like the dry clutch of a Ducati.’ miCHaeL RüHL
2006 TRiumpH speed TRipLe maRK daLTon
You could be forgiven for thinking this bike is merely a 1050 Speed Triple with a funny headlight. But it’s actually a dark horse of a track tool which started life as a £1800 crash-damaged, 129bhp (10bhp up on a 1050) 955i Daytona. It has 1050 donor parts – namely subframe, bodywork, tank, downpipes, radiator, forks and yokes. ‘The tank was a very tight squeeze over the 955 airbox, which I trimmed a little,’ says Mark, ex-racer and creator of www.trackdayriders.co.uk. As well as raiding the Triumph spares bin he’s also borrowed elsewhere: the front calipers are from a GSX-R1000 K7 and the LSL-mounted headlight would normally be seen on a Yamaha MT-03. Other goodies include a Leo Vince SBK silencer, Renthal bars, Gilles rearsets, a carbon fibre mudguard and dinky Oberon bar end mirrors. Total cost was a respectable £3500.
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inquisitive looks
gsX-r bully
2008 Honda CBR600RR Tom ausTin
A well-sorted modern 600 is quite often the perfect tool for trackday use, and that’s precisely what we have here. We saw this neat CBR at Donington and although Tom’s not quite finished – he’s still to address the brakes and suspension – stock Honda units are so good that he can take his time. Bought originally for £1400 as a damaged bike to fix up and sell on, Tom caught the bug and ended up with a trackday project that’s so far eight months and £2300 in. Mods include a full Arrow GP race system, power-boosting intake tweaks, Ten Kate Carbon intake, all road electrics removed, HRC overflow bottle, PP Tuning raised clip-ons, a smaller battery and HEL brake lines, the best bargain mod was the custom underseat aluminium battery/electrics box which weighs next to nothing and cost just £7 from Maplins. We love the slick execution and suspect Tom is obsessively tidy.
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scrapheap rescue
overly immaculate trackday fodder
pReTTY BoY ‘The first things people notice are the exhaust and paintjob,’ says Tom. We’re not surprised as the Arrow 4-2 system is beautiful and a steal at £500. Note the PB sticker on lower fairing, easily worth an extra five mph. Tom ausTin
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pb metal
1985 Suzuki RG500
Tuned by Stan Stephens and restored (then crashed) by Ben, this bike is the reason he talks in main jet sizes and has a weather station on his desk. 86bhp and a square 120-section rear tyre make for an ‘involving’ ride. Odds of making it to Cromer without seizing/running out of petrol: Even
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1987 Suzuki GSX-R750H
Owned by Matt, this faithful Slabby is slowly being upgraded as bits fall-off and break. Spaghetti frame makes it just as much of a handful as the RG, and it’s 30kg heavier. Smokes like a two-stroke. Odds of making it to Cromer without understeering into a ditch: 2/1
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THe feud WORDS Matt Wildee, Ben Wilkins PICS RoRy GaMe
RG500 v GSX-R750
Two-stroke wail and four-stroke moan harmonise as the RG500 and GSX-R750H lap the old PB roundabout. Ben and Matt are circulating with ever-more aggression and lean, working their old bikes hard, riding them as they were meant to be ridden. After years of being conditioned by Sticky Supercorsas and beam frames, it’s all a bit scary to watch. There isn’t much safety margin. The next lap, the RG’s rear tyre chirps and skips sideways, while the GSX-R wobbles and grinds as the exhaust touches and the tyre lifts. We call them in. This is only supposed to be a bit of fun after all, not an out-and-out race into the Armco. Ahead of them is an 85-mile ride to the Norfolk coast, to shake down both bikes and eat fish and chips in the sun. However, this is PB…
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moDERn lEGEnD
IS THIS THE GREATEST DUCATI? words Jon Urry pics PAUL BryAnT, goLd & goose
Forget the 916, 1198 and Desmosedici, the 998 is the ultimate incarnation of a sportsbike icon. Here's why...
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he 998 is a genuine definition of a modern legend. In the six years since the last 998 rolled off the production line, there hasn’t been a bike that combines sex-appeal and shove so well.
The original 916 changed the world and, thanks to constant development, stayed at the cutting edge. The 998 signified the largest update to the range of 916-styled superbikes since their launch in 1994. Although outwardly virtually identical to the 996, the 998 hid its changes behind its fairing, and as with most modifications, it was a development that had been born on the track. At this point, like most things involving Ducatis, the water becomes a little muddied. The 998 wasn’t actually the first Ducati roadbike to use the new Testastretta engine – that honour went to the 2001 996R – but it was the first of the ‘standard’ roadbikes to receive it. And it was an engine born out of 090
Ducati’s need for power on the racetrack. During the late 1990s and early 2000s Ducati Corse were struggling to match the performance of Honda’s SP-2 and Yamaha’s R7 in WSB, so much so in fact that in the 2000 season Bayliss finished third overall in the championship, behind Edwards and Haga. The problem was the design of the 996 engine’s head. Quite simply they couldn’t fit big enough valves in it to feed the engine with the amount of fuel/air it needed to produce the extra power. The old style head has reached its performance limit, so the Testastretta motor was designed. The actual name Testastretta means either ‘narrow head’ or ‘straight head,’ depending on who you talk to, and is basically a solution to the problem of fitting larger valves into the head. Ducati reduced the valve angle in the head from 40 to 25º while also increasing the motor’s bore from 98mm to 100mm and reducing its stroke from
The 998 rewards riders over and over but only if they have the balls to wring its neck
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AMA REPLICAS
The PB AMA Hall of Fame
Our other favourite US superbike-inspired specials. Drool on words gary inman main Pic Paul BryanT
Suzuki GS1000 Cooley reps
Owner: Tommy Hofmann Featured: November 2008 Two of a group of feature bikes competing in the German Classic Superbike race series. Highlights (open class): GSX1100E with 1300cc big-bore; GSX-R1100M forks, brakes and wheel; Wilbers shocks; JMC swingarm. (Vintage class): Original GS1000S motor; 33mm Keihin CR racing carbs; Vance and Hines exhaust.
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Pic PAUL BRYANT
Pic PAUL BRYANT
Honda CB750F Spencer rep
Owner: Gerhard Mossner Featured: November 2008 Another gem from the German Classic Superbike series. Owner Gerhard earns a living from big Honda CBs. The bike has early GSX-R forks and a bigger diameter swingarm from a CB1100. It handles well. Highlights: CB900 engine taken to 1123 with Wiseco pistons and longstroke crank; replica RSC engine covers; Öhlins shocks; PFM wheels.
Kawasaki Z1000 Moriwaki rep
Owner: Steve Elliott Featured: December 2005 Steve’s first Obsession and a bike he’s owned for 25 years. It is an homage to the racebike, that a then unknown Wayne Gardner raced in the UK in 1981. Steve tweaked, tuned and changed the bike over the years to make something truly special. Highlights: Hand-welded Moriwaki Ti pipe; Moriwaki sticker re-made from an original; Keihin CR carbs, Works Performance shocks.
Pic PAUL BRYANT
Kawasaki Z1000 Rainey rep
Owner: Klaus Dony Featured: November 2008 ‘It’s an absolute replica of Rainey’s 1982 Superbike,’ reckons Klaus of Bikeside Racing. That’s where it differs from many of the other bikes in this series. Klaus has left no room to manoeuvre and spent three years tracking down parts. Still a beauty, but perhaps to precious to thrash. Highlights: Wiseco pistons; Keihin 33mm CR carbs; eight-plug head; AP calipers and one-off discs; six-piece Kerker pipe.
Pic PAUL BRYANT
Honda CB750F Spencer rep
Owner: John Froude Featured: June 2005 The original, numero uno Obsession. It wasn’t just John’s bike that made us label him the original obsessive, but his 12 Spencer helmets, his ex-Spencer leathers and his whole archive of Fast Freddie related stuff. The bike was great too, of course. Highlights: AP four-pot racing brakes, Gold Wing GL1100 forks (just like Freddie’s); CB1100R motor; H-section Dymags.
Pic STUART COLLINS
Suzuki GS1000 Yoshimura rep
Owner: John Oliver Featured: December 2006 A budget bike built from bike breakers’ stock for £2000. It shows everyone who wants a bike like this can have one, they might just have to lower their expectations a little and stop dreaming about custom-built Works Performance shocks. Highlights: GSX-R1000K2 front end; Yoshimura cams; GSX-R1000 arm; monoshock conversion; Hayabusa rear wheel.
Pic PAUL BRYANT
Spondon Kawasaki Z1000
Owner: John Keeling Featured: May 2007 Photos of this bike are all over the net. The whole world has fallen for it. Keeling, co-owner of Racefit Exhausts, got it so right with this bike. Painting it flat black and Scotchbriting the shiny tubes was a bold move. It’s a 21st Century vision of a 1980 Suzuka 8-hour bike. Highlights: Spondon chassis; GSX-R1000K4 forks; 16.5in Marvics; Keihin 39mm flatslides; Spondon top yoke; Moriwaki exhaust.
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