PROJECT SUPERSTOCK GIXER – PART I
With a credit card bill the size of a goods train, Carl’s just about ready to start transforming his 2017 Gixer from a road bike into a Superstock racer.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the very newest arrival in the Fast Bikes project pages – a brand spanking new 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000R. If you’re wondering why I opted to buy such a bike, then you’re probably reading the wrong mag, but hey, I’ll still tell you anyway. Being 22 years of age I’m getting a little old in the racing scene, and after three and a half years of racing Ducati’s Panigale 899 it didn’t seem right to step back onto a 600. Besides, a thou’ stocker seemed like the most cost effective class possible for me, as it meant there was no real tuning involved or regular refreshers (as is the case in Supersport 600). For that reason I chose to jump into the litre bike world, and after eagerly awaiting the first reviews of the revamped
BESIDES, A THOU’ STOCKER SEEMED LIKE THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE CLASS POSSIBLE
Suzuki I just couldn’t help myself. Couple this with its performance globally (not to mention through British Superstock with Richard Cooper almost bagging the championship in year one) and there really was no question about it; I had to have one. Although I’ve yet to taste the full fat GSX-R1000R for myself, I’ve ridden the standard version and it’s surprisingly manageable for a featherweight scrote like me. Add in the fact that it’s sexy as hell with looks to die for and you’re onto a real winner; you’ve got to have some style alongside the substance – or at least in principle. See, I do want this bike to be a winner, and to make sure it lives up to the hype and expectation it’ll be subjected to, it’s going to need a fair bit of fettling to transform it from a road friendly headbanger into a pedigree superstock racer.
And so to the game plan. As with any race bike I’ve owned and built, I’ve always started off by working out exactly what I need it to be before going all out with my toolbox and hammer, or buying random bits because they just happen to look nice. No matter how tempting it may be – don’t fall into that trap! As far as spec goes, the aim is to build it in line with the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 championship rules so I can throw it in for wildcards, although the initial plan is to race the thing in the No Limits Pirelli Super Series 1000 championship in order to get comfortable with riding a big old thou’. For those who aren’t familiar with the rules and regs of Stock, the chassis, subframe swingarm and engine remain pretty much as is, with the exception of a few bits such as suspension, a power commander, aftermarket pipe and a manufacturer approved kit ECU system – in order to keep costs down and the racing close.
So that’s the rough plan, but where the bloody hell do you start with a build like this? Well, the first (and hopefully fairly obvious) course of action is finding a bike – and a decent one at that. If you’re going second hand, make sure you do your research before buying as no one likes a surprise engine blow-up on the second outing, whether
IT WAS A PIECE OF PISS – A FOUR-YEAR-OLD WITH A LAPTOP AND A CREDIT CARD WOULD’VE DONE JUST AS GOOD A JOB
buying an ex-race bike or an ex-road bike. I didn’t want to take that risk, so a box fresh Gixer seemed the only clear direction to take, plus at the time I bought it there were no second hand models on the market. My first job was to find a decent dealership that were keen to support me and be helpful when it came to buying spare parts such as wheels at decent prices, because every bit of assistance really helps in the long game.
Taking into account the latter, I managed to get mine through the rather lovely gents (and ladies) down at Robinsons Foundry in Canterbury, who’ve really kept me on the straight and narrow with letting me use (and abuse) their workshop as I’m pretty low on space down at my crib, while lending me my very own James to help build the thing. Oh, and if you don’t have your own James or are wondering what the hell I’m going on about, James is a very knowledgeable 22-year- old who spends his weekends working his nuts off in the British Supersport paddock.
There are thousands of different ways you can attack a build, but for me the best way is always to do so with time on your side. Parts won’t always arrive on time, and if you’re really unlucky/leave things too late, you will be watching your mates set off on the grid without you in that first race of the season – or even worse be on an incomplete package. So be realistic and start early, so a build like this is a lot more manageable and enjoyable. As soon as I bought the bike I got it on a dyno, where we wrangled a few miles under its belt straight away in order to ease that engine in before it gets subjected to an unrelenting life on the rev limiter. Nowadays, running in isn’t such a crucial thing, but when it’s your own money on the table, it makes sense to play things safe. The same goes for ordering stuff in nice and early so that everything’s exactly where you need it before you get started with the build. Although I look about as organised as a fox on crack I managed to wrestle the pieces together for this project pretty quickly. To be honest it is actually a piece of piss if you know exactly where to look and I’m sure a four year old with a laptop and a credit card would’ve done just as good a job. Because this bike’s going down the race path, the first thing needed was a set of stands so that I could bin off the bike’s sidestand, and having used Biketek aluminium stands before I couldn’t help but go down the same route again – so I got on the net and ordered some snazzy looking black items for both front and back. Personally, I prefer using a headstock stand as it means I can drop fork legs in and out without any qualms, and they just feel a lot sturdier in general.
Alongside the two sets of stands I managed to pick up two sets of Biketek Pro Tyre Warmers, as when racing in British Superstock you actually need an extra set of tyres (on warmers) for a quick qualifying change due to the limited tyre allocation, and an extra set of stands for when you’re on a grid. Yeah, not cheap! Even though there is a lot more expensive kit on the market the quality of the BikeTek and Bike It ranges is always spot on, so if you’re looking to save some dollar, I’d definitely recommend having a browse. For exactly that reason, I also hooked myself up with two sets of Bike It 50mm clip-ons and levers – as you should always have a spare set of fairings, clip-ons levers and rearsets no matter what. If things go tits up, those bits are usually the first casualties.
While on the subject of casualties and crashing, another important element to a race bike is crash protection. By important I mean mandatory; even if it wasn’t underlined and highlighted in the ACU rule book I can’t see why anyone would head out track without at least engine and clutch casing covers. Even the lowest of lowsides can result in an engine rebuild.
For such items I headed down the R&G route, as I’ve been using them for over five years and they’ve always been more than up to the job of saving my bikes when I’ve ridden beyond my limits, while being sensibly priced into the bargain. Another reason to head over in their direction is because they literally do the whole job in one simple sweep; I’ve managed to cover all the protection needed for both peace of mind and the bike to be legal on track, with stand bobbins, lockwire (a requirement for your oil cap and a must for calipers and sprockets) and even tank foam – meaning rain light aside you literally have a one stop shop for turning your machine from road to race. Oh, and not forgetting those tank traction grips, as they’re a lifesaver for gripping on the tank… especially if you’re a short-ass like me with 28in legs.
It’s not all about saving dosh though, as performance should always be at the heart of any race inspired purchase. For me there was only one route to go down when it came to purchasing a top-spec race system, and that was a wonderfully sparkly Yoshimura R11 full system, which offers huge power gains while looking absolutely stunning – especially compared that chunky standard pipe. Another solid purchase while on the subject of Yoshi is their ABS blanking kit, which does exactly what it says on the tin. Trust me, you’ll be wanting that, and near enough every other snazzy bit of kit in their catalogue, which is why I went for a factory looking tank pad as well. It looked way better than my old school foam taped on the tank. Just don’t let things get too out of hand; keep reminding yourself you need money for entry fees and tyres!
You may be sitting there thinking that this kid must be really splashing the cash as it sounds like a lot of kit for a Superstock bike, but we’ve barely even scratched the surface. Each day a different box or part seems to be arriving, much to the distress of my bank balance (Bruce, if you’re reading this, I erm, need a pay rise to help care for my sick granny). HEL brake lines, CRC fairings, Liqui-Moly oils and LSL Rearsets are all set to arrive in time for next month’s adventures, meaning I’ll be grafting my backside off over Crimbo to get on top of this build, but I’m sure it’ll all be worth it. Now I’ve got all the parts I need, I can’t wait to get stripping the stock bike and building it into something fruity, which means getting it on the old operating table and peeling her standard clothes off.
Truth of the matter is, every single professional race team (and unprofessional like me!) in the world will strip their bikes down to a very bare minimum – and what we do is no different, although we leave the chassis and engine intact. For those of you who’ve never ripped a bike apart from brand new, it’s both satisfying and annoying in equal measures which is why I’m buzzing for next month… let the build commence!