Nevermind that slapping a Union Jack paint scheme on a Suzuki makes about as much sense, nationally speaking, as slathering a plate of sushi in a gallon of ketchup. Mark Greenwood of West Yorkshire, England, certainly didn't give this a second thought when he designed his radical Suzuki Bandit 1200 streetfighter's paint scheme-all he wanted was a trick paintjob to make the bike stand out from the pack. And as you can see from these pictures, the patriotic pattern he chose certainly fit the bill.
Greenwood bought the Bandit in factory stock condition a couple of years ago, and while he liked the Gixxer-based engine's low-down grunt, it didn't take Greenwood long to tire of the Bandit's utilitarian, messenger-bike looks. The first thing to go was the stock swingarm, which was replaced with a deep-braced alternative from U.K. machineheads Metmachex. With the swingarm dialed in, Greenwood turned his attention to setting up the rest of the chassis for the proper streetfighter stance. An MSL jack-up kit raises the bike's rear end a full three inches for the correct ass-up attitude, and an aftermarket belly pan, Power Sports rear hugger and handmade stainless steel undertray clean up the underbike clutter. The final touch is a custom-built saddle, shaped and stitched by Greenwood himself (an upholsterer by trade).
Next on the list was a superbly finished paintjob by U.K. paint specialists Millennium, featuring a metallic blue basecoat with carbon-fiber-like highlights, topped with stylized Union Jack swatches. Even though the bike was born in Japan, the paintjob makes clear its streetfighter style is 100 percent British-bred.
Complementing the new color are stock wheels with blue powdercoated centers by NB Coatings. Adding a little bling is an assortment of polished aluminum bits (fork legs, triples, grab rails, footrest brackets and engine cases) by M&G Polishers and a gob-load of stainless steel fasteners to replace the factory zinc junk.
All show and no go makes Greenwood the streetfighter an unhappy boy, eh? That's why he paid special attention to the big-block Bandit motor, with a lot of help from his friends at Holeshot Racing and Bandit Mania. A Dynojet Stage 1 jet kit was slipped into the stock carbs, and the Holeshot crew cut some big ol' bits out of the stock airbox to make a much more breathable Bandit. At the other end of the combustion chain is a race-spec Pegasus 4-into-1 exhaust system with an oval carbon can cut down by the owner; an Earl's braided stainless steel engine breather with a K&N filter helps the crankcase vent.
The drivetrain was likewise beefed up with an additional dose of aftermarket love. In went heavy-duty clutch plates and springs from Hobbsport, and an MRE air shifter (hung from Harris rearsets) bangs this Bandit from gear to gear. The sprockets are from Renthal and the fancy gold chain is a DID piece, disappearing at the motor behind a Bandit Mania billet aluminum sprocket cover and matching gearshift bracket. The brakes were boosted with stainless lines and trick ABE wave-type rotors.
Other fine touches: De rigueur dual Bates headlamps (to visually echo the, um, rather mammaryesque factory speedo and rev counter cups), headlight brackets and a fork brace from A1 Bike Parts, a Renthal cross-braced MX handlebar and an aftermarket bar-end mirror all conspire to create this bad Bandit's streetwise appearance.
With the Bandit now looking as cool as a reindeer's rump, Greenwood decided to show it off at Streetfighters Magazine's Sheffield custom bike show, where he met a few local dragracers and decided that, award-winning paint or not, the quarter-mile was the place for his Bandit. Greenwood then started making holes in the ozone layer by campaigning the bike in the 11.50 class at various Streetfighters-supported Straightliners rounds.
Some of the United Kingdom's patron saints had unceremonious histories, but let's hope this bad-ass Bandit, a shoe-in for the patron saint of streetfighters, avoids an undecorous end and instead enjoys a long, fruitful and fast-paced streetfighting life.