Roland Sands has been taking over the custom motorcycle game, and in 2006 he gave one of his project 'Busas a fresh look. Its purpose is to serve as a rolling billboard for PM's parts and accessories, but it also shows some of Roland's own flavor.
A smooth-looking Trac Dynamics 6-inch-over extended swingarm mates with a 240-series Dunlop tire. The bodywork is custom-molded by Sands and features a low-profile fuel tank from AirTech to slim out the midsection. AirTech also supplied a racing tailsection that was modified to hold custom vents and taillights from an Aprilia Mille donor bike. A full-coverage front fender and carbon-fiber undertail round out the bodywork mods.
The motor is mostly stock save for a Yoshimura full exhaust and some minor fuel-injection work, but the chassis has had some attention. PM's 6-piston race calipers bite down on a pair of huge 320mm Revolution rotors in the front, and in the rear it's PM's 18x8.5-inch Marquee wheel that packs in an extra inch and a half.
The popularity of the Suzuki Hayabusa as the custom bike of choice can be compared to the Honda Civic for import cars or the '64 Impala for low-riders. With so many companies selling aftermarket parts for the bike, it's no surprise that the 'Busa is the most customized sportbike on the market. One company that loves the 'Busa and also happens to make some trick parts for it (besides wheels, of course) is Performance Machine. This month we take a look at a couple of their house bikes.
The Blue Buddy 'Busa is a good example of what a do-it-yourselfer with a credit card, the PM catalogue and some tools might build at home. PM's radial-mounted 6-piston caliper brakes stop PM rotors designed to match the look of the gold anodized 18-inch Marquee front and rear wheels. Over Racing Project rearsets and a Vance & Hines high-mount S4 stainless exhaust are a few nice touches, and the adapted Harley-Davidson controls over a Trac Dynamics custom triple tree round out the simple but effective modifications.
2000 Yamaha R1Sometimes the end result of a bike's design turns out to be something totally different than the original intention, but as long as everyone is happy it's all good. Such was the case with Ken Siekiera's wild paint job that was laid down by Florida's Wildcard Customs (www.wccustoms.com).
Painter Mike Godek explained the wild paint: "The owner originally wanted a yellow scheme, but I had just got a new color and when I showed it to him he agreed to let us go with it. He basically wanted something that was bright and would grab attention, and he wasn't afraid to let our designer, Clint Sweet, get a little crazy. Clint definitely went to town."
It's safe to say that this R1 does exactly that with its striking colors and insane patterns. But there is some sense behind the circles. Godek told us, "Both the owner and his wife have pit bulls, and they wanted to incorporate them somehow. There's sort of a ripping sheet thing going on over the dog that's tearing it apart.
Another interesting aspect is how we came into the circle design. Ken insisted on keeping the headlight covers, and the strange shape got me thinking in terms of the circles. From there it just sort of took form."
Chrome is the support system for the intense paint, and it's rare that the shiny finish can be outshined by a paint job, but here is that unlikely occurrence. The frame, swingarm and nearly every component have gone for a shiny dip and further pushes Siekiera's desire to be seen and really stand out from the pack.
Reader's Ride SpecialSSB selects a few special readers' rides each month that aren't wild shop builds, but personal bikes that are a bit closer to home for many of us. If you'd like your bike featured, send your high-resolution digital donation to ssbmail@primedia.com for consideration.