Pied Piper
If you think you know what the base bike of this build is, well, you're wrong. Unless, that is, you named it as a custom one-off job from German tuner extraordinaire MS Bikes. Though the shop is a household name among German bike enthusiasts, it's had a tough time breaking out of the European streetfighter stereotype elsewhere.
As is evident from the assortment of stock bits from original bikes and parts from aftermarket companies that helped piece this beast together, it's a bit distant from the dead and extremely beaten formula that many streetfighter builders still adhere to. Sure, it's got a big old Gixxer 1100 motor, but instead of stripping a GSX-R of its bodywork, slapping on some Renthals and calling it a day, MS Bikes went ahead and yanked off everything else and built its own bike around the engine.
Mike Schween, the 30-something brains (and brawn) behind MS Bikes, is the proud owner, but he's also responsible for plenty of other mad creations like it that are scattered throughout das Vaterland.
His hands-on approach is obvious from his company's hand-built frame and single-sided swingarm that host a variety of cool parts-some built in-house and others sourced from other GSX-Rs or Buells. The front end is a strange mating of 1996 SRAD forks with a Buell caliper that clamps on a Braking Wave rotor. Though clearly not intended for this application, MS Bikes made it work with quite an eye-catching effect.
Commanding just as much attention is his custom four-port exhaust that suggests a Gatling gun with a loose trigger. Moving farther back is the humongous deep-dish wheel that was created by Rick's-a German hoop company that finds a lot of work with the streetfighter crowd because of its hard-as-nails designs.
On paper the parts list suggests a hodgepodge that would make even Frankenstein sheepish, yet it all comes together perfectly in real life. That's the beauty of a builder who truly knows his trade-and MS Bikes obviously can feel confident in tooting its own horn.
1992 Suzuki GSX-R1100
Front end: 1996 Suzuki GSX-R750 forks, MS Bikes triple clamps, Rick's Wheels "Fat Boy" wheel, Buell brake caliper, Braking Wave rotor, custom MS Bikes frame, hlins steering damper
Rear end: MS Bikes wheel, Buell brake, MS Bikes single-sided swingarm
Motor: Suzuki GSX-R1100, cylinder head, valves and shaft modified, MS Bikes "Shark Millennium" exhaust system
Bodywork: MOKO gas tank, MS Bikes fairing and seat unit
Accessories: IMO 100 gauges
Owner/Builder: Mike Schween www.MS-Bikes.de