2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000 - The Super Sleeper

For most of us, Saturdays in the garage spent working on the bike means either trying to rig up something that's been broken or perhaps performing a little basic maintenance like swapping spark plugs or changing the oil. Top it off with a soapy sponge treatment for good measure and we can usually walk away pleased.

But some of the luckier bike owners we've encountered go quite a bit deeper than that. Oil change and spark plugs? C'mon. Try adding turbochargers and custom one-off wheels.

Bike owner Ali Fatahi clearly had a plan (as we all do) and the money to follow it through (as we rarely do). He explained his motivation for making such a sick sleeper: "I tried to keep it looking as stock as possible on the outside so people wouldn't look twice as it was passing by. The goal was to keep a sleeper look with racing parts under the hood. I tried to make this bike as unique as possible by using nothing but high-end parts mixed with trick parts that are hard to obtain from the U.S. market. The graphics scheme is the only change to the bodywork, and to slightly set it off I matched the gold on the hlins and Brembo parts. No one touches the bike. I installed every mod."

When we scroll down the parts list it proved young Ali has spent many Saturdays wrenching away on the parts we only wish we had. One such mod is the BST wheels. As if the company's standard carbon-fiber hoops weren't exotic enough, Ali decided to order an extremely rare and unique set that incorporated the full race-spec hubs as well as outer sections. Normally the wheel comes with a street-spec hub and outer hoop, but he wanted the best of the best. This is, mind you, after already swapping out two sets of top-shelf aftermarket wheels, Carrozzerias and Marchesinis. The third time was a charm, apparently.

Somebody who goes to those lengths just with the wheels obviously isn't going to be happy with anything else stock on the bike, and Ali worked his way upward from the BSTs by bringing in Brembo calipers and rotors, then attaching it all to a pair of hlins forks. He matched an hlins rear shock and continued down the Christmas wish list of components, right down to the motor.

But this is where some head-scratching begins. Why would somebody who's obviously obsessed with handling want a part that seems to be exclusively for drag racers and the wide-tire crew? "My last 1000 was an all-motor, naturally aspirated setup with all kinds of goodies. It was a fun bike but I wanted something different. You can't buy MotoGP bikes, so one way to achieve that kind of power is by forced induction and a built motor.

Going with a turbo was a choice I made simply because I have had past experiences with turbo cars and I was curious about a turbo setup on motorcycles. Plus, it's not often you see a turbo bike that is not stretched out, never mind carving the canyons or track. Riders with turbos have a reputation of owning stretched-out show bikes or bikes that never really take advantage of their intended purpose-so I wanted to break that mold and show people out there that a proper setup and tuning a turbo bike is just as competent on the track and in the canyons."

The notion of pulling a front rotor off a stretched show bike and adding a turbo and nitrous may appeal to some, but not to an enthusiast who's interested in riding and actually applying his upgraded mods. There is, however, a place for them both, side by side at any bike night; in this case, the bling simply takes a different form than chrome or airbrush. To each his own-just be careful not to judge a bike by its cover, because this sleeper will clean the street with your piddly ride!

Turbo Gixxer: Street-Sleeper StyleA tuned motor and turbocharger aren't just for the drag racers and show bikes, you know. Sometimes less is more, and in true street-sleeper fashion this amazing ride rocks a nearly stock scheme. Don't be fooled though-there's a lot under the hood!