Florida's Custom Sportbike Concepts laid the foundation for the coast to coast custom craze nearly ten years ago, and has been pumping out some heavy hitting customs ever since. Working at a bike shop has its advantages, particularly when the shop in question is one of the most revered tuning stops for two wheelers in the country.
Custom Sportbike Concepts...
Custom Sportbike Concepts continues to set trends in the custom scene with parts like this single sided swingarm and jackshaft combo. Rich powdercoat and pinstripping add its exclusivity.
The left clip-on incorporates...
The left clip-on incorporates a set of Performance Machine switches that clean up the controls neatly.
Performance Machine is responsible...
Performance Machine is responsible for the front end upgrades. Radial calipers grip custom cut rotors that are attached to matching "Gasser" contrast cut wheels. A bit of smart paint touches further accentuate the nice pieces.
Bike owner Derek Sobiech lays his hands on many of the projects that move through the doors at CSC, and when he found time to get his ZX-14 whipped up he was able to extract his favorite elements from various builds and incorporate them into his own theme. Add that to the fact that he was able to elbow some of his co-workers to stay late a few nights a week and work on his rig and it was inevitable that a top-shelf bike would eventually roll out.
Those "here and there" hours ultimately ended up in a three-day crunch to get the bike finished for Daytona Bike Week. Kawasaki expressed interest in displaying it, so the race for completion was on.
Performance Machine rolled over a set of its trick "Gasser" contrast cut wheels along with matching rotors and billet calipers while CSC built the mildly stretched single-sided swingarm to host the 300mm rear wheel.
It all bolted on perfectly and things were looking good, but extra time and care was necessary in the assembly because of the fully painted frame, subframe, swingarm and powdercoated forks. Dennis Virga had laid his painted hand over every inch of the bike, and even did a bit of tucking at the rear end to clean up the tail section as is evident in the tailored lights and indicators.
The big blue 14 ultimately made it to Daytona just in time to claim its spot in the Kawi display, and it proved to be quite a treat for the thousands who snapped pics of it during the Daytona event.
Buyer's Box
2006 Kawasaki ZX-14
Front end: Performance Machine "Gasser" wheel, rotors, radial calipers, big brake conversion, HEL brake lines
Rear end: Performance Machine "Gasser" wheel, CSC single sided 300mm swingarm, HEL brake line, Bilstein shock, Goodyear air ride
Motor: Brock's Performance Sidewinder exhaust
Paint: Dennis Virga, (www.graphicsbythemenace.com)
Bodywork: Dennis Virga
Accessories: Performance Machine hand controls, master cylinder, Gates Fabrication top clamp and adjustable kickstand, CSC billet clutch cover, carbon fiber side panels, Fighters custom rearsets, Speedhut gauges, Graphic Canada front and rear turn signal covers, Sportech windscreen
Owner: Derek Sobeich
Builder: Custom Sportbike Concepts (www.cscbikes.com)
Even the dash got a bit of...
Even the dash got a bit of pimping with the addition of custom blue gauges from SPEEDHUT.
A notable nip and tuck was...
A notable nip and tuck was performed on the 14's normally bulbous behind. LED signals and a recessed taillight add class and cleanliness.