Unlike most show bikes that seem to be inadvertently conceived and constructed in stages, this purpose-built Gixxer was created to push the envelope of performance and style. Where many projects follow a natural progression from stock to modified, owner Leo Najarian knew his ride would one day be a showstopper.
"I'd already owned a few 600s and was in the market for something to turn into a show bike. In late '05 I saw the new colors for '06 and knew the yellow and black was it-that color combo usually isn't as popular. Since most people buy 1000s it made my choice even easier to be more unique," Najarian said.
It's a widely accepted notion that Michael Jordan is one of the most inspirational people of all time, and in this sense his influence stretched far beyond a hardwood floor.
"The first time I saw the '05 yellow, black and red Jordan GSX-R 1000 race bikes I knew that's how I wanted my bike to look."
Leo took delivery of his new Suzuki, and like most riders, he wasted little time in putting several-thousand miles on the clock. And it was during that first oil-change interval that Leo decided he'd finish the proper break-in before tearing it down for the revamp. Instead of just miles in the saddle Leo used the break-in period as a chance to plan the build and scrape together some funds.
"I knew that if the colors weren't right it would look horrible. I also wasn't going to build the bike in steps-I was going to tear it down and build it until it was done."
While gathering the chedda and mapping out the build, Leo also experimented with different color combos on the wheels and auxiliary parts like the rearsets and levers.
"I tried powdercoating different things yellow, black and even red but none of it looked exactly how I wanted it. Then, I decided I'd try something different so I had a local shop anodize a few pieces in red for me."
Having found the accent color of choice, Leo began anodizing bits of aluminum all over the bike. Around that time he also decided to subtly change the paint scheme by turning some flat-black to gloss, adding some yellow throughout the midsections and generally giving it an OEM look that appears stock to all but the sharpest eye.
Where most stand on either side of the fence with a race rig or a show bike, Leo again bucked conformity when he wanted both.
"I wanted the best of both worlds-show the bike one day and take it to the track the next."
That's gonna wake the neighbors,...
That's gonna wake the neighbors, but so what?
Clean, simple and effective...
Clean, simple and effective upgrades in the dash.