Flossed-out with plenty of candy chrome and a dozen-odd layers of candy paint, this slick 2006 Suzuki GSX-R1000 sport bike from Custom Sportbike Concepts looks good enough to eat.
Instead of all those clumsy sexual innuendos, G-Unit rapper 50 Cent and his extra-hot hook girl Olivia should have been singing about this GSX-R1000 from Custom Sportbike Concepts in their hit song "Candy Shop." Covered in House of Kolor candy paint that is so deep it looks poured on and with lustrous translucent red powdercoating enveloping all of the major metal pieces, this Gixxer looks like something fresh out of the candy man's oven. Clean, classy and undeniably badass, this GSX-R is one of the most extraordinary sportbikes we've seen yet.
That's no surprise. Nick Anglada and his crew from Custom Sportbike Concepts in Winter Garden, Florida, don't do "ordinary." Conventional, average, standard, routine--these words don't exist in the CSC vocabulary. As one of the premier custom sportbike builders in the nation, CSC makes it a priority that each new creation is a step up from the last--cleaner, more original and more detailed--so they can hold fast to their reputation as the innovators in the custom sportbike scene. So, when Custom Sportbike Concepts recently set out to do something that no one had seen before (i.e., not a Hayabusa), the latest-model GSX-R1000 was the natural starting point.
The alpha-Gixxer might rule the streets with the local squid set, but in the all-out custom world it's nowhere near as prevalent as the big brother Hayabusa, as it benefits from relatively scarce aftermarket support in terms of available custom parts. This was hardly a concern for Anglada, however, as his outfit specializes in one-off customs and is perfectly comfortable creating components for itself (and for future sales to retail customers) where none currently exist in the aftermarket. Take, for example, the mind-blowing, extended single-sided swingarm that holds a massive, 330-section Avon rear tire on this bike. When CSC started this project last fall no one even made an extended swingarm for the GSX-R1000, let alone a single-sider capable of accommodating such a fat meat, so CSC got busy adapting one of its own Hayabusa pieces to fit the lighter, tighter GSX-R chassis. Dipped down on a set of CSC special lowering links and fitted with an inboard-mounted rear brake to keep the view from the right wide-open, this Gixxer now has a big-ass booty that puts even the aforementioned Miss Olivia, bless her backside, to shame.
Up front, the chassis was dropped to match, with stock GSX-R forks that have been shortened internally and raised in the triples as well (the tops are covered with a set of color-matched CSC fork caps, typical of Anglada's almost obsessive attention to detail). Bucking the current pro street trends, you'll note that Anglada left both front brakes in place, resisting the urge to delete the right rotor as is the current fad. Keeping both brakes intact allows him to double up on the bling in the form of two custom-anodized Galfer Wave rotors and two matching Performance Machine radial race brake calipers, likewise done in translucent red.
Speaking of seeing red, it's not just the brake bits--this Gixxer's frame, subframe, swingarm, fairing stay and countless other small detail pieces have been covered with the candy red translucent powdercoating that has made CSC the sportbike nation's favorite candy shop. Setting off all that candy metal is perfectly matched candy-apple red patches in the gorgeous color scheme laid down by longtime CSC collaborator Todd Fisher at Volusia County Customs in Deland, Florida. Anglada tells us that he wanted a paint scheme that was subtle yet stunning for this bike; Fischer certainly delivered, coming up with a candy gold/charcoal grey basecoat set off with dramatic green and red graphics and ghostly flames ringing the bottom of the bike. As with all of Fischer's work, the paint is flawless and the graphics flow seamlessly over the Suzuki body panels like a melted lollipop.
This Gixxer's extra-smooth silhouette was achieved with some careful cleanup, including deleting the stock turn signal-equipped mirrors (capped with CSC's own block-off plates) and substituting hidden flush-mount signals front and rear, replacing the factory windscreen with a smoked unit from War Eagle and recovering the seats with custom ostrich/shark covers (apparently Anglada couldn't settle on just one material). Out back, a CSC license plate bracket relocates the tag out of the way on the end of the swingarm, and underneath the bike a full complement of blue LED underlighting brings it to life after dark.
Behind the candy-coated fairings, the 1000cc engine remains internally stock (reliable and trouble-free cruising is as important to Anglada as eye-popping good looks), but it has been dressed up with polished case covers and a dozens of polished, chromed and/or anodized nuts and bolts; Anglada prides himself on the fact that all the CSC bikes are show-quality inside and out. Up front, the radiator tank is polished and a color matching fan shroud is installed, while the oil-cooler is covered with a CSC stainless steel guard for protection on the street. Anglada even went so far as to trick out the wiring harness, which is detailed with red and chrome accents wherever you see it. It's this kind of attention that separates the masters from the amateurs.
The stock Titanium header was kept intact and capped with a titanium Racefit shortie can. Color-matched billet caps top all the hydraulic reservoirs, and Anglada even put purple-colored DOT5 fluid flowing through clear lines. The rear sets are adjustable race-style pieces from Vortex and, of course, color-matched hardware holds these in place. Nothing is left untouched in the control area: All the support brackets have been powdercoated, and the gauge cluster got a blue LED conversion kit to match the underlighting after dark. Red powdercoated clip-ons showcase CSC billet hand levers and CSC billet grips. Holding the bike up is a CSC billet adjustable kickstand--should the kickstand ever become unkicked, a set of chromed-billet frame sliders (also by CSC) will protect Fisher's artwork from the pavement.
I'll take you to the candy shop
Boy one look of what I got
I'll have you spending all you got...
OK, so Olivia wasn't exactly singing about custom sportbikes, but the general sentiment certainly applies. One look at this GSX-R certainly has us contemplating a visit to the CSC Candy Shop, for just a little taste.