As the owner of clearwaterbiker.com, an online community for Clearwater, Florida, sportbike riders, Leif Oskarsson has his finger square on the pulse of what's happening in the extreme sportbike world. Looking at this 2002 Suzuki GSX-R1000 that he built as a project bike to promote his web site, it's clear that he's been paying attention to what's hot on the streets. Oskarsson's goal with this Gixxer project was simple-to optimize every aspect of the bike's performance, including horsepower, handling and looks. A little over $34,000 later, this is what he ended up with. The only stock component left on the bike is the frame, Oskarsson says, and even that has been powdercoated black. Oskarsson got a head start on the project by purchasing a used bike that already had a motor built to AMA Superbike specs (producing 170 hp) by Chad Wolfe at Kinetic Motorsports in Hudson, Florida. Starting with that potent package, Oskarsson then set to work on the suspension components, mounting up a three-way-adjustable hlins rear shock out back and upgrading the factory Kayaba fork with '03-spec internals, DLC coating and an hlins adjustable steering damper. The stock hoops were junked in favor of six-spoke PVMs made of forged magnesium to drop unsprung weight, and the braking system was stepped up with Wave rotors in front and a PVM ultralight rear rotor as well as a Brembo radial master cylinder equipped with a trick microswitch and datalogger from Yoyodyne. In an attempt to slash even more weight, Oskarsson also ordered up a gorgeous carbon-fiber endurance racing fuel tank from QB Carbon, along with a carbon front fender and carbon seat cowl, too. The crowning feature, however, has to be the incredible paint and graphics designed and applied by the Bates brothers at Psycho Cycles in Clearwater, Florida. The Bates's began with a black-pearl base, carefully applied to leave the naked carbon fiber exposed on the top surfaces. The eye-grabbing graphics are actually purple 3D holographic vinyl film, airbrushed over with violet, majik blue and hot pink paint and outlined with zenith-gold pinstriping to give the bike an amazing effect in sunlight-or after dark, when Oskarsson activates the purple LED underlighting. "Ride This!" is the www.clearwaterbiker.com motto. Even though this bike looks too pretty to take out on the streets, Oskarsson rode the bike every week on group rides with his Clearwater forum friends before selling it recently to fund his next project bike, which will be based on a Buell XB12R Firebolt. We can't wait to see what he's got planned for that one.
Black Belt GSX-RKawasaki might have trademarked the word "Ninja" with regard to performance motorcycles, but Jim Muhich of Jim's Cycle Repair & Performance in Crest Hill, Illinois, says that he's built a bike that captures the true essence of the ninja code-only he used a 2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000, not a Kawasaki product, as a starting point. "Most people go the opposite direction than I did with custom sportbikes," Muhich says. "[They go] over the top with polishing and chrome and garish paint. I wanted something stealthy, like a real ninja, with a monochromatic black look." You might think his bike has been repainted, but the blacked-out bodywork on Muhich's Gixxer is actually OEM-spec-it only looks unfamiliar because the all-black version is a limited edition, Canadian-only model GSX-R Muhich imported from north of our border. The midnight-hued body is dressed up with a few choice bolt-on bits, including a carbon-fiber front fender and tank skirts from Carbon Specialties UK, a Shift-Tech carbon chain guard, a rear hugger from Suzuki, Clear Alternatives smoked turn signals and a fender eliminator made by Fender Eliminator Inc. Tightening up the appearance of the bike is only the beginning of the story here, however-Muhich also spent some serious time and energy tweaking the performance of the bike, treating the engine and chassis both to some serious upgrades. A Dyno Jet PCIII USB tweaks the injection map to work with the trick, Race Fit GP-style exhaust (ceramic-coated black, of course). Big-bucks Marchesini forged-aluminum wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sports give the bike some stick, and an hlins rear shock and fork cartridge kit provide World Superbike-spec suspension on both ends. Of course, the brakes didn't go ignored: These were swapped out for ABM Peak rotors on the front, with Carbone Lorraine pads and Spiegler hard lines front and rear. A Brembo 19x18 radial master cylinder attracts some notice in the cockpit, as do the Pazzo Racing adjustable levers and blue LED gauges with reversed illumiglo faces from Bluegauge.com. Finished off with Arata adjustable rearsets and trick Gilles chain adjusters/lifters at the ends of the swingarm, Muhich's unique GSX-R has looks to kill and the performance to end any superbike samurai, no matter what it says on the sides of his fairing.