2006 Suzuki GSX-R1000 - The Steam Roller

When Robert Fisher, owner of Roaring Toyz in Sarasota, Florida, was invited to take part in the inaugural Metric Revolution sportbike build-off (www.metrictv.com), he knew that he'd have to come up with a truly outrageous creation to stand out against the other top builders competing in the contest. To take his bike straight to the top of the competition, Fisher went straight over-the-top with the modifications he planned for the Suzuki GSX-R1000 that the Metric Revolution producers had given him to start with. Fisher knew that everyone else would have an extra-fat rear wheel on their custom sportbikes, so he decided to take that fat-tire trend one step further and wrap his front wheel with a plus-sized 180mm front tire for a larger-than-life look. And, this being a sportbike build-off, Fisher guessed that everyone would have some heavy-hitting horsepower adders like turbos and nitrous to grab the attention of the judges. Fisher figured that if one power adder was good, then two would be better, and three would be best. So, lurking under the custom-painted fairings of this Gixxer are not only a Velocity Racing turbo system, but also a Cali Superbikes supercharger and a Holley/NOS nitrous oxide system all plumbed together! Overkill? Perhaps, but such outrageous innovation (and imagination) is to be expected from a cutting-edge custom sportbike operation like Roaring Toyz.

Looking back, Fisher says, it's a miracle that this bike was ever built at all-and not just because it was such a challenge to execute so many never-before-considered custom mods. When the Metric Revolution producers first contacted Fisher about the program, he could hardly be bothered to answer the phone, much less build a knockout custom under the 180-day deadline that the show's producers were holding builders to. At that time Fisher was neck-deep in a special project with Kawasaki Motor Corporation to create two full-custom versions of Big K's forthcoming ZX-14 hyperbike (see "Bad Boy Toyz," SSB June 2006, page 44), along with a full line of custom billet accessories for that same model that would be available through Kawasaki's parts and accessories program concurrently with the new model's release. This high-profile opportunity with Kawasaki was sucking up all of Fisher's time, and the last thing he needed was another deadline bearing down on his business.

Luckily for the folks from Metric Revolution (and for custom sportbike fans like us, too), Fisher came around to the idea and agreed to take part in the build-off, even if it meant that he would have to wait until the last possible minute to start working on his build-off bike. "What can I say?" Fisher says by way of explanation. "I realized this was another high-profile opportunity for me and my business, so I had to take it."

Thus motivated, the Roaring Toyz crew set about clocking some serious overtime to bring the Metric Revolution bike together, building the fly piece of 200 mph sculpture in just six weeks-a remarkable figure once you realize how much of the technology on this bike was completely untested. For example, you don't just buy a bolt-on, fat-tire front end-this one was total clean-sheet engineering on Fisher's part, with help from a friend who builds drag bike frames for a living. In addition to making an undeniable visual statement, Fisher thought that fattening up the front end might also improve the bike's handling as well. "When you put a wide tire conversion on the back of a streetbike, it really messes up the handling," Fisher says. "We thought that a wide tire on the front might slow down the steering and neutralize the effects of the big back tire to help the bike to handle better." To accommodate the supersized, 6.75-inch front rim (an RC Components Assassin-model spinner) with its 180mm Michelin Pilot tire, Fisher had a set of custom triple clamps machined to spread the Suzuki GSX-R fork legs wide enough part to clear the big meat. In addition, Fisher also had the fork legs extended 3/4 of an inch to provide more clearance between the taller tire and the lower fairing. Topped with a GSX-R fender that has been widened nearly three inches, Roaring Toyz' fat front conversion comes off as clean as a factory setup, but gives the bike a larger-than-life, almost cartoonish appeal that absolutely makes it stand out on the streets.

Fisher says that the bike handles reasonably well, too, with a neutral turn-in and little tendency to run wide or stand up in corners. "Anytime you do a wide tire conversion, your handling will suffer somewhat compared to stock," Fisher says. "But because I've been road racing for so long [Fisher is a licensed AMA Pro road racer with 12 years experience], I understand suspension and geometry better than most shops, and I'm particular about doing things like respringing and revalving the suspension on my custom sportbikes so they'll handle almost as good as a stock bike. Just because a motorcycle is pretty doesn't mean it can't ride well too."

The back end on Fisher's bike is more conventional by custom sportbike standards, featuring one of Roaring Toyz' own jackshaft-equipped extended swingarms set to accommodate a 330-series Avon Venom rear tire wrapped around another Assassin rim from RC Components. The swingarm is supported by a DaPincci dual-chamber air ride suspension system. The rear brake rotor is mounted inboard of the sprocket to keep the right side of the wheel clean, and likewise the right front rotor has been deleted, while the stock brake caliper on the left was upgraded with a Performance Machine radial Race caliper biting down on Roaring Toyz' own custom rotor.

Plenty of stopping power is a prerequisite for this ride, once you consider the powerplant that Fisher designed for this showstopper. The stock-displacement GSX-R1000 inline four uses not one, not two, but three power adders: turbocharging, supercharging and nitrous oxide. "What can I say?" Fisher says. "We really wanted to build something that would blow people away!" Fisher started with the Velocity Racing turbo system mounted to the left of the motor, set to blow at a healthy eight pounds of boost. Meanwhile, on the right side is a Rotrex supercharger kit from Cali Superbikes that runs directly off of the bike's crankshaft and adds another seven pounds of boost. Both the supercharger and turbocharger feed into a custom split plenum with a blow-off valve, and as if that isn't enough, there's also a fully functional NOS/Holley dry nitrous system adding another 40 hp to the mix! A Dynojet Power Commander III-USB ignition module keeps time, and a custom Roaring Toyz header handles exhaust duties. What's it all good for? Fisher hadn't even had time to tune the bike when we snapped pictures of it just days after its debut. But suffice it to say that if it all stays together, the magic number ought to be well in excess of 300-350 rear-wheel hp.

The beautiful blue paint covering every surface of the bike is the work of Roaring Toyz' house painter, Ryan Hathaway, who hit the bike with a luminescent metallic blue hue covered with black and silver tribal overlays and "real flame" effects on the main frame spars. That's right, the frame and swingarm on this bike are both painted instead of chromed. "At this point, everybody's chroming frames and swingarms, and it's starting to get a little played out if you ask me," Fisher says. That's not to say that Fisher ignored the shiny stuff: The forks and myriad other small parts were given a chrome dip by the acknowledged experts at Sport Chrome in Westminster, California. Adding extra after-dark appeal are more than 150 blue LED lights mounted everywhere from the custom undertail to the inside fairing that brighten this bike's path. In addition to all that lighting, Roaring Toyz wired in a 90-watt blue-and-white strobe system similar to the ones you see in your rearview mirrors, courtesy of the local po-po. Light on.

As much as for complete bikes, the Roaring Toyz shop is also known for its extensive line of bolt-on billet bling, and this Gixxer is far from deficient in that department. Spiked axle caps and bar ends are Roaring Toyz originals, as are the fork caps, reservoir covers, grips, mirrors and the trick "flared" footrests, the latter a new addition to the company's catalog. Those bitchin' clutch and stator covers, on the other hand, with raised, three-dimensional lettering were made by Fisher's friends at 3D Billet. Finishing things off is a genuine alligator hide saddle, as only befits a bike that was built in Florida.

Amazingly, Fisher and his crew bolted this baby together in just 45 days. Unfortunately, because of the much-delayed start due to the corporate Kawasaki project, Fisher ended up missing Metric Revolution's strict 180-day deadline by a few days. "To say we finished this bike at the last minute is putting it mildly," Fisher says. "We were still bolting parts onto the bike in the trailer while we were driving to the big Metric Revolution final show in Vegas." Missing this deadline resulted in a points penalty that ultimately kept Fisher's crazed creation out of the top three in the Metric Revolution build-off judging-an unfortunate consequence, as the build quality, innovation and imagination evident in this bike is on par with-if not beyond-any of the other bikes.

In the bigger competition to drive the custom sportbike game in new directions with innovative style and groundbreaking modifications-the real metric revolution-Robert Fisher and the Roaring Toyz crew have certainly secured a position square at the top of that exclusive list. Even if they had to steamroll their way to the top.

Building The Best
Robert Fisher and his ace crew at Roaring Toyz transformed this GSX-R from factory to fatty in just 45 days, including fabricating the one-off front end to hold the fat front tire and engineering the turbo/supercharger/nitrous powerplant. Here's a behind-the scenes look at how they did it.