A great painting, a classic car, a blockbuster movie, a cartoon character-inspiration for a bike build can come from as many different muses as the number of bad pauly shore movies on the shelf. this has backfired in the chopper world where themed bikes have gotten downright comical and have lost a lot of their cool factor. not to toot our own horn, but for custom sportbikes one of the greatest sources of inspiration happens to be the pages of the magazine you are holding (honk, honk).
Ravelo has been riding motorcycles and street racing underground for many years around his hometown of miami, florida. "i've been street racing since i was a kid. i'm 46 now. Any bike i had i just went crazy on."
About a year ago, Ravelo set out to build a bike worthy of the pages of a magazine. not exactly a custom fabricator or daddy's rich kid, Ravelo is a family man and sells garage parts by day. because of that the bike was not finished overnight, but instead was carefully planned out to achieve its final look.
As an avid reader of super streetbike, Ravelo noticed many of the featured rides tend to make a lot of power. with that in mind, he set out to create a pavement-pounding powerhouse capable of winning him some cash and respect on the streets as well as in print. he first attacked the motor by porting and polishing the heads. with the engine torn apart, he saw it as the perfect opportunity for adding yoshimura race cams and tRe pistons. After the addition of a custom fuel map, the Gixxer stood at a claimed 172 hp with 82 lb.-ft. of torque on the dyno.
Power is nothing without control, of course, so in order to take advantage of all the extra ponies Ravelo had a three-way-adjustable penske shock installed to make the bike squat and hook up on command. Going faster also requires having proper braking, and Galfer wave rotors and steel-braided brake lines were installed to help slow it down faster than ticket sales to torque part II.
To get his ride noticed, Ravelo knew he had to have his bike look as good as it ran. "I have always liked street racing. i started by building a high-performance streetbike. but after i started reading ssb i decided to put a little more focus into the looks of it."
Patrick's performance 2005 R1 beauty and the beast winner (July 2006) was one of the bikes that caught his attention. "you had an issue with an R1 from patrick's performance. when i saw it, i fell in love with it. i showed it to my painter and he improvised. i decided to put a little money into the bike and have it both ways- performance and looks."
Thanks to years of riding experience, Ravelo had no problem putting the suzuki's added power to the pavement with a careful twist of the wrist. "my last bike was a Gsx-R600 with nitrous on it. It actually made more power than the 1000. i'm able to handle this Gixxer pretty easy."
When asked what his family thinks of his street-stomping antics, he replied with a grin: "they don't like it, but they know i've got it under control. sometimes I go by at 180 mph. they say 'don't worry, he knows what he's doing.'"
Ravelo decided to not re-invent the wheel and instead researched bikes that had already been featured, adding his own spin to the formula of looks and performance. he simply built a bike with a lot of power, upgraded suspension and killer paint (and a large cash bribe to the editors never hurts!).
Buyer's Box - 2006 Suzuki Gsx-R1000
Front End: Gmd Computrac Resprung And Spring Forks, hlins Steering Damper, Brembo Radial Master Cylinder And Brake Lever, Galfer Wave Rotor And Steel Brake Lines, Performance Machine "Tantrum" Wheel, Michelin Pilot Tire
Rear End: Penske Three-Way Adjustable Shock, Galfer Wave Rotor And Steel Brake Line, Performance Machine "Tantrum" Wheel, Michelin Pilot Tire
Motor: Ported Polished Head, Yoshimura Race Cams, Arata Race Full Titanium Short-Can Carbon-Fiber Exhaust, Power Commander III, Dynojet Ignition Module And Quickshifter, Tre Pistons, K&N Air Filter, Custom Map And Dyno Run At 172 Hp And 82 Lb.-Ft. Of Torque
Paint: Art By Marc, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Bodywork: Opp Carbon-Fiber Hugger, Hotbodies Racing Undertail And Fender
Accessories: CRG Clutch Lever, Ant Racing 3-Inch Rearview Camera, Vortex Racing Rearsets, Sprocket, Engine Cover And Gas Cap, 520 Conversion Kit Ek Gold Chain, Gillet Chain Adjuster, Sato Racing Tank Quick Disconnect
Other: Front And Rear Brake Reservoir, Custom Gauge, Custom Chain Cover, Scorpion Alarm, Zero Gravity Windscreen, Yanashiki Top Tree, Mirror Block-Offs, Gsx-R Seat, Spike Bar Ends, Exhaust Brake Flip-Up Tag, Frame Sliders, Integrated Front And Rear Turn Signals
Owner: Alex Ravelo
Builder: Champion Motorcycle In Davie, Florida, And Rey Shop In Miami, Florida