The world of aftermarket bolt-ons is vast and potentially confusing. From chromed windscreen spikes to titanium axle adjusters there's something for everyone, but a common plague for many do-it-yourselfers is to end up with a Frankenbike of mismatched performance and bling bits-none of which make much sense aesthetically or performance wise.
When we set out initially with the goal of transforming our 2007 GSX-R1000 into a better performing street (and trackday) tool we were careful in our planning. Naturally we had offers for loads of shiny bits, and the thought did briefly cross our minds whether to chrome a few items just for extra visual performance. Ultimately we decided that the project should be a bolt-on affair to the utmost and let the performance parts pull double-duty as eye-pleasing accessories too.
With the exception of the exhaust and some dyno tuning from Bazzaz Performance, each aftermarket part was installed in our own shop with our own hands-the motivation is that most readers can perform similar mods without necessarily getting roped into shop labor hours (and those add up quickly).
You can bet we'll be hitting the track with our Canyon Killer in the future, but its very name suggests we test it in a more applicable environment. Most of us don't have the ways and means to hit a trackday every weekend, but street riding is free and much more attainable. The parts we've installed aren't racetrack specific and they make a lot of sense for the street-so that's where we went.
Phase one of the GSX-R's transformation made the engine the initial area of focus. It's not like a stock GSX-R1000 doesn't have enough peak power already, but the big and heavy mufflers, whisper-quiet exhaust note and slightly lazy mid-range power delivery had us anxious to let loose the beast within. Micron's Serpent headers attached to a set of MotoGP-style end cans complete the full system, but after opening the exhaust up we needed some fuel management to keep it running properly and to help take advantage of the freer-flowing system.
Bazzaz Performance stepped in and installed its new FI-TC box that offers fuel management and tuning, quickshifter, adjustable fuel mapping and traction control. The combination took our Suzuki from 164 to 175 horses at the wheel, and in the process increased torque and midrange punch significantly. Spirited street riding usually sees the rev dial somewhere in the upper middle range, and that's where we wanted the motor to perform.
The immediate difference from the stock bike was of course the deep growl from the dual Micron exhausts. Not only do they look intense, but the sound coming from them is almost intimidating. A little extra bonus they offer is the slightest backfire when clicking through gears with the quickshifter-all of your riding buddies are guaranteed to be jealous of the quirky sound, and certainly envious of the speed and ease that the gears can be changed. The quickshifter's job is to kill the engine just long enough for the next gear to slip in-that means no more rolling out of the gas to change gears and no more skinless left toe after a full day's worth of gear ticking because the lever is paper light with no load on it.
The tuned bike's power increase is obvious everywhere in the rev range, particularly when rolling on the throttle on the freeway. We'll just say the wheel lifts under acceleration in third gear while the stock GSX-R barely does in second-nasty.