Being that Graves and his industry friends all shared a common love for bikes it only made sense that they build one in commemoration.
"Instead of your typical R1, we wanted the best of both worlds. We wanted 99 percent of a racebike's performance with all-day comfort and great style, like a streetbike should have-and what better platform to start with than an FZ1?" Graves said.
With the model selected, the next challenge was to build something that would do justice to such a racer.
"It was difficult to build something that would accurately represent Dunlop's new Road Smart tire, Yamaha, and most of all, Doug. In the end we had several artists working to create the finished product and eventually, along with the help of a great painter we got the look we wanted," Graves said.
With the look on lock, Graves set out to build an FZ1 like the factory should have.
"I wanted this thing to fly, so I installed an OEM R1 head, cams and crank along with an LE lower transmission and slipper clutch."
Combined with a Graves full system and velocity stacks as well as a Dynojet Power Commander III, ignition module and quickshifter, the FZ1 belted out an impressive 163 hp and a healthy 74 ft-lbs at the rear wheel.
"The bike makes great torque and the curve is super flat, in fact, it stays above 60 ft-lbs from roughly 6,500 RPM through 10,000. That's a lot of area on the tach and a lot of MPH in each gear," Graves explained.
If the monstrous motor isn't the root of this FZ1's rich personality it would probably be the Ohlins suspension, the custom triple with Pro-Taper "Henry" bars and the Marchesini wheels wrapped in Dunlop rubber that complete the theme.
Diving deeper into the details you'll find R1 LE front calipers, rotors and lower fork legs as well as an OEM rear rotor that's been custom CNC machined, but you'd never know it was a stock part thanks to the cool pattern.
After bidding farewell to Bob and his unique FZ1 I couldn't grasp what made the bike so memorable. Despite a parts list from heaven, an engine from hell and a paint scheme to kill for I somehow felt there was something deeper, something more. And it was then, on my ride home, that I realized that above all else, it had heart. In the face of tragedy it was built to inspire, constructed to help. And if the bond we share as motorcyclists were to be encapsulated into a project, this would be it.
Graves said it best, "I've never been good at anything I didn't put my heart into and I gave this one everything I had on the time frame I was given. It's a one-of-a kind bike that represents speed, performance and compassion. It was built out of compassion for a cause and on a performance front it has it as well-it's truly a velvet hammer."