The Essential Toys Page
Suzuki GSX-R1100 Motorcycle

We thought we'd have a look at the fastest toy we have: the Suzuki GSX-R1100 Motorcycle.

The bike has an interesting history. It was bought new in Tokyo by my friend Richard. He rode it around Japan, doing about 30,000 kms and kept it in immaculate condition maintenance wise. After Richard moved to France, he was unable to register the bike because it exceeds France's draconian BHP limit of 100 horse power. It sat in his garage for two years without ever being touched while he tried to find ways of getting it registered.

It looked for a while that the only way would be to swap the frame, as the registration documents follow a frame, not an engine. So by getting an old French GSX-R frame that has registration docs, and by transplanting in all of the other bits from his existing bike in to it, it looked like it might work - but what a hassle. The only other option was to sell the bike for scrap - beginning to sound like a more viable option by the day.

It was about now I started saying to Rich that I wanted to get a thou as I was getting desperately bored with the BMW F650. He said he'd sell me the GSX-R. He was as good as his word and so I went to France to pick the bike up. After bringing it over to the UK and putting it in my garage, the headaches started in earnest.

The UK DVLA (registration authority) said I would need to provide the following:

• Form DVLA V55/5 (request to register a new vehicle)
• VAT 415 (form that says that all excise duty has been paid)
• HM Customs and Excise release certificate (as above)
• MOT Test Certificate (make sure it's roadworthy)
• Japanese De-Registration Certificate
• Pro Forma Invoice for purchase of the motorcycle
• Insurance certificate
• £25.00 cheque to cover the registration fee
• £60.00 cheque to cover the road tax license

It got tricky, as Richard had paid the import duty into France (part of the European Union) and so I shouldn't have to pay it again to import the bike into Britain. However, the regulations are written in such a way that states that only bikes registered in the EU are exempt. So Rich had paid the money but the bike wasn't registered. H.M. Customs had to do some thinking on this one. In the interim I paid them a pot-full of money hoping to get it back at a later date. The paper war continued.

Well, to cut a VERY long story short, some 3 months passed, with many phone calls, much photocopying of photocopied documents and so on, and then: I had my UK number plate and a road tax certificate. At last I could ride the bike legally. *And* I got my money back from H.M. Customs. They agreed that as the bike had been imported legally into the EU that no UK duty was chargeable. Yee-har!

While all that was going on though, I had the bike in bits in the garage, partially because it need some work after two years of sitting neglected, and partially to stop me from riding it until it was legal!

Once I stripped off all of the fairings, the amount of road grime and two years of dust and debris became obvious. What was a bit more scary was the number of loose nuts and bolts I found floating around in small cavities between the fairing parts. I didn't see any need to strip down the engine, but I did remove the airbox and carbs stripping them down completely and cleaning out all of the built up crap. The petrol tank and fuel lines were a bit dodgy, so they got the treatment too.	A Land Rover axle stand under each side of the rear swing arm helped as the GSX-R doesn't have a full centre stand
There was a small amount of aluminium oxidation, loose connectors and unfastened components lurking in the rear too.	After almost two months of detailed inspection and cleaning the bike was ready for a good overall scrub up - still no sign of the papers and I'm itching to get that big fat tyre out on to the road.
Beginning to look a lot better...	I thought really seriously of just putting the tank and seat back on and riding it like this - it's so light and trimmed down.
The real reason for getting the GSX-R was to do some European motorway blasting to get to far-flung locations in a hurry. Seeing I already had a top box for the BMW, I thought why not get the bracket for the GSX-R and then we'll have interchangeable luggage!	I know it's a sin to put this thing on a race bike like the GSX-R - and probably I'll burn in hell for doing it, but we had to make it practical to use or it would sit as idly in my garage as it did in Richards.
All spruced up - and legal. This bike just says "Go Fast!"	It's almost a poster - and at 1280x1024 res this photo makes a great background screen on my PC.
All the toys are out of the toybox: what more could a boy ask for?	At the entrance to the UK side of the Channel tunnel - our first bike trip to France.

Now it's all working and legal it's the most fun I've had on a bike in ages. Mari loves being on the back as the rear seat is big, wide and comfy. The topbox gives her a real feeling of security too, especially when we pull away from the lights.

So how does it go? It pulls like a schoolboy. Unbelievably fast.

Zero to sixty in 2.2 seconds, personal top speed of 165 mph (on a French motorway - the ones in England are too bumpy and crowded) - the only thing I don't like is the fact I have to stop and fill up with gas so often. Maybe I should ride more slowly?

Nah, you don't buy a GSX-R to go slow!

click on the wombat to return home...