Motorcycle riding tips for in the city

Urban Guerrilla

By Nick Ienatsch , Scott Fike

Ten years ago I signed on at Motorcyclist magazine and began commuting to work on a motorcycle over the busiest freeways and streets of Los Angeles. In those 10 years of commuting, two staff members had commuting accidents, neither of which caused significant damage or pain. That's five to seven editors riding to work every working day for 10 years. If we were the survey panel, the conclusion would be that commuting on a motorcycle is an extremely safe way to get to work. And with the proper skills, it can be.

Experience is a great teacher, but an often painful one. To help shortcut experience, we've compiled five basic steps to existing in traffic to help get commuters out of their cars and onto motorcycles. You'll save time (one of the few nonreplenishable resources we have!) and reduce parking problems, and your work day will begin and end with less stress and more pleasure. One thing we know for sure: That sport bike in your garage isn't just for Sunday mornings.

URBAN GUERRILLA STEP ONE: TRUST NO ONE

This missing mirror lens blinds the driver to your presence until you are alongside and is a detail you must learn to automatically recognize and avoid as you scan traffic.

Learn to rely on one person, and one person only: yourself. Be paranoid. When you see a dented, dirty or neglected car, be especially paranoid. Dents are a rolling history of mistakes, and you don't want to be involved. Dirt and neglect show disinterest, and that disinterest probably bleeds into their driving as well.

Experience has taught us to watch for particular car types in addition to neglected cars. Volvo works hard to promote the safety of its cars, and that means some owners of Volvos buy them because they know they're going to be in an accident. Sure, it's an unfair generalization of Volvo owners, but it's an observation made after a decade in Los Angeles. Watch for minivans. They're usually purchased to carry the kids, so the driver is often dealing with much more than the road. Beware of high-performance cars in a hurry; a modern car can accelerate and change lanes surprisingly quickly, so give them room if they're driving aggressively. Give four-wheel drive pickups some room because (another unfair generalization) they're often driven by aggressive young men who believe that might makes right. What car types can you trust? None.

URBAN GUERRILLA STEP TWO: AVOID BLIND SPOTS

How other drivers interpret your actions has a great deal to do with urban riding skill. If this rider uses his turn signal to show his intention to make a right turn on the upcoming street, the Volkswagen driver exiting the 7-Eleven may assume the rider is pulling into the 7-Eleven and mistakenly accelerate directly into the bike's path. In this case, the rider must stay in the left side of the right lane and signal his right turn immediately before the street-and keep a close eye on the VW.

If one thought rules your urban riding, let it be this: Stay out of blind spots. If you can't see the driver's face in the car's mirror, that driver can't see you and you simply don't exist. Place blind-spot avoidance on top of your priority list for urban survival. Use acceleration, deceleration and lane position to "ride in the mirrors" of the cars around you. Develop a blind-spot warning buzzer that blares every time you approach a blind spot. The Highway Patrol teaches its riders to constantly move through traffic, to ride slightly (slightly!) faster than traffic and move through blind spots rather than sitting in them. Good advice.

Of course, just because you're riding in the mirrors of a car doesn't mean that driver will use that mirror before changing lanes into you. Position yourself so that if the driver fails to see you in the mirror, you still aren't in danger of getting tagged. You will know when you're riding well and staying clear of blind spots because you are no longer using your horn to warn encroaching drivers of your presence; they've already seen you in the mirror, alongside or ahead. In fact, our response to "loud pipes save lives" is "get out of the blind spot."

URBAN GUERRILLA STEP THREE: BE DEFENSIVE, BE AGGRESSIVE

By predicting this car's last-second freeway flop, this rider has made plenty of room for the expected mistake. Avoid passing on the right, and never pass immediately before a freeway exit, intersection or driveway; give the driver a chance to drive poorly without your involvement. Accelerate ahead or fall behind.

Combining defensive tactics and aggressive riding will create a riding portfolio that will weather any storm. The secret is knowing when to use each of the tactics. After all, blasting aggressively down Main Street is an open invitation for trouble. Conversely, creeping slowly down Main Street invites different but still deadly trouble, putting you at the mercy of other drivers' skills-or lack thereof.

Defensive riding means being aware of your space and maintaining that space by positioning yourself in surrounding traffic. Riding defensively is a way of looking at traffic to predict its effect on you, and making sure that effect is minimal.

Riding aggressively is much less a way of riding than an applied technique to be exercised only occasionally. As motorcyclists, we must put ourselves in view, and sometimes that means a bit of aggressive throttle use to come up even with a driver's window. Simply put, sometimes slowing down is extremely dangerous and some aggressive acceleration or lane changing is called for.

Correct lane positioning will allow you to be seen and keep you away from danger. This rider approaches the cab in the right side of his lane so the cab driver will see him in the cab's mirrors. As the rider approaches the cab's blind spot, he moves left to gain valuable space in case of a sudden lane change.

Create your own traffic destiny. Put yourself in a position with an escape route if your worst-case predictions come true. Look for traffic patterns and try to move through traffic, rather than sit within a knot of traffic. The time you become lethargic will be the time somebody parks a Suburban in your lap at 60 mph.

URBAN GUERRILLA STEP FOUR: MAKE ROOM FOR OTHERS' MISTAKES

In case you haven't noticed, drivers make mistakes. Dozens of them, from no turn signal to last-minute freeway exits to locked brakes at a yellow light to-well, how long a list do you need? America's current driver's training programs aren't going to correct America's drivers in the foreseeable future, so the secret is to plan on and predict the mistakes and make sure you're not affected. In other words, give 'em room to screw up.

A car's blind spot varies according to the vehicle, mirror size and mirror adjustment. Anytime you're parallel to a car, truck or van, you're in the most dangerous spot on the road. Learn to move through this Death Spot aggressively; don't ride in a blind spot, even for a few seconds.

Understand this: You won't change the mistakes being made out there, but by recognizing and giving them room to happen, you won't be negatively affected by them either. There's no reason to get upset, violent, aggressive or reactionary; once you begin to make room for mistakes, it becomes almost humorous to watch the stupidity around you because you will no longer be taken by surprise or put in danger.

URBAN GUERRILLA STEP FIVE: SLOW DOWN IN TOWN

Speed itself doesn't kill, but it sure makes those sudden stops painful. Basically, too much speed makes us unreadable. The car driver looks down the street, sees a headlight approaching at what he guesses to be the speed limit, and proceeds through the intersection. Unfortunately, the bike is doing double the speed limit and slams into the side of the car. Whose fault is it? Not the car driver's. Slow down to be seen; slow down to avoid being misread.

An ugly chain reaction can be started when a car squeezes into the right lane of a crowded freeway, and you'll be affected if you don't take action. Predict possible outcomes and place yourself safely in surrounding traffic. Often that means safely accelerating ahead of the mess.

Slowing down allows you to stop before becoming involved in someone else's mistake. Even if you're the Kevin Schwantz of braking, it takes more distance to stop a bike from 50 mph than it does from 30 mph; that extra distance usually isn't available to urban guerrillas.

Slowing down gives your brain a chance to notice things and more time to react. Your peripheral vision widens and you relax enough to read and predict traffic. Try walking down the supermarket aisle and reading labels, then try running down the same aisle. Now imagine all those soup cans are about to jump into your path and you'll see how slowing down affects your perception. There are plenty of places to go fast, but in and around traffic isn't one of them. If you can't slow down in town, put me in your will.

URBAN GUERRILLA BONUS STEP: PRACTICE

Intersections are our toughest challenges. This rider is moving into the right side of his lane to gain and give the most unobstructed view possible, a good idea since the car waiting to turn left is all but blinded by the UPS truck. Slow down, cover your brakes, and use your lane to position yourself for maximum conspicuity.

When everything goes wrong and the above five steps fail to keep you in safety's arms, you'd better be a good motorcycle rider. Get to an empty parking lot and practice braking; take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Experienced RiderCourse. Experiment with flicking lane changes. Become intimately familiar with the effects of countersteering, experimenting with differing pressures on the handgrips. Practice quick glances in the mirrors and hurried looks over your shoulder, as if you were initiating an emergency lane change. Use your turn signals in all conditions so that you'll remember to cancel them when things get stressful. Know the route you and your neighborhood commuters take on the way to the freeway and study the mistakes being made; when you're not on your bike, watch traffic patterns and instances that would get a rider in trouble.

All this is practice, and it's just as important for the urban guerrilla as it is for the expert-level roadracer. You can't win a trophy with your commuting prowess, but you can step out of the car or bus and add two irreplaceable things to your life: time and enjoyment.

GSX-R1000

GSX-R1000, Own The Racetrack is not just a slogan, it is a way of life.

It is a life dedicated to making the most successful open-class motorcycle in the history of production-based racing even better. By applying the latest technology and the most recent hard-fought racing experience. And keeping the GSX-R1000 well ahead of the would-be competition.

The Key is the motorcycles' ability to do precisely what the rider wants, when the rider wants, how the rider wants. Accelerate. Brake. Corner. Repeat. Make it easier for the rider, and the results will show. With better lap times on the racetrack, and more fun on the road.

It is called Total Performance. It is what makes the 2007 Suzuki GSX-R1000 the Top Performer. And it is why Suzuki riders Own The Racetrack.

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Ghost Rider Crash!

Crash

Old Biker Philosophy

Saddlebags can never hold everthing you want, but they can hold everthing you Need!
Home is where you bike site long anough to leave a few drops of oil on the cement.
The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rearview mirror.
Only motorcyclists undrestand why dogs like to stick their heads out of car windows.
Pie and coffee can be important as a gasoline.
If you don't ride in the rain - you don't ride!
A bike on the road is worth 2 in the shop.
Young riders pick a distination and go....older riders pick a direction and go.
Sometimes the fastest way to get somewhere...is to stop for the niht.
Midnight bugs tast the best.
And the best alarm clock is sunrise reflecting off motorcycle chrome.
Never argue with a woman holding a torque wrench.
Routine maintenance should never be neglected.
Never ask another bike for directions if you are in a hurry to get somewhere!
Riding faster than everyone else only guarantees that you ride alone.

2006...BIKE OF THE YEAR !!!

Fluid Brute Force Good vibes with Kawasaki’s ZX-14

Kawasaki designed a completely new engine to power the 2006 ZX-14. At 1352cc, this is the largest-displacement sportbike engine that Kawasaki has ever produced and its 198 horsepower and 113 foot-pounds of torque measured at the rear wheel on Cycle World's dyno validates the big Ninja's claim as the most powerful machine in its class.

The new engine is a liquid-cooled, wet-sump inline-Four that takes cues from the ZX-10R, employing forward-slanted cylinders that are cast integral with the crankcases and use of a tri-axis shaft arrangement to keep the engine compact. And like the 10R, the ZX-14 runs forged camshafts, forged pistons and carburised connecting rods for high durability. Specially designed coolant passageways are said to more efficiently disperse heat from the big-bore engine while use of an oil-pressure cam chain tensioner maintains optimum tension at all times and reduces engine noise.

Designed for both sport riding and sport-touring, the ZX-14 maintains a greater degree of rider comfort than one would expect of a powerhouse machine. The ZX-14 mill features twin engine balancers that do an excellent job minimizing engine vibration. While the single-balancer-equipped ZX-12R required partial rubber mounting of the engine, the smooth-running ZX-14 employs rigid engine mounts that play a key role in chassis rigidity.

“Since the engine is all-new,” explained the bike's project leader, “we were able to design it to be not only very powerful, but also so smooth-running that it could contribute to chassis performance. The result is a very comfortable high-speed cruising performance.”

We have to agree, finding even the shortest ride aboard the ZX-14 has us longing to leave town and head out on an extended sport-tour adventure.

R1 Revolution!

Yamaha’s all-new Superbike for the street.

December 2006

The new 2007 R1 has arrived, to go on sale in December. Read all about it in next month's seven-page cover story, but meanwhile here's a web overview. This bike has two electronic features that the company calls YCC-I and YCC-T. These are, respectively, a variable-length intake system to boost foot-pounds at both the torque and horsepower peaks, and the 1000cc version of the throttle-by-wire seen last year on the 600. What do the letters mean? Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake and Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle.

The new engine produces a claimed 178 crankshaft horsepower—up 5 from last year—at the same 12,500 rpm. Bore and stroke remain unchanged at 77 x 53.6mm.

Now the BIG NEWS!!! Yamaha gave this new R1 four valves per cylinder, replacing the old version's five valves. The official reason is that this eases meeting emissions (the bike has two in-series cat-cons and an oxygen sensor to meet '08 regs), but emissions are not the reason why Yamaha's MotoGP M1 has had four valves for two-and-a-half seasons. With the new four-valve chamber, compression ratio is up to 12.7:1 and torque is said to have fattened nicely in the midrange. In the past, R1 torque has peaked up above 10,000 rpm, giving a narrower powerband than the competition, whose torque generally peaks at 8500 revs. Five valves have been a Yamaha signature feature for 20 years but if the compromises are easier to untangle with four valves, what's an engineer to do?

Part of the reason for fattened torque is more compression and the new (and, I suspect, faster-burning) combustion chamber, but also on the job is the variable intake system. An intake extension is moved between two positions by parallelogram arms so that the longer intake length boosts torque (probably by about 10 percent) at peak-torque rpm, and the shorter length (with the extensions pulled clear) boosts at peak power revs of 12,500. The redline rpm is 13,750.

This engine has twin 31mm titanium intake valves and paired 25mm (unchanged) stainless exhausts. Last year's fractured-cap carburized steel connecting-rods have been slightly beefed where the shank flares into the big-end.

Last year, only the limited-edition model with Öhlins suspension had the slipper clutch. This year the LE and Ohlins are gone, but all R1s get the non-adjustable slipper clutch. This device, sometimes called a BTL (Back-Torque Limiting) clutch, prevents engine braking from dragging or hopping the rear tire when the throttle is closed from higher revs—especially when entering corners. When the rear wheel drives the engine, sets of 45-degree ramps wedge apart, tending to lift the clutch's pressure plate. Students of (motorcycling) history will recall that the two-stroke era in 500cc GP racing was ushered in partly as a result of MV Agusta's inability to deal with this problem of engine-braking's effects during corner entry. MV's musical megaphone screamers had competitive power, but handling problems such as the above gave the advantage to the two-strokes (which had almost zero engine-braking). Now slipper clutches come stock on production bikes.

Weight will probably increase slightly because of the new gadgets on board—the intake system, four-element slipper clutch and two shorty catalytic converters. Titanium is used extensively in the exhaust system to help offset this. Last year's claimed weight was 381 pounds. You know the old story: The sales department wants the specs out in time to hit the headlines on schedule, but the production people are still fine tuning a few things before the lines start up and the air wrenches chatter. As a result, we get info with some blanks in it, saying “TBD,” meaning “To Be Determined.” When you get your bike, throw it on the scales and let us know.

Chassis changes: Cast areas such as steering head and swingarm uprights have been made more rigid, while extruded parts have been made less so. The swingarm-pivot height has been raised 3mm. Wheelbase is unchanged at 55.7 inches.

The fork has 43mm tubes as before, with marginally larger damping pistons. Steel tube wall thickness has been slightly reduced and the axle-holders (the big cast lumps at the bottom that carry the axle and brake calipers) have been beefed up. At the rear, swingarm torsional stiffness is up 30 percent but the arms are laterally more flexible. Both these measures tend to make the bike feel more hooked up at full lean in turns, when lateral flexibility is providing most of the suspension. In Yamaha's words, the chassis changes are aimed at providing improved corner-entry front-end feel. A relaxed, confident rider is a better, safer, more able rider.

Steering feel stiffens as speed builds because everything spinning up front is a big gyroscope that resists your efforts. Last year's R1 front disks were 320mm but now are cut to 310—a small but useful reduction in gyro mass. The calipers, which were one-piece forged four-piston units, now sport six pistons. With six pistons, the pads are longer and narrower, so the centerline radius of their action (and so, brake torque) is said to be the same as before.

R1 has been a pioneer in the process of making engines more compact front-to-rear by vertical stacking of the gearbox shafts. This allows engine mass to be concentrated forward—useful in itself to keep the front wheel down and steering. It also allows a longer swingarm to be used. This is useful because the smaller the angle through which the arm swings, the easier it is to maintain consistent rear suspension anti-squat. Bikes that squat at the rear during off-corner acceleration tend to lift their front wheels, making the bike run wide. Many small details add up to state of the art. The intensity that has so refined 600cc sportbikes is now coming to the

1000s.

Here's hoping next year's AMA Superbike season is a hot one with the possible return of a major player with an all-new machine. How 'bout it, Yamaha?

Reza Motori Favorites Custom Cycle

Reza Motori

رضا موتوری شهر فرزنو هفته قبل دچار حادثه موتورسواری شد. وی از ناحیه دو دست دچار آسیب دیدگی گردیده. حال وی امروز خوب و از طرف موتورکده با وی مصاحبه رادیوئی بعمل آمد. همچنین موتور هنوز آبندی نشده کاوازاکی ریسنگ نینجا636 وی مستقیم به اوراقی فرستاده شد
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Inside every Hayabusa lurks a little evil

Inside every Hayabusa lurks a little evil. Hip-hop video director JJ Smith's Hayabeasta--with its custom, saber-toothed snout--releases the beast within

By Matt Polito

Talk about stealing the show. This stunning 2002 Hayabusa blew away all 90,000 attendees at last year's International Motorcycle Show at the Javits Convention Center in New York City, where it first debuted to the public. Forget waiting two hours to see the Orange County Choppers exhibit; the real buzz on the show floor surrounded J. Jesses "JJ" Smith's beastly 'Busa, built by North Bergen, New Jersey's Pit Stop Motorsports. In every aisle the comments were the same: "Did you see the monster Hayabusa with the mouth on it? You gotta check that out!"

Choppers? What choppers?

That's the Hayabeasta's owner, JJ Smith, kickin' it in the cramped workspace at Pit Stop Motorsports-the place where this beast was born.

In other words, everything at the Javits Convention Center went just as Pit Stop owner Dennis Vazquez planned. His goal was to step up the quality of his shop's custom bikes to show the motorcycling public that sportbike artisans like himself are capable of creating high-concept customs every bit as impressive as the overwrought theme bikes paraded out by the Teutuls and crew at O.C.C. The bike Vazquez built for Smith, appropriately dubbed the Hayabeasta, proved this point and then some.

Like every bike Pit Stop creates, the Hayabeasta was designed by Vazquez to express Smith's personality and lifestyle. But Smith had little input into the project other than selecting the base paint color-everything else was left up to Vazquez. "He said he had this wild idea and I told him, 'Go for it!'" Smith says. "I took the bike there and handed him a handful of money, and this is what I got back."

Open up and say ahh! The basic components of the Hayabeasta's terrifying visage came from a phony saber-toothed tiger head builder Dennis Vasquez sourced from a local theatrical prop shop. Vasquez cut out the jawbone, teeth and tongue and then glassed it all into the 'Beasta's old headlight opening. Driving lights acting as eyes finish things off.

Vazquez's goal with Smith's Hayabusa was to stick with the creative nature of Smith's professional life. Smith is the owner of Sandstone Films and has directed and/or produced more than 120 music videos, mostly with high-profile hip-hop artists. It was Smith, for instance, who directed rapper DMX's breakthrough Ruff Ryder Anthem video, which featured stunt rider Wink 1100 and introduced street stunting to the mainstream. In addition to DMX, Smith has also worked with Lil' Kim, Wu-Tang Clan, Master P and The Ghetto Commission, Redman and many artists on the rap label Murder Inc.

"As a director and video producer, JJ is always dealing with visual imagery in his work," Vazquez says. "So with his bike, I wanted to do something very graphic. I wanted to drop people's jaws."

It's fitting, then, that the main focal point of the Hayabeasta is an actual jawbone (plus fangs and a tongue) that forms the 3D sculpture filling the Hayabusa's original headlight opening. The teeth, tongue and other bits were cut out of a lifelike saber-toothed tiger head Vazquez bought from a theatrical prop store and then carefully molded into the upper fairing. Recessed eye sockets located above the gaping orifice hold a pair of HID driving lights that complete the facial illusion and give the Hayabeasta an utterly original (and slightly terrifying) visage. Sequential LED lighting from Signal Dynamics lines the inside of the maw to make it glow after dark for maximum visual impact.

Twin-tip slip-on exhaust cans are from Blue Flame. Vasquez recessed the stock Hayabusa taillight deep into the tailsection and further cleaned up the rear end with an ART undertail and hugger fender. The swingarm-mounted license-plate bracket is a Pit Stop original available through the shop's web site at www.xtremeridersweb.com.

"The Hayabusa is a serious bike-I wanted to take the beast out of the bike and project it outward for everyone to see," Vazquez says by way of explanation.

The custom bodywork was covered with equally mind-blowing images created by Pit Stop collaborators Neso Graphics. Done in purple, silver and black over a metallic blue basecoat, the graphics evoke a sci-fi/underworld feel and reinforce the beast theme with sinewy, tendonlike patterns that occasionally morph into curvaceous female forms.

The immaculate paintwork is accented with plenty of polished aluminum (done in-house by the Pit Stop crew) and show-quality chrome (farmed out to Globe Plating in Newark, New Jersey). Beneath the brightwork Vazquez kept things pretty mild. Twin-tip slip-on exhausts from Blue Flame are the only modifications to the 'Beasta's 1300cc four-cylinder motor. Other big-ticket appearance mods include a set of Performance Machine's Gatlin forged wheels carrying Braking Wave rotors and blue-colored tires from Tomahawk. Pro-Tek rearsets and frame sliders were both bolted up upon reassembly, and the stock controls were chromed out and paired with a set of chopper-builder Eddie Trotta's Thunder Cycle Design handgrips to add a bit more bling and improve feel and feedback at Smith's contact points. The undertail area was cleaned with the addition of Pit Stop's own swingarm-mounted license-plate carrier, plus an aftermarket rear hugger fender from ART.

Gorgeous paintwork is courtesy of Neso Graphics in Paterson, New Jersey. The large X on the tank is symbolic, marking the Hayabeasta as the property of a member of Xtreme Riders-all club members incorporate Xs into the graphics on their bikes.

Smith was so impressed with Vazquez's work he made a place for him in his latest business venture-a motorcycle-based heist film called 305 Outlaws (named for the area code in Miami, Florida, where the story is set). Smith calls the film a modern-day Western featuring stunters on sportbikes in place of cowboys on horseback, holding up Brinks armored trucks instead of stagecoaches.

What will Vazquez's role in the film be? He's the hold-up gang's go-to bike builder, of course. "His character builds the bikes," Smith says. "His shop looks like a dive from the outside, but you go through a trapdoor and it leads to a state-of-the-art workshop with all this high-tech shit-it's just like the Bat Cave. He makes bikes specifically for the job, fast and quiet so you can't hear them coming, with modified cowls to hold the money and special holsters to hold the guns."

Sounds cool. Maybe not as cool as a snarling, saber-toothed Hayabeasta, but cool nonetheless. And who knows-perhaps Smith will write in a cameo for his own ride, maybe in the final scene. He tells us the movie is going to have a happy ending, where a sexy, bike-riding female FBI agent pinches the bad guys. Maybe she can swoop down on the crew, straddling the fearsome Hayabeasta. It's just the sort of bike, we think, that would scare a group of stick-up artists straight.

The underworld graphic theme is carried over onto the tailsection of Smith's bike, with claws and melting faces done in purple, silver and black over a metallic blue basecoat.

This is Somthing for me" Suzuki Hayabusa" Mehdi Asghari

Blown Busas 550 or 440 horsepower? Blue or Orange? Take your pick of these WAY serious Suzukis built by Velocity Racing Barry Henson knows 'Busas. Never mind that bitchin' Bimota featured a few pages back-that's just Henson's play bike. When it comes to his business, Velocity Racing, he builds almost all Suzuki Hayabusas, and he builds them fast. In fact, the Hayabusa that Henson raced in the AMA/Prostar Streetbike Shootout competition last season is the fastest and quickest Hayabusa in the world, at 7.82 seconds at 190.67 mph in the quarter-mile. Above: 31 Flavors, Velocity Racing-style: The orange is a rookie-friendly, palette-pleasing, 437-horsepower, 225-mph treat, while Velocity's blue one is something stronger-as in a ball-bearing turbocharged, 550-horsepower, 240-plus-mph shot of nasty! The blue bike hides its horsepower well, as most of the bits-obviously none of the motivators-remain stock. Not so for the orange bike, which sheds major poundage via titanium everything and Marvic wheels. All this speed and power doesn't come easy, however, and Henson is constantly developing new technology and testing products both on the dyno and the road. There is no such thing as customer beta testing at Velocity-everything Velocity sells is proven technology. And if it's a 'Busa part you are buying, chances are the prototype was put through the paces on one of these two bikes, Velocity Racing's Hayabusa test mules. Henson's new ideas are experimented with on these bikes first, and as such, these are probably the two trickest Hayabusas on Earth. Henson owns the orange bike and rides it regularly on the street. The blue bike belongs to a good friend of Henson's, Jeff Steinberg, and is also a dedicated street machine. Both are 2000 models, and both are turbocharged by Velocity-but that's where the similarities end. Steinberg's bike has been through multiple evolutions over the past three years. When he first brought the bike to Henson it was for one of Velocity's basic Stage One turbo kits, but today it is equipped with the most radical turbo system that Velocity offers, a full-blown, 550 hp (!) race package featuring Velocity's stand-alone fuel-injection system. The turbo itself is the latest GT35 model from Garrett, a highly efficient dual ball-bearing unit with an external wastegate (the second, smaller dump pipe exiting the fairing) to reduce back pressure and heat on the turbo. This is paired with Velocity's own water-injection system in place of a heavy, restrictive intercooler-which uses a shot of water into the intake tract to cool the intake charge. The stand-alone fuel-injection system is built to Velocity's specs by Autronics, and is completely programmable via an integrated datalogger. The wiring harness has been gutted and the entire bike has been rewired from scratch by Henson to run through this data-gathering system. It's exactly the same setup that Henson runs on his Shootout racebike. Turbo and fuel-injection systems aside, the rest of Steinberg's bike is surprisingly mild. The bike is stock bore and uses the stock head, and internal engine mods are minimal: Falicon rods, JE turbo pistons and Web cams. "I'm not a believer in displacement," Henson explains. "A lot of people believe bigger is better, but I build my engines to stay together. Keeping stock bore means the cylinder walls are thicker and there's more distance between the cylinders on the head gasket, all of which allows me to make power with more boost. The little bit that you gain from larger displacement isn't worth the reliability costs. I'll take more boost." Above: It's one loud f****n' party on either bike thanks to Velocity Racing's turbo-dump/external wastegate-dump "exhaust." Both of these wicked 'Busas get their boost on courtesy of Garrett ball-bearing turbos-a GT35 on the blue bike and a GT25/30 hybrid on the orange. Madness abounds.... Steinberg's chassis is stock except for the swingarm, which is from Trac Dynamics. The fork is stiffened, as is the spring on the shock, and RC Components wheels are fitted, but otherwise the chassis is as Suzuki intended. A sleeper package, if you will, camouflaging the 550 hp lurking beneath. Not so with Henson's orange bike, which is fitted with nearly every weight-reducing component he could find: Marvic wheels, Brembo GP-spec front calipers and master cylinders (brake and clutch), Ferodo front rotors, a Yoyodyne titanium rear caliper, rotor and hanger, and titanium hardware throughout, all of which keeps the wet weight down to 475 pounds-feathery for a 'Busa. The chassis on the orange bike is significantly modified, with a headstock raked back five degrees, Mikuni triple clamps (and rearsets) and another Trac Dynamics swingarm. The rear shock is a stocker reworked by the crew at GMD Computrack, who also shortened and stiffened the stock fork.

Blown Busas (continued...) ...if it's a 'Busa part you are buying, chances are the prototype was put through its paces on one of these two bikes.... The motor in the orange bike began life as one of Henson's Shootout engines, fitted with JE pistons, Falicon rods, Yoshimura cams and an MTC lockup clutch. Like Steinberg's bike, Henson's is stock bore and still uses the stock head-basic, simple and durable. It's presently fitted with Velocity Racing's Stage Two street turbo kit, which pairs an upgraded Garrett GT25/30 hybrid dual ball-bearing turbo with Velocity's innovative water-injection system. This combo is good for a robust 437 hp, Henson reports, or nearly 1 hp per pound of bike weight. Yikes! Henson's orange bike was a '01 land-speed record holder at the East Coast Timing Association's Maxton speed trials, where it completed the standing mile at 225 mph-the top speed of any vehicle, two wheels or four, that year. Steinberg's blue bike is no slouch either-Henson says that in unofficial, "nine-tenths" racing (an impromptu speed trial held at a top-secret, nine-tenths-of-a-mile-long stretch of highway deep in the Florida Everglades) he has gotten Steinberg's bike up to a blood-boiling 233 mph. And this was with a previous turbo system installed, one that made 100 less hp. Henson says he and Steinberg are planning to return to Maxton this coming September for another land-speed attempt, now that the new motor is dialed in. Henson is predicting a top speed of at least 240 mph, if conditions cooperate and the customary Maxton headwind isn't in effect. Given his history of high numbers from hot Hayabusas, we wouldn't bet against him.

This orange 'Busa vies with the hellacious Bimota on page 62 (Fall 2003 Super Streetbike) for owner/builder Barry Henson's attention-both (well, all three if you count Henson) are insane and see regular street duty. Marvic magnesium wheels, Brembo GP-spec front calipers, a Yoyodyne titanium rear brake, and a full compliment of titanium nuts and bolts allow this 437-horsepower Suzuki to sport a power-to-weight ratio of nearly 1.0:1! In short, it's stupid fast....