It's been a while since we wrote anything about the GSXR so thought that an update was in order. You can read about the modifications that have been made in the previous articles by clicking on the links at the bottom of the article.
Project GSXR has been used on and off for the last couple of years since the Renthal's and other parts were fitted. This year would be the real test though as it was due for its two yearly ITV (MOT).
Many of my friends in the UK have been complaining recently of the cost and difficulty of insuring their 17yr old offspring to drive the family car, with quotes in the two to three thousand pound range being normal.
Luckily for now car insurance woes are a few years off for me (18yr age limit in Spain) but scooter insurance for a 15yr old has similar challenges.
To sell my beloved GSXR750Y or upgrade it, that was the question posed in Part 1 of the article. The decision was ultimately made to go for the latter option and attempt to make the Suzuki more comfortable to ride on the winding Spanish mountain roads.
After some Googling, emailing and a few phone calls it was decided to jump in at the deep end and alter the riding position with a change of handlebars which should help with the wrist ache and occasional back pain, but what to go for? How much of a change was necessary? Would a height increase help or was more adjustability required?
In April of 2014 my lovely wife bought me an old but very low mileage BMW F650. The bike was bought mainly to take on some touring duties around Spain and maybe further afield. Coming in completely standard form, with no luggage some additional purchases would be necessary.
Being a typical UK (now Spanish) biker of a certain age, I started my foray into big bike ownership in the early 90's with a Yamaha 350YPVS before moving on to the sportier end of the market. First running a CBR600 then a Fireblade and finally in 2000 a new GSXR750. As is typical with these types of bikes, noisy exhausts, power commanders, small plates and indicators and other accessories seemed mandatory as well as the odd traffic violation.
After making the decision to keep the GSXR and make a few modifications the time finally came to fit them. All the web searching was done, items purchased and delivered, time for action.
A bike for a 15yr old, where do we start? Obviously it has to be 50cc with or without gears, not tuned/modified, for the ITV they now do a max speed test to ensure compliance along with the usual noise limits, etc etc. New or second hand, well known brand or chinese import, these were all questions that had to be considered when the youngest member of the Bikers España team embarked on his journey towards motorised two wheeled freedom.
For me as the parent of said 15yr, old safety was also a priority.
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