Suzuki Gsx-R880
Suzuki GSX-R880
CYCLE WORLD PROJECT
New life fora forgotten friend
DON CANET
SOMETIMES, YEARS PASS BEFORE you're able to repay the favor of an old friend. Such was the case with my 1988 Suzuki GSX-R750J, a faithful steed that carried me through many high-speed racing adventures around the country. Fact is, I owe my career in motojournalism to this very motorcycle.
I purchased the bike in me spring ot `88 at Sb City Cycles, a Suzuki deab er in my hometown of San Luis Obispo, California, and proceeded to roadrace it in 750cc Supersport trim. Then, inspired by Cycle World's entry in the 1988 Willow Springs 24-Hour
that mated an llOOcc motor and 750 chassis, I converted my bike into a similar setup. I rode my own “7-11” to fourth in the 1989 Formula USA national series.
A true privateer, I lacked the financial backing needed to build and maintain a full-on race motor. So in 1990, 1 decided to exercise the “anything goes” F-USA rules by plumbing my basically stock 1100 mill with an NOS nitrousoxide-injection system. Unfortunately, force-feeding my bike “juice” provided more in the way of giggles and wheelies than solid race results. It also propelled me to the fastest crash I’ve ever experienced.
It was this 165-mph get-off that launched my career in magazine journalism. I wrote of the seemingly endless slide down the Road Atlanta tarmac in a story titled “My Butt’s On Fire,” which was published in American Roadracing. Several more story assignments followed in a path that eventually led me to my position here at Cycle World.
I must confess that since becoming a full-time motojournalist I’ve been seduced by a steady stream of the latest sporting hardware. While off gallivanting on the likes of shiny new Ducati 916s, my trusty old warhorse sat idle for several years in a dark, damp comer of the CW shed gathering cobwebs and corroding in the salty coastal air. It was after Managing Editor Matthew Miles stubbed his toe once too often on my rusty heap that
he proposed we use the GSX-R as the basis for a bargain sportbike project. Luckily, I had saved all the stock street accessories that I’d removed years ago while stripping the bike for competition.
While Matt took care of getting the suspension refurbished and wheels powdercoated, I set to work preparing the bike’s original 750 motor to be put back into the frame-the tired 1100 mill was sold to a mini-sprint car racer. We’d heard good things about the bigbore kits offered by Franx Machine Worx, so we shipped my GSX-R’s cylinder block to Chicago. Franx bored my block and supplied forged-alloy pistons that took the displacement out to 880cc and bumped compression to 12.0:1. The kit came with detailed instructions for reassembly and proper break-in procedure. The increase in displacement, combined with a freeflowing Micron 4-into-2-into-1 exhaust, delivered a healthy enough boost in torque and peak power that I decided to stick with the stock cams and carburetors for cost-cutting and streetability-related reasons.
I also wanted to keep the stock airbox for reduced intake noise, but the added engine capacity dictated the use of dual K&N filters. This was determined after struggling with carburetion for an entire day on the dyno, followed by two more long days of dyno tuning at K&N’s facility in Riverside, California, this time
with the help of Lawrence Bolton, a jet-kit engineer from Dynojet Research. Carburetion sorted, we found an additional modest power gain with 5 degrees of ignition advance. We also timed the intake cam at a 101degree lobe center for a little more midrange punch.
Comparing my 880 to a stock ’88 GSX-R750 shows an impressive increase of 10-15 horsepower over stock below 8000 rpm, with even greater gains of 25-33 horsepower from 8000 rpm to redline. Peak power jumped from 85 to 113, with peak torque rising from 46 to 62 footpounds. There is, however, a pronounced dip centered at 7000 rpm. It looks worse on the dyno charts than it feels on the street, but will require future experimentation, perhaps with different exhaust systems. As it sits now, the carbon-canned Micron is too loud for my tastes, anyway.
Putting it all to the test at the dragstrip produced a 10.85-second run at 126 mph. Looking back at CW test results of the ’88 750 shows an 11.27second/ 122-mph quarter-mile. Likewise, top speed improved noticeably, with a gearing-limited terminal velocity of 155 mph compared to the Stocker’s 149. For comparison purposes, a current liquid-cooled GSX-R750 posted a 10.59-second, 132-mph pass and 164-mph top speed. What these numbers fail to show is the abundance of low-end and midrange torque that our 880 delivers. Snapping the throttle open at 3000 rpm in low gear jerks the bike on end. Good fun.
While engine performance is nice, I felt equal importance should be placed on handling and brakes. With plenty of race miles behind it, the Fox Twin Clicker shock was sent to Fox Factory for a rebuild. The fork went to Clean Racing for fresh fluid and a set of
slightly heavier springs. The aluminum fork sliders also received a brushed polished treatment to eliminate pit marks, and were given a black-anodized coating to enhance their appearance.
Badly worn from racing, the front brake rotors were replaced with Brembo iron rotors and pads. Combined with a set of Russell Performance braided-steel lines, the upgraded system delivers greatly enhanced stopping power and feel. An AFAM #520 O-ring chain and sprocket kit freshened up the raceweary drivetrain.
A set of Yoshimura billet-aluminum rearsets were bolted on to dress up the bike’s appearance while maintaining stock peg placement. Further cosmetic enhancement came from glassbead blasting the foot controls, sidestand and top triple-clamp to erase evidence of age. The wheels and shock spring were also treated to a blue powdercoating that ties in nicely with the bike’s graphics treatment.
CW Assistant Art Director Brad Zerbel worked up the unembellished design on his computer, then the Adobe Illustrator file was e-mailed over the internet to Tapeworks, a company specializing in vinyl graphics for bikes and helmets. Tapeworks perfectly matched our design for the stripes and oversized Suzuki logos.
Next, I enlisted the service of Bob Verilli, a painter located a few blocks from the CW office who specializes in
high-end custom Harleys. Although Verilli generally turns away low-dollar work, he offered to help us demonstrate my version of “the poor man’s paint job.” Starting with a set of lightly sanded Maier white-plastic bodywork, Verilli applied a coat of Snowhite Pearl topped with a layer of clear urethane. The simple two-step process may look like a million bucks, but can be accomplished for about $400 if you shop around. Verilli’s partner, Don Q Striping, applied the Tapeworks graphics over the clearcoat. We were hard against deadline, so immediacy won out, but with a bit of patience, you can easily apply the vinyl on your own. Tapeworks includes detailed instructions and practice pieces with every kit.
Sharp-eyed readers with a calculator in hand probably have already noticed that the total cost for parts and
services approaches $6000. While my bike doesn’t exactly represent the bargain blaster we had originally intended it to be, keep in mind it was whipped from years of racing and needed more attention than your average used GSX-R750.
So, here’s the bottom line: A clean ’88 or ’89 model sells for maybe $3000; spend another $2000 for the big-bore treatment, pipe and jet kit, and you’ve got a bike that can hang with today’s 750s and 900s. Later, if needed, update the suspension and brakes, or add a wider rear wheel, maybe even splurge for a new paint
job. With such upgrades, the GSX-R need never go out of date-proof that when it comes to sportbikes at least, old age is just a state of mind.
•]`~1 .1
AFAM USA Inc. 5953 Engineer Dr. Huntington Beach, CA 92649 714/379-9040 #520 chain and sprocket kit: $221 Air Waves Custom Paint 1835 Whittier Ave., Suite B-3 Costa Mesa, CA 92627 714/650-7812 Paint and prep: $700 American Performance Engineering P.0. Box 6998 Burbank, CA 91510 818/842-4952 Engine covers: $130/set Clean Racing USA 2980 McClintock Way Costa Mesa, CA 92626 714/957-3920 Fork rebuild: $90 (parts & labor) Fork springs: $70 Hard anodize treatment: $100 Don Q Striping 1835 Whittier Ave., Suite B-3 Costa Mesa, CA 92627 714/631-9222 Graphics application: $150 Dunlop Tire Corp. 200 John James Audubon Way Amherst, NY 14228 716/639-5200 120/70ZR17 Sportmax II GP: $169 180/55ZR17 Sportmax II GP: $230
Dynojet Research Inc. 200 Arden Dr. Belgrade, MT 59714 406/388-4993 Jet kit: $116 Adjustable timing advancer: $80 Franx Machine Worx 430 E. 170th St. South Holland, IL 60473 708/339-2601 Cylinder prep and piston kit: $995 Fox Factory 3641 Charter Park Dr. San Jose, CA 95136 408/269-9201 Shock rebuild: $67 (parts & labor) K&N Engineering Inc. 561 Iowa Ave. Riverside, CA 92502 909/684-9762 Air filters: $63 Kosman Specialties 55 Oak St. San Francisco, CA 94102 415/861-4262 Widen rear wheel: $375 Maier Manufacturing Inc. 416 Crown Point Circle Grass Valley, CA 95945 916/272-9036 Fairing: $320 Tailsection: $157 Front fender: $53 Windscreen: $54
Micron Performance Exhaust 2360 Ogden Ave. Downers Grove, IL 60515 888/963-1212 Stainless steel/carbon-fiber exhaust system: $699 Olympic Powdercoating 2737 S. Garnsey St. Santa Ana, CA 92707 714/979-2720 Wheels: $45 each Shock spring: $15 Russell Performance Products 225 Fentress Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32114 904/253-8980 Front brake lines: $69 Slater Brothers P.0. Box 1 Mica, WA 99023 509/924-5131 Brembo rotor kit: $590 with pads Tapeworks Graphics 9400-13 Ransdell Rd. Raleigh, NC 27603 919/557-7313 Custom graphics: $323 Yoshimura R&D of America 4555 Carter Ct. Chino, CA 91710 909/628-4722 Rearset footpegs: $195
