"Chasing Sprockets" So we last left our caped crusaders...... oh wait wrong story. As time would have it I never seemed to get satisfied with the style/performance of my bike. My bro just got his 98 TLR and boy now...now we are talking "how much better could they make these bikes?" I thought. After riding his new ride, I fell in love with the big twin engine. Of course he didn't have the bike but a few days before he swapped out the stock cans for a pre-production full stainless race system from Yoshimura, a BMC filter and followed that up with a pretty extensive airbox modification. This was the real deal now. So much fun, sound, and beauty......not really beauty, another bike that Suzuki didn't really 'hit the nail on the head' for me. I guess you don't see it when your riding it, so I can look past that. Still wished they could have made it a bit "sexier" like the TLS. Seems the only person left out in the cold slamming their shifters and bouncing off rev limiters was me. Jason has the new fancy TLR, my buddy Jim upgraded his Bandit 400 to a beautiful green 97 TLS (which was a quick deal after a short ride on it during a ride with the Owner of the shop). Then another buddy had his GSXR1100 stolen (which was recovered about 5 years later) and picked up a brilliant red TLS. And yet another buddy picked up a green TLS. Woe is me! To listen to those sweet sounds every ride Braaaaaap! Around me up the mountain......I can't stand it! I have had enough. I am now sick with disgust, everyone we ride with is pounding the pavement with the beat of these new heavy twins and I have this GSXR I am playing around with. I think I am done. My rides are becoming less fun. The tranny is starting to shift like my old FZ. The bike really needs to scream to go anywhere. My hands are falling asleep and my ass hurts after more than an hour. Yup, I am done. No more playing the game for me. I think I will sell her and concentrate on spending quality time with the wife and our new house. Maybe start a screen printing business. Fix up my truck a bit, ya know, put a lift on it with some nice tires and a nice radio....yea with those big speakers like the other kids have. It was the December of 1998, after weeks of the ad running to sell my 93 600/750 before it was gone. Bought for $5,000 sold for $3,000. It was bound to happen. Vehicles don't appreciate, right? I was just fortunate on the RZ and FZ humph. I'll take my lumps and move on. Now I have the money in my checking account. What to do, what to do, oh, I think I will put that on some bills. Ok now what. Nothing.
Now the spring of 99, and my first attempt at building a streetfighter came along pretty well. With the help of my brother we got the bandit light hooked up (donated by the buddy below, who put a GSXR setup on the B4) and the gauges set on the upper triple.
It was donning a GSXR 600 faux carbon front fender, stock TLR cans, napolean barend mirror, and a custom hacked off rear fender. A friend offered to paint it for free I just supply the paint. (So he can get some practice). After being a bit hasty with the wet sanding and rubbing compound I plastered the new tank stickers on. Something just doesn't seem right. SUZUKI doesn't belong. Nope it means well but just doesn't fit. The more I rode my new bike the more I liked it. No fairing was something to get use to. Seeing the road right below was a bit strange. But, I liked it. Let me say the bike was missing something. Other than the sound coming from the cans that reminded me of a hoover vacuum. It's almost unbelievable how much these things are stifled from the factory. It needed a name, I'm not one for naming things especially when it comes to motor vehicles but this TLR was just screaming at me......What would be more appropriate? How about a nice label depicting the soul that it was reborn with. A quick untimely death and a reincarnation with a wicked heart and plenty of attitude. Yes. I like. SUPERBEAST. It fits. Pulled from the infamous Rob Zombie tune. Yes. I like.
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