SUZUKI 1100 GSXF CAFE RACER

SUZUKI 1100 GSXF 

Before looking as it does today, this 1100 cc SUZUKI had already undergone the ignominy of bad Cafe Racer customization using heat-proofing tape. You’ll surely know what we’re talking about. The tank had been daubed with no less than seven coats of paint! In short, instead of starting out from a totally neutral base with the bike in original condition, we had to deal with what this machine had already been subjected to and start all over again on a new, healthier basis.

Bearing in mind that it belonged to one of our friends, a landscape gardener and huge biking enthusiast, it was difficult not to give this GSXF back a proper look.

We came up with the colour scheme for this project while looking through photos of an XK racing Jaguar. The main colour of this XK was the British Racing Green so typical of British cars at that time. It was fitted with number plates with a cream background that made the whole thing very stylish.

So we used the exact references from the Jaguar paint to obtain these colours that now adorn Miss Suzuki, using the British Racing Green for the main elements of the bike and the cream for the sides of the tank.

A superb bullet-shaped fairing, which its owner Sébastien was very keen on, gives this machine the perfect balance with a rounded seat back, for a highly successful Vintage Racing appearance.

The brandy-coloured leather seat not only gives the rider a good seating, but also sets off perfectly the harmony and the British-ness of this revisited Cafe Racer.

In terms of technical modifications, we had to cut and then reconstruct the rear of the frame and transfer the controls to the feet, which, with bracelet handlebars, offers a real Cafe Racer position.

This machine, which we have completely reconditioned, delights its landscape gardener owner, for both everyday motoring and at meets like Wheels & Waves, where the sober appearance of the whole thing contrasts magnificently with the bewitching throaty roar of the 4-inline cylinders through the two Italian-made Megaton silencers.