Unless you have been on another planet for the past several months you have heard all about the new Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R. You have heard all about its 190 +MPH top speed and the way it destroys every other mass-produced motorcycle in the 1/4 mile. Well this article is not about top speed or 1/4 mile times. It is about customizing the new king of speed.

Late last year after the Suzuki dealer show I heard the first official info on the bike and decided I had to have one. So in October of 1998 off I went to Whites Suzuki and promptly put a deposit down on the first one to arrive. At the time I was riding a 1998 Honda CBR900 with about 115HP. So when I thought of over 150HP from a stock engine I could hardly wait. Finally in May of 1999 it arrived. As soon as it arrived I searched through the various catalogs and Internet sites looking for hop up parts and accessories.

After some careful thought I decided not to spend any of my budget on horsepower since I already had 15-20hp more than the nearest competitor anyway. Besides the bike will break the legal speed limit in first gear. So I decided to concentrate on weight reduction, style, and sound.

The first thing I ordered was a set of Two brothers Racing polished aluminum oval cans. They sound great but not too loud. But they do give the Busa a nice low growl worthy of its reputation. As always the fit and finish was great and it was a 15 minute bolt on. Plus I saved about 5-6 lbs. over the stock cans.

Next I wanted to protect that gorgeous copper and silver paint on the tank from the front of my leathers. I looked at various tank pads and bras. But I was never really happy with the styling and color. So I called on Second Look they produce several products for the Hayabusa and I ordered them all. First was a color matched tank bra. I also got the seat covers as well. They really tie the whole paint scheme together as you can see in the photos. I had never recovered a seat before but with a hand stapler and some patience it was a snap.

Next I turned my attention to aftermarket wheels for both style and weight improvements. Since this is a new model many of the traditional wheel producers do not yet have enough information for proper bearings, offsets, etc. Some wheel makers told me normal GSXR750 wheels for 1998-99 models would fit but they could not make any guarantees. Then while attending the Big Kahuna races at Road Atlanta I met a chap by the name of Andrew Wright with Superbike Racing. Since they were a direct importer of Dymags I figured I would ask if they had any wheels that would fit the Hayabusa.

I was shocked when Andrew advised me that ALL of Dymags wheels could be ordered to fit the Hayabusa. They make several styles and material types including 100% magnesium, Magnesium and Aluminum, and a very trick carbon fiber model as well. After lusting over the exceptional workmanship and color choices available I finally selected the 5 spoke 100% magnesium wheel in a gold powder coated color. Though Dymag claims no weight or strength difference between the 3 and 5 spoke models I felt like the 5 spoke looked better and may possibly have better strength for those occasional hard front wheel landings after I botch a wheelie.

Another thing that really surprised me was the short promised delivery date. Considering that Dymags are made in England they still quoted me a 4-week delivery. Some USA based wheel makers were quoting 8 weeks. Once the wheels arrived I also had Andrew lace up a set of the Michelin Race 3 tires on both ends as well. While this is not a tire review I do want to point out that the profile of the rear tires are dramatically different. See the photos below. As you can see the crown of the Michelin is much more heavily biased for the track racer with its steep angles. The stock 56J is flatter with a smaller contact patch at lean.

Just as promised the wheels arrived in 4 weeks and when I opened the box I was impressed all over again. The paint coating is so slick and smooth it looked the paint on a Lexus automobile. The color choice was perfect for the copper Hayabusa as the gold rims now match the gold anodized sections of the front disc rotors and really accent the paint of the bodywork. Since this was the first pair delivered to the USA for a Hayabusa I expected a missing spacer or wrong sized bearing. Using a front and a rear motorcycle stand any home mechanic can do this swap without any assistance. I was really pleased with how complete the Dymag wheel was. It came with all bearings pressed into place, where needed all bolts and washers and the rear wheel even includes a rear sprocket with your choice of ratios. Unlike some aftermarket wheels these also have a full cush drive assembly. Some producers simply bolt the sprocket directly on the wheel and the result is a very harsh jerky power flow to the rear wheel. While the Dymag unit is completely surrounded in rubber you can see in the photos it is not as heavily dampened as the stock cush drive. It is however, far better than none at all which is what most suppliers give you.

I wish I had some installation tips for you but due to complete package and excellent research, no tips are necessary. I did have to remove the left front caliper in order to get it to clear the edge of the rim. So perhaps that is two extra bolts but now I’m really nit-picking. Now for the weight reduction news. Since I ordered the wheels with new tires fitted it is hard to say exactly how much weight was saved. The old tires were a different brand and therefore of a slightly different size and construction and they had about 1150 miles on them they will weigh less. But I can say that the new setup saves AT LEAST 12 lbs. of unsprung weight total. This plus the differences in the worn tires could amount to another pound or so. In summary you may wonder was it worth it?

At $1950 the Dymags are not cheap. But they are WAY cool and now more than ever you will not have to worry about seeing another Hayabusa just like yours.

Now that I have aboard the new tires, I have noticed that the rear shape does make the bike feel much different at 0-15 degree lean. It seems to want to fall into the lean much easier than before with the wider, flatter Bridgestone. The rubber on the Michelin is much stickier both cold and hot. In fact now I have to really work to lock the rear up with brakes where as before a light touch locked it up.

In corners the bike seems much more planted too. Though I have not got to the edges of the tire yet, it seems to feel much less likely to slide around. I can also apply power much sooner out of corners without dirt-tracking the rear. The front never moves. It just goes around anything I point it at. No frills, no thrills.

Overall I am very happy with the Michelin Race 3. If the new pilots are even better Ill be really spolied.

:DS

• Superbike Racing, 912-242-0666, http://www.superbikeracing.com
• Whites Suzuki (Chattanooga TN) 423-499-6000