1992 Suzuki GSX-R1100

Marco Brendel acquired his 1992 Suzuki GSX-R1100 when it was a couple of years old after it'd been trashed in an accident in the South of France. It seems the original owner loaned it to a pal who then parked it on the hood of a local's Renault. The good news was that Brendel was able to buy the damaged bike cheap. He rebuilt the battered GSX-R into a most respectable streetfighter to tool around on before rebuilding it not once, but twice, over the next two years into the turbo tire-shredder it is today.

There are bolt-on turbo kits available for older sportbikes like the oil/air-cooled GSX-Rs, but you will always find people like Brendel who want to do it all themselves in the backyard shed. Okay, so it's a big shed with a few pieces of basic machinery-certainly none of it expensive CNC mills-but it's in his yard and where Brendel and his son run their small scooter-tuning business for the Netherlands' legions of twist 'n' go teenage two-stroke hooligans. Brendel was a butcher and concrete pourer (or whatever the technical term is for people who pour concrete) before he started tuning scooters and building turbo bikes-so not only are his large and small two-wheelers fast, but the concrete floor in his shed is as level as a pool table.

The original 1992 motor had been blasted into space during one of Brendel's early experiments with very high-boost pressures, so for this third incarnation he rebuilt an early 1045cc GSX-R bottom end and beefed up the original coil spring clutch before fitting a 1216cc Wiseco big-bore kit with turbo-friendly forged pistons. He then fit a Gixxer cylinder head that'd been given the full treatment.

A bigger oil cooler was necessary, and a fully programmable Dyna ignition, coils and leads also seemed like a good idea to keep the spark lit in the face of the storm created by the turbo. Devised by Brendel himself after many years of trial and error, the blow-through turbocharging system uses a turbo unit from a Volvo 850 with a stainless steel exhaust system that features an intricate machined 4-1 collector.

The rest of the bike follows the familiar Gixxer Eurofighter pattern of using the stock frame with a modified subframe to hold the kicked-up replica Ducati 916 seat unit, a small, aggressive-looking headlight fairing (that Brendel borrowed off his son's scooter) and the original fuel tank that he has modified by cutting a hole in the middle and fitting a big oil-pressure gauge.

The stock swingarm also employs an hlins rear shock absorber with the stock '92 Gixxer wheels back and front and the complete original front end-apart from the ABN top yoke kit-with braced aluminum Renthal handlebars and the German-style aftermarket front mudguard.

The Puch "Energy" scooter headlight fairing has been modified to accept a machined stainless steel dash that holds the Koso and Stage 6 digital instrument clusters in the center, flanked by the turbo-boost gauge on the left and the air-fuel mixture indicator on the right. The Ducati seat unit has been modified to accept a row of tiny LEDs on either side that perform the rear turn-signal duties.

Despite using a lot of standard parts, there is a well-finished look to the bike that makes it appear "complete" and not just another old Gixxer with a turbo and a few trick parts. Instead of the usual polish and chrome frenzy, all of the aluminum components have been dulled-down to match the unpolished aluminum turbo inlet and exhaust systems and perfectly complement the simple and subtle eggplant paintwork.

When it comes to horsepower, too much may never be enough, but in the streetfighter-style stakes, less is definitely more. With Brendel's design, subtly still makes a sharp point, and the turbo's hiss leaves no questions about this ride's routine.

The Buyer's Box

1992 Suzuki GSX-R1100

Front end: ABN top yoke with billet aluminum risers and Renthal handlebars, MD-Tuning grips
Rear end: hlins shock
Motor: Suzuki GSX-R1100, 1216cc Wiseco big-bore kit with forged turbo pistons, gas-flowed cylinder head, MD-Tuning turbo system with modified Volvo T5 turbo unit, Samco turbo hoses, modified 1995 Suzuki GSX-R1100 carburetors, K&N air filter, MD-Tuning exhaust, Dyna 2000 ignition system and ignition coils
Paint: N/A
Polish/chrome: N/A
Bodywork: Modified subframe, modified fuel tank with integral oil-pressure gauge, Ducati 916 tail unit, Puch scooter headlight fairing
Accessories: N/A
Other: Modified wiring harness, Puch projector halogen headlights, LED turn signals
Owner/builder: Marco Brendel, MD-Tuning, Holland