Nick O'Kane's Suzuki Cafe Racer

 

Nick O’Kane’s day job is Powersports Sales Manager at K&N Filters but on the weekends he enjoys building Café Racers. His latest build is a 2002 Suzuki TL1000R. The 1000c V-Twin Power Plant is one of the best motors to be produced by Suzuki in the past decades (designed by the GOD of grunt) with Superbike Heritage. So, why use a TL 1000R for a Café Racer? The answer is simple .. Mega Torque, Horse Power & Style at an affordable price!

 

 

"This Yard Built /Café Racer seemed a natural route for this big V-twin! There are still plenty of used TL’s around to be had for small money..! I found a smashed up dog of TL1000 R from Motopia Motorsports in Riverside CA. The bike looked like a swap meet special was covered with dust, scratched and busted fairings!! Once I dumped all the stock fairing/plastic and removed the bent sub-frame the TL has quite nice lines… And because it packs such a heavy punch on the road it is an awesome bike to do a build with." -Nick O'Kane

 

 

"Upgraded parts include the front & rear suspension, this is key in order to get the bike handling better. Removing the rear (window-maker) rotary damper saves weight and with Hyper-Pro offering a fully adjustable rear shock which improves handling vastly… it’s a must!! A set of GSXR 1000 Forks slotted in the stock TL Triple Clamps to help the front end. In the braking department I went for Used R6 calipers and stock rear caliper, EBC Brakes offer great quality rotors & pads. PSR Levers, grips and gas cap replaced the stock parts! Not forgetting rear-sets from VooDoo to replace the stock foot pegs. Fabricated parts, the sub frame, top tree, gauge mount, seat pan was carried out in a back yard shop.. Minimalist Café Racer seat units look great in my view and save weight … Saddlemen offered a custom seat foam and seat cover program, very nice! Powder coated stock frame, swing arm & wheels. Fairing removed, the stock TL wiring harness stretches about 2 miles long… to shorten the harness is nightmare. Days of cutting and soldering later, I was able to fit most of the stock connecters in the Ducati Monster head light unit and tuck under the stock air box area. With Roland Sands Mufflers, the Bike sounds great!! The paint design came to life through Chris Redpath @ MotoGP Werks using a classic “Wes Cooley” race replica colors…

 

A BIG Thank You to the Companies below and the folks at RSD for making this build possible..!!

Air Filter: K&N Filters