Telescopic forks have change into the de facto resolution for bike entrance suspension, however most main producers have dabbled in various designs in some unspecified time in the future. Yamaha had the GTS1000 within the 90s—a sports activities tourer with a entrance swingarm setup that was vaguely much like hub centered steering.
The GTS1000 wasn’t an enormous vendor when it launched, however nowadays it scores mega factors for being uncommon and strange. It’s additionally an unlikely donor for a café racer mission. Fortunately that didn’t cease Aki Suokas from tearing into his personal GTS, to create this sharp blue machine.
Aki lives in Finland, and has been driving for the reason that age of 10. He credit his father with not solely instructing him find out how to trip, however igniting his curiosity within the technical aspect of bikes. So he’s been modifying his personal bikes since he took up stunt driving at 16.
Aki has a day job, however he dedicates his down time to motorcycling, and even races within the Finnish ice racing sequence throughout winter. Most of his builds are avenue fighters or race bikes—however he’s not too long ago developed an curiosity in café racers. So when he discovered a 1997 Yamaha GTS1000 in full touring trim, panniers included, his mind went wild.
“I wish to construct bikes that aren’t just for present,” he says. “I all the time need to construct a motorcycle you can trip.”
“From the start it was clear I need to construct a café racer-style bike from this. Anyway, I didn’t know what the bike would appear to be when it was prepared. I had no clear imaginative and prescient at first—or, extra accurately, the one factor that was clear, was that I needed to suit some form of particular wheels, and a single-sided swingarm.”
High of Aki’s listing was a transforming of the GTS1000’s already distinctive suspension. He needed the entrance finish to sit down decrease—however modifying the swingarm-centric system referred to as for some intelligent engineering workarounds. Ultimately, he needed to ditch the OEM steering hyperlink, and exchange it with a sequence of chromoly linkages and ball joints.
A modified Suzuki shock does responsibility up entrance, with the single-sided swingarm (and shock) from a Honda VFR800 put in on the again.
The wheels are notably attention-grabbing: they’re matching 17” aftermarket automotive components, modified to suit the Yamaha. Aki wrapped the rear in a chunky 200/50-17” Mitas tire, which might have been far too broad for the entrance finish.
His resolution concerned reducing the middle out of the entrance wheel, and mating it to the outer rim from a Yamaha FZR1000. The 2 components are bolted collectively by way of a particular mounting ring, welded to the FZR aspect. The association additionally retains the GTS1000’s six-piston entrance brake caliper.
Aki tore into the bike’s body too, liberating it of any superfluous attachment factors and eradicating the rear part. Subsequent, he fabricated a brand new subframe, rear shock mounts, fairing mounts for the entrance, and a brand new entrance fender and brackets.
As if that wasn’t sufficient work already, this GTS is kitted with a plethora of tailored physique components. Among the bits are generic aftermarket objects—however nothing’s made its manner onto the Yamaha with out intensive mods.
Up entrance is a modified aftermarket café racer fairing, geared up with a 5 3/4” LED headlight. Out again, Aki tweaked an off-the-shelf tail part to suit the bike, including a slim seat pad and a Frenched-in Highsider LED taillight.
Sitting between the 2 is a customized gas tank association that’s so properly executed, it appears prefer it got here from the manufacturing facility. Aki began by reducing and shutting the inventory gas reservoir to shrink it; it holds half the gas it did earlier than, however he’s not planning to tour with the GTS. Then he lower open a 1984 Suzuki GSX1100 tank, which he stretched, widened and trimmed to match the body, earlier than becoming it as a tank cowl.
The remainder of the construct is a well-judged laundry listing of add-ons. Aki put in braided stainless-steel brake hoses, a modified Yamaha YZF1000 Thunderace radiator, and rear-set pegs from a Suzuki Hayabusa. There’s additionally a Lighttech fuel cap, a set of Fehling drag bars, Ermax LED flip alerts and a Motogadget speedo.
The dual-outlet exhaust muffler comes from one other bike too, but it surely appears prefer it belongs right here. It’s off a Kawasaki Z1000, and is mounted to a set of customized headers to tuck it in beneath the bike.
All informed, it’s a formidable rework of an unlikely bike. Remarkably, Aki did many of the work himself, outsourcing among the specialised welding and machining jobs to associates. He had assist with the paint too—Kuusaan Automaalaamo Oy shot the blue bits, Whereas Tmi Heikki Jarvenpaa did all of the black coatings.
“Ultimately,” says Aki, “this bike was constructed with simply pure instinct, whereas working and dwelling a so-called ‘regular’ life.”
We by no means would have imagined that the oddball GTS1000 would make for a great café racer. Aki’s not solely confirmed that it may be carried out, however that it may be carried out properly.
Aki Suokas Instagram | Pictures by Juho Vainonen
