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Custom Suzuki GSX1400 Features Under-Seat Exhaust and Colors Inspired by Old GP Race Bikes

It looks graceful, classy, and quite restrained, yet seriously imposing at the same time.
Custom Suzuki GSX1400 8 photos
Photo: Brandan Trudinger
Custom Suzuki GSX1400Custom Suzuki GSX1400Custom Suzuki GSX1400Custom Suzuki GSX1400Custom Suzuki GSX1400Custom Suzuki GSX1400Custom Suzuki GSX1400
If you’ve got a good memory and regularly tune in to the Custom Bikes section of autoevolution, then you may remember our coverage of Purpose Built Moto’s drool-worthy CBX from a while back. Luke, the client who’d commissioned this project as of 2021, was obviously pretty stoked with how it turned out, putting some considerable mileage on its odo since he was handed the keys.

So fond did the Aussie grow of his bespoke six-cylinder machine that he couldn’t resist the urge to get back in touch with shop boss Tom Gilroy and request another build just one year later. This time around, the chosen donor was a 2008 variant of Suzuki’s GSX1400 family, and things quickly got underway once Luke had made his vision clear to the Purpose Built Moto (PBM) squad.

Tom’s bike-modding connoisseurs deleted all factory bodywork components aside from the fuel tank, then the customization process began in earnest. Deeming an under-seat exhaust to be mandatory, the guys chose to start by fashioning the pipework and let it dictate how the rear-end anatomy should be constructed thereafter.

Only when the plumbing was nearly completed did PBM fabricate the GSX1400’s new subframe, which is made of sturdy chromoly tubing. To raise the southernmost section ever so slightly, they installed three-way adjustable YSS shock absorbers with progressive springs. A hand-shaped aluminum tail unit with integrated LED lighting rounds everything out down south.

Furthermore, seating comes in the form of a curvy solo saddle upholstered in Alcantara by Timeless Auto Trim, and a swingarm-mounted license plate bracket keeps the rear end looking ultra-clean. At the front, there’s a custom headlight nacelle embracing a 4.5-inch LED illumination module, which is actually just the high beam.

Acting as the low beam are two projector lights perched atop the motorcycle’s oil cooler – a most unique and equally interesting setup. Peek up at the cockpit area, and you’ll see a Daytona Velona-W gauge incorporating both the speedo and tachometer into a single instrument cluster.

The bike’s handlebar comes equipped with a Domino throttle, Purpose Built’s proprietary switchgear, and premium Brembo levers, as well as a pair of aftermarket blinkers, fitted right below the hand controls. Before moving on to the final stage, which was the paintwork, Tom and his crew added a handsome front fender from the workshop’s very own bolt-on catalog.

As for the intricate paint job, it drew inspiration from Suzuki’s vintage GP racing liveries of the sixties and was executed by PopBang Classics. Luke wanted the wheels to be painted white, and PBM happily obliged, applying the same treatment to the machine’s chain guard and fork lowers. Now, Tom Gilroy says, “the only thing better than looking at the bike is riding it,” and we don’t doubt his words for a single second!
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About the author: Silvian Secara
Silvian Secara profile photo

A bit of an artist himself, Silvian sees two- and four-wheeled machines as a form of art, especially restomods and custom rides. Oh, and if you come across a cafe racer article on our website, it’s most likely his doing.
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