Yoshimura is opening up their race shop to everyone, just bring your money and step right up. If you think you can handle the same bike that Mat Mladin races, just build your own GSX-R1000RR from off the shelf parts. Even better, it seems we’ll see a ready made bike showing up in, or at least being offered through dealers.
When Buell introduced their 1125RR, there was considerable disagreement over interpreting rules to allow the fully assembled race only motorcycle to compete in American Superbike. Mat Mladin, among many others, wasn’t pleased over the flexible rules allowing the non street legal bike into the series. Yoshimura dug into their parts list and modified a 2009 GSX-R1000 into the most race ready bike possible while still keeping it street legal. (Well, street legal might be stretching the words a bit, but that’s what they say.) The GSX-R1000RR is the result and, though no price was quoted, it’s going to be expensive, but if you want one and have the cash, it’s yours.
Allowing the Buell 1125RR to race opened the doors to the possibility of other similar bikes being offered by other manufacturers sliding in under the same ruling. It certainly didn’t take long for this bike to appear and it wouldn’t be surprising to see more examples from the Honda or Yamaha camps. Of course, you still need someone who can ride one of these like a Mat Mladin but, whoever puts one on the grid, won’t be able to complain about not having a bike that can run up front.
This GSX-R1000RR is certainly heavy artillery and it looks good but this has the makings of an arms race. After all the dust settles, will things be better, more expensive, more complicated or what? Interesting.
Specs:
Suzuki GSX-R1000RR
Engine:
YRS ST-R Type R Cams (High-Lift Longer-Duration Camshafts)
YRS High-Compression Head Gasket (Raised Compression to 13.8:1)
BMC Race Air Filter
Yoshimura EM Pro w/ Quick-Shifter and Harness (mapped for pump gas)
Yoshimura R77 Titanium / Carbon-Fiber Full System
Suspension/Chassis:
YRS Swingarm-Pivot Insert (+2mm)
YRS Rear-Suspension Linkage (159MM)
YRS Extended Fork-Cap Kit (gives additional 25MM of front ride-height adjustment)
YRS Showa “KIT” Rear Shock w/ YRS Race Spec Valving
YRS Race-Spec Fork Valving
Brakes:
Galfer Stainless-Steel Braided Brake Lines: Front (Smoke)
Galfer Stainless-Steel Braided Brake Lines: Rear (Smoke)
Galfer 1375 Front-Brake Pads
Misc:
YRS Chassis Protector (New style w/ Decals)
YRS Rear-Stand Spools
YRS Case-Savers Kit
YRS Bar-End Kit
Yoshimura R&D Graphics
Link: Yoshimura via HellForLeather and CycleNews
rashomon says
By no means is the Yosh bike street-legal in the sense it could be legally sold by a manufacturer for street use. It would meet neither noise nor emissions regulations. Nor is there much chance that AMA Pro Racing will approve it as the basis for a homologation bike. They appear willing to let Buell and Aprilia and other relatively small manufacturers have a few exceptions to the rules (as allowed by the TIF process which is part of the rules) to become somewhat competitive (such as the forged wheels and the carbon-fiber fuel cell on Chaz Davies’ Aprilia DSB bike to get the weight down to the class limit), but they’re not going to give similar exceptions to the company that has won a record number of Superbike races over the last 4 years. The high-lift camshafts mentioned for the Yosh bike wouldn’t be allowed on the currently homologated GSX-R1000 Superbike, and anything that makes the Suzuki dramatically faster isn’t likely to be approved.
Kenny says
Hmm…I wonder could Suzuki and Yoshimura turn into a BMW and M division style duo. Suzuki creates the street friendly version and then Yoshi tears up the design jumps up and down on it, douses it in race fuel sets it on fire and then completely redesign the bike as a no-holds-barred race machine on the street. The end result is then sold through Suzuki dealers as an official Suzuki product with the Yoshi logeo blazoned somewhere like an M badge.
hoyt says
CARB & Jesse James came to mind when I read this post.
—
The AMA, DMG, and Speed Channel are increasingly ignorant and incompetent with respect to road racing. What they are doing and not doing for moto road racing is very unfortunate and a despicable waste. A waste of $ spent, a waste of rider talent, & a waste of missed $ opportunities.
*I don’t agree that the latest Buell situation is as bad as the XBRR embarrassment, but it is very odd to have a liquid-cooled 1125cc machine racing against 600 cc bikes from both the Buell perspective & the race series perspective.
nobody says
Keep in mind that Aprilia is also running liter sized twins in the same Daytona SportBike class along with Buell and the 600s. The Buell RR and the above bike aren’t for Daytona SportBike.
Does anybody remember the Muzzy Raptor?
I don’t see why the above bike wouldn’t be DOT. It might not be CARB, but who cares about that market.
Oh yes – Yoshimura has been doing this for decades. Anyone remember the first generation GSX-R “Tornado”? Or the same era’s LTD edition 750 from Suzuki – with dry clutch and all that?
Not American SuperBike class ready, but there’s this from Yoshimura (Japan):
http://www.yoshimura-jp.com/en/complete/1135r/index.html
NCR has been doing Ducs for ages – Krauser used to sell spiffy neato R100 based BMWs with 4 valve heads and space frames (some were raced in BOTT) too long ago, Moriwaki has been selling kitted CBR600s and other racers for a long time, etc……
No, I do not believe the ‘R’RR is even close to ASB specs…..
jeff says
pretty much everything on that bike (including the cams) shows up on the current AMA eligible equipment list:
http://admin.amaproracing.com/assets/ASB_Eligible_Equipment_List.pdf
…just like the 1125RR, it is a bike that is delivered with the approved parts already installed, thus, it should be legal….
todd says
I doubt they are EPA compliant either. It is illegal to make any modifications to a DOT and EPA regulated vehicle where such modifications would result in a change of DOT approved equipment, performance, or emissions (tires and noise included). This is strictly a “closed course” competition bike only. It is not street legal in any US state.
That said, I think there is a fine line between a factory race bike and a kitted-for-race bike. For all intensive purposes it sounds like the Buell bike is a factory race bike, all modifications are done by the manufacturer, to the manufacturers spec. Allowing a 3rd party upfitter such as a Muzzy or Yoshimura to build a bike to their own spec is not the same thing as doing the mods at the factory, regardless of where the bike is sold.
-todd
hoyt says
“The Buell RR and the above bike aren’t for Daytona SportBike.”…yep, I realize the 1125RR is for the Superbike class, not the Sportbike class. I was raising 2 separate issues
1. the Sportbike class being very odd with the 1125R racing against the 600’s
2. the latest ‘controversy’ of the 1125RR being allowed in the Superbike series. This is not as bad as the XBRR’s yellow&blue being allowed to race.
Ry_Trapp0 says
i think the rules are just being written in the completely wrong fashion. you will never have equal competition(where any manu can win) when you use a rule structure that just deals with the basics and the ‘in general’s. it should be treated like touring car racing, on a bike-by-bike basis. allow these 2 manus to do this, but not these 3 other manus since it would give them a major advantage, make some changes to the specific rules for each manu throughout the season to make sure one manu doesn’t run away with the championship or that one manu isn’t completely left behind because they aren’t competitive.
i mean, you can’t have both a ‘basic layout/in general’ type of rule structure, then give only a specific handful of manus some exceptions, like in the ‘bike-by-bike basis’ type of rule structure, it just isn’t fair in any way. one or the other, and i’m a big fan of ‘the other’ just because it makes for some great racing!
Les says
I can’t see the, erm, fine people at DMG allowing this. I’m sure they will all of a sudden find the missing rule book.
Props to yosh for keeping them honest!
OMMAG says
Well there is one thing about this bike that might be good for a lot of people.
It’s like a how to demostration for improving you ride.
Thanks Yosh….
nobody says
Hoyt,
I agree more than I’m letting on. I can’t visualise Ducati trying to grow their status by entering the 1098 or even their Streetfighter in Daytona SportBike.
What I do find funny about all of it is just how many racing parts alleged street legal race bikes need.
Can you imagine what would happen if the powers that be dictated that everyone in motocross (and all of its variations) had to race on street based bikes? I would love to see the BS of “street bike” roadracing come to a halt and see the return of purpose built production racers. There are plenty of companies that can build & sell them, even of the factories won’t.
But that’s my wishful thinking.
Clive Makinson-Sanders says
Who do I sell my soul to for that Katana 1135r? Its available. Even trade.
Jar says
I wish Yosh/Suzuki would push this argument further – because as Jeff points out above, the Yosh list of goodies is all eligible under current rules for Superbike.
However, clearly, what Buell did to the 1125R in their efforts to make it “competitive” in the Supberbike class did not fit within the existing rule structure, hence the need for the AMA to homologate a “new” vehicle, the 1125RR. From the little we know, such as “larger airbox and intake” and the “Showa 43mm front fork”, the bike as an 1125R failed to comply with the existing rules – but introduce and homologate a “new” model, and suddenly these “changes” are the manufacture’s “stock” configuration.
Reduced weight conecting rods not an acceptable mod for the GSXR? Well, hell, homologate the GSXR-R with unobtainium rods, a lighter crank, new cases with better oiling, Ohlins super stiffy front end, and SHAZAM, you have a new “stock” config for a “new” bike – provided the manufacturer let’s you buy one thru a dealer. I’d like to see them all do it….seems the AMA has opened the door for such fun and games – the Yosh effort only being a small swipe in this direction….
I don’t know if any of you hit Hugh’s link from the previous Buell discussion on this topic, http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=37360, but Ludington’s quotes are worth the read – seems that the AMA may be open to just such jockeying around. Would like to see his comments tested……