Suzuki GSX-R750 Project Bike

Project Suzuki GSX-R750 Stage 1

Ultimate Street-Legal Sportbike: Stage 1

The plan was simple: Make a full-on, race-ready Heavyweight Superbike, but make it docile enough to be an everyday street bike. Okay, maybe not so simple. Typically a race bike is finicky, idles high, runs hot when not at speed, etc.; not very conducive to street use. But what sportbike, street or trackday rider doesn’t dream of owning a superbike that can be ridden to the coffee shop every Sunday? That’s just plain cool. So, we did it anyway! Well, Grant Matsushima at MPT Racing did it for us. In our recent do-it-all sportbike shootout the Suzuki GSX-R750 came out on top by virtue of its incredible all-around capabilities both on the street and racetrack. But we all would have liked some additional
power. This is where Matsushima first came into the equation. Originally consulted to build a “street-able superbike engine,” he quickly jumped at the task of building the entire motorcycle, leaving us to simply gather the parts needed. Thanks, Grant!

KR Tuned exhaust and an MPT Racing engine highlight some of the upgrades.

Engine-wise, Matsushima went to town on the 749cc powerplant, changing out to ’07 GSX-R cams and decking the head; plus a host of other black-magic engine-builder secret stuff, with the end result being horsepower numbers well above 150 at the rear wheel. Exhaust gasses are now spent via a one-off, handmade MPT system that features an interchangeable muffler design. Option One, the MotoGP option: Straight, slash-cut end pipe, and while extremely loud, it sounds amazing – straight up GP bike for the street. Option two: Simply remove one clamp and bolt up a KR Tuned muffler, which takes it back down to normal street-legal sounds, even featuring a quiet-baffle insert to bring it to nearly stock dB levels. All this from a reliable, street-able motorcycle!