Greg Ferenstein's Spondon-Equipped GSX-R750—From The Archive

The devil in the blue dress

This article was originally published in the June 1996 issue of Sport Rider.

It's hard to imagine that a motorcycle like Ducati's once-exclusive 916 could become almost commonplace. But head to a popular gathering of sport bike nuts and chances are you'll see a half dozen of them. CBR900RRs everywhere. CBR600s scattered like furniture. Most of all, though, you'll probably spot countless Suzuki GSX-Rs in various states of modification. Wandering through this sea of plastic, polished aluminum and bar-end mirrors, it's hard to find a bike that grabs your attention—stops you in your tracks. It takes something special to stand out from the crowd—something like Greg Ferenstein's Spondon-equipped GSX-R750.

Where’d he get those mirrors? They’re off an IndyCar and look so sano. The Yoshimura clip-ons hold a bicycle speedo (good for up to 100 mph) on one side and a Yosh quarter-turn throttle on the other. The ignition switch is lifted from a Yamaha Seca II.Photography by Jim Brown

Ferenstein, a mechanic from Orange, California, has been building this bike over the past few years, and his perseverance has yielded an extraordinary creation. When he started, Greg had a spare 1986 GSX-R750 Limited engine, and he wanted a special package to wrap around it. The Limited differed from the standard 750 with a dry clutch replacing the oil-bathed unit and a magnesium countershaft cover complementing a host of other chassis and cosmetic mods. But Ferenstein had no use for the rest of the chassis. He had something special in mind—ELS.

The engine is the only part of the original Limited that made its way onto Greg’s Suzuki. Ferenstein didn’t bother with internal engine modifications, instead concen­trating on making the bike extremely light, compact and, most of all, unique.

Ferenstein rerouted the wiring through the frame tubes and onto a plate located under the fuel tank. Every connection is labeled and completely out of sight with the tank strapped in place.Photography by Jim Brown

Spondon Engineering in England had just the thing to make the Suzuki stop the casual observer—a bolt-on aluminum swingarm in traditional Spondon fashion. The right side consists of two aluminum tapered, “banana-type” tube sections, the left a box-section main and a single-tube brace. Spondon creates beautiful chassis pieces, and each weld on Ferenstein’s special addition has been painstakingly applied. And best of all? It bolts on with no modifications required.

Obviously, the swingarm is what catches most people’s attention, but half of what makes Ferenstein’s bike so unique are the minor details that take a keen eye and some close inspection to uncover. A 17-inch Marchesini wheel—with a standard ’86 GSX-R rotor bolted on—slips in between the Spondon rear arm. Pinching that rotor, however, is a Nissin caliper off a TZ250, which Ferenstein chose for its light weight and lessened braking power.

An ’86 GSX-R750 Limited engine provides the power wheelies, but it remained untouched save the addition of a bank of Mikuni flat-slide carburetors that were original equipment on the Canadian 750; Power Sports billet case covers and a ’91 GSX-R curved oil cooler with steel-braided lines complete the package. Poggipolini aluminum bolts were used throughout.Photography by Jim Brown

Going against the accepted mod practice of stuffing an 1100 engine into a 750 chassis, Ferenstein found an 1100 frame and decided that the added bulk would be offset by its increased strength. A ’91 1100 fork revalved by White Brothers slips through Yoshimura triple clamps, and Ferenstein thoroughly cleaned up the instrument cluster by mounting the tach in a single aluminum bracket. A small oil-pressure indicator light resides just below the tach.

To match the exclusivity of the Spondon swingarm, Greg found yet another rare piece to bolt in place: an aluminum Yoshimura Tornado fuel tank, complete with a quick-release strap and 6.3-gallon capacity. Need to get to the carbs? You’re there in about 15 seconds. To finish off the package, ’89 Limited Edition “RR” (sold in Canada) Air Tech bodywork was fitted, with a Yosh superbike seat boasting an enclosed underside bolted onto the custom aluminum subframe. The blue dress was applied by Patterson Fabrication in Burbank, California.

If there’s one component that draws the most attention to Ferenstein’s GSX-R, it’s the Spondon swingarm that bolts directly onto the stock 1100 frame. A Fox shock handles suspension duties, and the trick rearsets were crafted by MB Fabrication. An unmarked Yoshimura exhaust takes care of spent gases.Photography by Jim Brown

Custom is a word that finds its way into every aspect of Ferenstein’s azure devil. Every piece has been trimmed, tucked and tidied, and the overall look is uncluttered and purposeful. Fully fueled, the GSX-R weighs in at a claimed feathery 380 pounds, showing that each modification has been well planned and developed toward Ferenstein’s goal. And as for the sticker on the fuel tank that reads “ELS: Expensive Lightweight Shit,” well, we beg to differ.

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