There are mornings when you wake up without knowing that when you go back to bed that same night, your head will not stop thinking about it. Suzuki GSX-R1100 Slabside that the British specialist Haxch Moto has just been presented to society. A preparation of those that leave a bittersweet taste when you know them, basically because we cannot admire them in our private garage, but at the same time it raises the hope that there are still true Petrolhead lovers of two wheels and good taste.
As always, our friends at Bike Exif are the first to report on work of this kind. Professionally, we had not yet met this London specialist, and we will now be following him with pleasure, keeping an eye on his new projects.
Specifically to Marc Bell, the visible head of Haxch Moto, who explains that: “My obsession with track riding and racing classic bikes has led me to specialize in this niche of building classic sports bikes with racing heritage, for both track and road use.”
Suzuki GSX-R1100 Slabside by Haxch Moto in detail
This 1988 Suzuki GSX-R1100 Slabside is the result of a consultation made by a Swiss follower, Ossi, to Marc himself. The latter comments on the anecdote: “The build started with an enquiry from Ossi, a lad from Switzerland who had wanted a Slabside since he was a child. He was fascinated with them when they came on the market in 1986 and now, aged 50, decided it was time to commission his own custom Slabside.”
Continued: “Ossi had seen a previous Haxch Moto and wanted one of his own. The idea was to keep the classic, race-inspired styling, but make it a subtly standout build, with all possible performance upgrades to make it as light and sleek as possible. I build a lot of bikes for racing and track use, so I went straight to suspension and brake upgrades.”
For those who don’t know, the first generation of the GSX-R1100 is known as “Slabside” or simply “Slabby”. The nickname comes from the large plastic panels that covered the sides, under the seat. The English word Slab (slab, plate, board) refers to this detail so characteristic of the model.
The main idea at the time of this preparation was that the bike had to continue looking a look classicbut be as efficient and effective as possible on the road. To achieve this, Marc made a series of modifications around this concept, also including a host of new, higher-performance components, including:
- Dymag wheels
- Maxton Suspension
- Domino Fast Accelerator
- HEL clutch and brake levers
- Brembo M4 calipers installed on custom mounts
- Flatslide carburettors
- Yoshimura Full Exhaust System
- New fiberglass fairings
- New LED lighting and turn signal kit, etc.
In addition, the frame and swingarm were reinforced, while the rear end was designed and handcrafted from aluminium, also housing a hidden passenger seat. Marc comments:
“I cut up the stock subframe (which is welded), welded new aluminium brackets to the main frame and then fabricated a new aluminium subframe to raise the ride height and support the new rear unit. I designed the rear unit out of cardboard and then fabricated the final version from aluminium sheet, using the English wheel and various traditional sheet metal working techniques to shape the panels, before TIG welding them together.”
The engine was also opened and rebuilt with original components, and a Dynatek Dyna 2000 ignition kit was fitted. A keyless M-Unit electrical system and a Koso clock complete this very special preparation. GSX-R1100 Slabside. To top it off is the hypnotic color scheme by Dream Machine and the upholstery work carried out by Baz Kay, which put the finishing touches on a dream project.
