Flaked Out ’85 Suzuki Bobber

The inspiration for building this bike came from seeing the bikes my brother Luke had been building. I didn’t know what I wanted at first, my only requirements were that it would be 650 cc LAMS approved, custom and different.

AFTER A COUPLE of weeks of looking for a bike to start with we found a stock 1985 Suzuki GR650. After getting the bike to the shop it was quickly stripped down to just a roller so work could begin. I was unsure whether to hardtail it or change the centre monoshock to traditional style side-mounted suspension but a flip of a coin decided it for me so the cutting began.

The only original parts left on the bike are the engine, forks and wheels.

The upright oil tank is actually a dummy oil tank and is used to hide all the electronics.

The frame was stretched 4 inches and dropped 3 inches.

The seat-pan was handmade to suit the shape of the bike and hand tooled by Mark the Leatherman.

At first the exhaust was built out of mild steel and we planned on wrapping it but Luke decided the bike deserved better so he took it upon himself to cut it off and start again. The second time it was all done in stainless steel left with exposed welds and heat stains.

The fuel tank is an aftermarket Cole Foster tank with different mounting points and an external fuel sight gauge up front.

The handlebars were made to fit where the risers used to bolt through with hollowed out mounting bolts so all the wires could still run internally.

Nathan did a great job on the paint consisting of a flaked-out frame with gold candy on top. Tank and guard have matching gold flake, cream and copper leafing in the ‘85’ on the sides of the tank. The motor, carbies and many other parts where painted with a contrast of gloss and saturn blacks.

All the copper plating was done by Joe at Nerang Chrome; it looks great and gives a nice touch to the bike.

The original wiring loom was binned and completely rewired with it all running internal and out of sight thanks to Glen who did an amazing job.

The bike rides great, very smooth, reliable, and I take every chance I get to ride it!