1991 Suzuki GSX-R 1100 M Restomod Part V
After finding out the hard way (read costly) that the S1000RR shock wouldn’t fit on my 1991 Suzuki GSX-R 1100M Restomod project, I decided it was time to get serious about solving my rear suspension issues.
I had the OEM shock professionally cleaned up and serviced, but when I installed it, everything was wrong. The compression felt like I was sitting on a bag of marshmallows but the rebound felt more like a trampoline.
I knew it had nothing to do with my custom linkage as I have the adjustable dog bones to compensate for the extra length. I needed a new shock and i needed something good.
Some late nights were spent on the net doing extensive research on what route to take and all roads led me to the Nitron NTR R3.
I got on the phone to Mike Meister of Nitron USA and after convincing him that our bike was worthy of such a high spec component he agreed to send one over. Meister had the boys over in England set the shock up for the bike, riding style and my ever-increasing weight.
It was like being fitted for a custom suit. There is something very reassuring about giving your statistics to an engineer of a company as prolific as Nitron, I highly recommend it.
A couple of weeks later my UPS guy Bob pulled up, jumped out the truck, and rushed the package to me in the shop. He wasn’t leaving until he saw what was in the box that had me standing in the driveway waiting for him the last few days. We were not disappointed.
Exquisite CNC machining combined with quality anodizing and the trademark teal colour spring had us both drooling at the mouth.
The moment ruined as Bob asked “what is it ?”
I had the new shock on within a few minutes and checked the sag. Perfect !
Rebound feels spot on too. I guess Nitron’s F1 experience has paid off. These guys know their stuff. All I want to do is take it for a ride but that will have to wait until Chuck Frye is done painting the gas tank.
In the meantime I’ve hooked up the magnificent DynoJet Quick Shifter. Although I’ve ridden many bikes with a quickshift, installing and setting one up is a first for me.
Instructions are easy enough to follow and the aesthetics alone make it well worth the effort. It will be a week or two before I can get gas flowing through to make sure it works properly.
Be sure to check in on the next article when we bolt on the final pieces and hit the blacktop.
For more:
1991 Suzuki GSX-R 1100M Restomod Part I | The Plan
1999 Suzuki GSX-R 1100M Restomod Part II | The Stripdown
1999 Suzuki GSX-R 1100M Restomod Part III | Chassis & Carbs
1999 Suzuki GSX-R 1100M Restomod Part IV | The Startup
