Yamaha R1

Steve Jenks has spent £11,000 tweaking his Yamaha R1

The roll call of his added extras is pretty impressive but he reckons he’s done it on the cheap. At full cost the total would have been over £20,000.

He says: ” I shopped around and looked in the parts for sale in Bikemart to get deals. It’s amazing what you can find second-hand, unused – things people bought for their specials but never used. ”

” I do an ordinary job with an ordinary salary. I’ve done this over a period of two or three years when I could afford it. I don’t go out every weekend pissing my money up the wall either – I save it for this. ”

The bike is more than a pampered trinket. It does around eight track days a year – when it wears standard bodywork rather than the special stuff – and it gets used on the road. He says: ” The engine work has given me 168bhp at the back wheel, while it’s down to 164kg. It handles well, it’s reliable and it draws a crowd wherever I go. I like riding it but I also like having something that nobody else has got. ”

Steve’s tweaks:

Ram-air system and airbox, dyno set-up, lightweight race crankshaft, titanium conrods, Scorpion full exhaust system, Forks revalved by Maxton, with heavier oil and stiffer springs, Adjustable yokes, Penski rear shock – £500, Dymag wheels – £750, Harris GP500 swing-arm – £1,500, PFM brake system, front and rear – £1100, Ram-air pods on forks to cool calipers, QB Carbon race tank – £600, Boss single seat unit – £300, Single headlight conversion, Paint job – £750, Harris rear set footpegs, Double bubble screen, Quickshifter – £250, Harris steering damper.