Few things are as satisfying as seeing a beautifully restored classic sportbike. There's just something about the styling of the 1980s that really speaks to me, especially when looked at in contrast to the wild and radical designs of today's crop of performance-oriented machines. Motorcycles like the legendary Suzuki XR69 are definitely a lot simpler to the eyes as opposed to the winglet-laden, ultra-sharp superbikes we have today.
That said, folks with an appreciation for classic superbikes, but don't have the time, budget, and space to acquire one for themselves, can live vicariously through dB Customs' newest creation: a from-the-ground-up tribute to the Suzuki XR69. At a glance, you'd think that this was a restored and customized GSX1100 or equivalent sportbike of the era. However, the folks at dB Customs have gone through the painstakingly meticulous process of building this bike from a mish mash of parts, and making them all work seamlessly together in a machine that looks like it just rolled of the assembly line.
It's called the Spirit of 69, and it pays tribute to one of Suzuki's most popular race bikes. Unlike the original XR69, however, this custom build is powered by a 1,200cc inline-four from a Suzuk Bandit 1200. It also packs some performance-oriented modifications such as a cylinder head from a GSX-R750, the cams of a GSX-R1100, along with new valve springs and a new ignition. A four-into-one exhaust system consists of Yoshimura headers with a Racefit titanium tail pipe.
The 1,200cc engine sits in a custom steel trellis frame made out of aeronautical grade 4130 chromoly steel tubing. Suspension duties are handled by a Öhlins front end sourced from a BMW S 1000 RR. Meanwhile, the bike rolls on fancy 17-inch carbon fiber wheels from Dynamag. Braking duties are handled by radially mounted dual Brembo brakes with 320mm calipers.
As for the overall styling, the bike is wrapped in a bespoke carbon fiber fairing painted to pay tribute to the iconic liveries of Suzuki's race bikes. The front fascia consists of two headlights sourced from a Honda VFR400 NC35. dB Customs seeks to produce ten replicas of the XR69, each of which slightly different from the other.
