Another Super Model Bike

Author : Smith Solace

This is aversion therapy for me, and whether it’ll succeed or not is still very much in question. I’m not quite sure how this happened, but sometimes the biggest pleasures come from unexpected places, so all might not be lost quite yet.



It’s not that I don’t like riding the B-King, I just don’t like being seen riding it. OK, it’s got some quirky issues, and odd characteristics, but there’s nothing massively wrong with it – bar the distinctly comic-book styling. I like understatement, sleeper bikes, and subtlety, which gives you three clues as to why the Bee, and me, are struggling a little.

There are other issues, too. It’s far too easy to find yourself tanking along too fast, with almost no sensation of speed until the clocks hit the banning zone. It’s also surprisingly cramped for such a monolith. The tank traps your legs, and the pillion seat thumps you in your lower back if you dare to shimmy back in the seat. While I’m moaning, I might as well mention the OE Qualifier nastiness too. Bad times.

But all of that pales into insignificance once the exhausts are visible. They really are awful, and a strong indication of why market research shouldn’t always be followed. You see, many, many bikers looked at the prototype and proclaimed undying love, and convinced Suzuki that this was what they wanted.

They didn’t. They just wanted to see if Suzuki were brave enough to build it. Sales have been low in the UK, and there’s little to suggest that 2009 is going to see a sudden influx of interest in the Bee.

So what’s so badly wrong with it? Well, nothing massively or impossibly unfixable, so long as you can live with the size of the tank and side pods.
The tyres need to be changed, the exhausts need to be shown what the inside of a skip looks like, the suspension needs a bit of set-up work, and the tasteless plastic/chrome wrongness on top of the tank needs to be replaced with some carbon fibre.

OK it’s still going to look dodgy, but these things will immediately pull it back into the realms of decency and aesthetic tolerance. It’ll sound a bit better too.

To that end, there’ll be a set of LeoVince Titanium and Carbon Fibre cans replacing the mortar tubes next month, and then I’m going on a serious hunt for some carbon bits to replace the chrome. I’ll also see if Samco do a hose kit, so that the chrome piping can be lost – then I might get the remaining shiny bits powdercoated black.

I’m actually looking forward to this awkward marriage, because I desperately want it to succeed, and that means it’s going to be an interesting journey.