Here are some pictures of my damaged steed:

The front left side is pretty much demolished. We were unable to salvage anything from the front at all. The head of the bike was literally stuck underneath the back of the car I hit.

The fairing stay was bent and twisted. Maybe we can find a place in the city to have them bend it back into shape.

The front fairing is cracked and pieces are missing so there is no super-gluing it back together.

The left turn signal pretty much disintegrated upon impact with the asphalt. No saving anything there.

Now onto the rest.

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As I mentioned last month, I have done two oil changes, following Moto Tune’s break-in procedure, on my Gsxr since rolling it off the showroom floor. I did one at 20 miles, to get rid of all those shavings that don’t allow for proper ring/cylinder break-in; and one at 200 miles. All of these miles were ridden with variable loading and engine unloading. This meant that I never kept the engine steady at 6000rpm like the dealer suggests, but rather always accelerating or engine decelerating. This is so that the cylinder walls are not glazed (which curiously is done by holding the revline steady). The manufacturer’s suggested method tends to overheat the cylinder walls and create thin films which never allows for the rings and cylinders to fit perfectly. So next time your Sale Associate over revs the bike at the stealership, don’t cringe. They are actually doing you a favor, and starting the proper break-in process. Once the bike has reached 200 miles you can start revving the bike closer and closer to the rev-limiter.

After I hit 200 miles, I was ready for some modifications. Nothing better than a box full of parts from OFD Racing. I started first with the Spanish-made Puig Windscreen. It was a fairly easy installation, but the real pleasure was the aerodynamic effect it presented at high speed cruising. Due to the slight double-bubble, it allowed for a more comfortable riding position. The released head weight and neck stress was well worth switching from stock. It even had the Gsxr logo tastefully printed on the bottom of the screen.
Next up was the Shogun Frame Sliders and Spools, also from the good folks at OFD Racing. These pieces required no cutting and no drilling, just remove the fairings and a couple bolts and you’ll be ready roll. Fortunately, I have not had to fully test these on a slide.

Next I had the boys at the office help with 45-tooth sprocket by Driven installation. The guys at OFD Racing suggested it for improved torque and touchier wheelies. Perhaps we drank too much, but this mod took the longest time as it required the rear wheel, brake caliper and chain to be removed. The sprocket was a perfect fit for the stock 525 chain and required only slack adjustment. The black powder-coated sprocket complemented the overall “stealth look” the of the bike.

OFD Racing also threw in a carbon-look rear hugger for my 600 by Puig. Not a bad piece, but doesn’t really do much for the bike. In fact, the aluminum inserts creates an uncomplimentary flash against the black bike.

Unfortunately, after all these mods where installed and a couple miles of testing, my pride and joy was stolen from outside IPM’s office. It was taken on Saturday, December 16th between 11:30am and 1:30pm. Any information provided will be greatly appreciated. We’ll see what happens, but for now, I am bikeless.

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The Honda XR650R has Acerbis handlebar handguards, Acerbis headlight, and Pro Taper Handlebars.