Yoshimura Suzuki GS1000 Superbike

by John Ulrich

Look carefully at a competitive onto the valve face and stem tip for with a cure. The race motor is capable
Superbike Production motorcycle and hardness, while an overall nitride treat- of violently changing speeds, both
you'll see that it is much farther ment reduces stem friction within the accelerating and decelerating, creating
removed from its stock street origins Yoshimura nickel-bronze valve guides. waves in the roller cam chain, which
than first glance would indicate. It has Again in the interests of maximum can slightly alter the cam timing and
to be, considering that the bikes reach flow, valve stem diameter is reduced send the valves crashing into the
speeds above 150 mph, comer hard 0.4mm, from 7mm to 6.6mm-the pistons. Modifying the stock automatic
enough to drag engine cases on both narrower stem takes up less room in the cam chain tensioner-which would back
sides, and brakes with enough violence port and allows better flow. out and release tension at speeds above
to lift the rear wheel at comer Heavy-duty valve springs, 10,000 rpm didn't help, even though a
entrances. Still, just how much anodized aluminum retainers and similar modification made to the
different these street special titanium keepers dimensionally Yoshimura 944cc GS750 Superbike
bikes-turned-racers really are isn't identical to Honda keepers from the had kept the cam chain under control.
apparent until you take one apart piece original CB750 (which are larger and Unlike the GS750, the GS1000 doesn't
by piece, asking, questions all the way. shaped differently than the stock have a cam chain idler roller between
That's what we did with the Suzuki keepers) replace the standard the cams, so the Yoshimuras welded
Yoshimura R&D of America Suzuki parts. Instead of the stock valve aluminum plates to the cylinder head,
GS1000 Superbike. It is obvious that buckets with large, adjustment shims machined them flat and installed a
the bike is potent. The Yoshimuras riding between bucket and cam lobe, stock GS750 idler roller in the GS1000
entered it in five AMA Superbike the Suzuki Superbike uses lightweight head. The change required use of a
Production races in 1978; the Suzuki Yoshimura racing buckets with small GS750 cam cover.
led all five and won three, with one dnf adjustment shims located underneath. That modification seemed to
due to an oil cooler failure and another Radical camshafts tend to kick out work in Superbike Production sprint
dnf when the sprocket bolts pulled out stock shims at very high rpm, usually races, but the problem still surfaced
of the rear wheel. The bike is the destroying the cylinder head in the in long endurance events. At the
fastest machine in the class and handles process. That isn't a problem with the 1978 AFM Six-hour, the Yoshimura
well enough to run away from the shim moved underneath the bucket. team was in contention for the win
competition at twisty Sears Point, the What's more, in combination with the when the GS1000 dropped its
toughest track on the AMA circuit. other racing parts, the lighter buckets valves in the fourth hour, again due
After two days of test riding and help reduce valve train weight by 40 to slack in the cam chain.
discussion of the Yoshimura GS1000 percent. The Yoshimuras found chain side
with Pops and Fujio Yoshimura and Yoshimura's own ductile cast iron plates wore into the locked-in-place
chief racing mechanic Suehiro billet camshafts are ground, heat tensioner slippers, reducing tension as
Watanabe, we took the bike back to treated and coated for compatibility the rubber was ground off and the cam
Cycle World's offices and dismantled it with the racing valve buckets. chain smoothed. So the mechanics
for photography and further inspection. Measured at 1mm valve lift (including polished the outside of the chain link
What follows is what we learned: 0.005 in. running clearance), the intake plates with a buffer wheel and abrasive
Pops Yoshimura believes in opens 26' BTDC and closes 56' ABDC, to remove the burrs normally present
extensive cylinder head porting and while exhaust opens 56' BBDC, and after the side plates are stamped out.
polishing. In finished form, his ports closes 26' ATDC. Intake lift is Careful and thorough cleaning in
look more like modern art than a hunk 10.4mm, exhaust lift 9.7mm. solvent afterwards removed abrasive
of machinery. A view into a port Stock Suzuki cam sprockets are still on the chain.
reveals flowing lines and delicate used, but the rubber dampers are The next step was to modify the
shading patterns as light swirls onto the removed and the bolt holes slotted to long slipper which controls the cam
shimmering metal. The object is to allow more precise cam timing. chains forward descent from exhaust
remove flow-reducing, rough cast sur- cam to crankshaft. After machining on
faces and edges and straighten out each side of the face, the slipper only
curved sections. Yoshimura points out contacted the cam chain on the chain
that at 10,000 rpm, the cylinder must rollers, not the side plates.
be filled with a gas/air mixture in just But the modifications to the
0.012 seconds, or 83.3 times per tensionier system that finally gave the
second. Intake port mixture velocity Yoshimura Suzuki enough reliability to
reaches more than 280 mph. Every finish-and win-endurance races came in
turbulence-producing port defect the form of a Kawasaki KZ1000 idler
effectively reduces the port area and wheel, fitted into the cylinder head
decreases flow, and at high-rpm/high - below the intake cam. With that second
port-velocity, small defects are roller in place and the standard rear
significant. slipper tensioner shortened, machined
In his quest for maximum flow on the edges (like the front slipper) and
(and power), Pops increased the size of locked in place, the cam chain was
the valves. A stock GS1000 has 38mm steady and system wear wasn't a
intake valves and 32mm exhaust problem. To accommodate the extra
valves; the Yoshimura GS1000, 39mm rollers, the Yoshimura racing cam
intake and 34mm exhaust. Total valve chain used is one link longer than the
area is thus increased 8.5 percent. Each stock cam chain, 61 links versus the
valve is shaped for better flow at the Cam chain problems plagued the standard 60.
tulip area. Valve face angle is a Yoshimura Suzuki early in the 1978
conventional 45'. Stellite is welded season, and it took time to come up The Yoshimuras use 11.5:1
compression ratio, standard-bore crank pieces at the pressed together damper springs replaced the stock com-
joints. But according to Fujio bination of three heavy and three light
(70mm) pressure cast, two ring pistons Yoshimura, welding the crankshafts damper springs.
with flat tops narrow squish bans and can alter the heat treating and make the There were other problems.
cut-away slipper skirts. According to parts brittle in the area around the weld, Clutch plates slipped, warped, broke.
as well as theoretically affecting The steel driven plates beat grooves
Fujio Yoshimura, the cast piston
crankshaft balance. Thus one might into the aluminum clutch hub teeth, and
expands more evenly than a forged expect that when the Yoshimuras faced with the plates imbedded into the
piston and weighs less (The Yoshimura crank slip problems early-on during clutch hub, the clutch wouldn't
development of their GS1000, they disengage. At Sears Point, the clutch
piston weighs 8.0 oz. compared to 7.5
would solve the problems in a novel lasted on Wes Cooley's Suzuki, but
oz. for a stock Suzuki piston and 8.5 way. failed on Ron Pierce's GS1000 while
for a leading standard bore forged They did. The crankshafts used in he led his heat race. Cooley led the
piston). Because the expansion is Yoshimura Suzukis are built up of final until the rear sprocket bolts pulled
stock Suzuki parts, but are specially out of the Morris magnesium rear
small and even, Fujio says, it is assembled at the Suzuki factory. In that wheel hub, putting Cooley out with just
possible to use very small piston-to- assembly, the male crankshaft parts are three laps to go.
cylinder tolerances (0.0015 in.) and dipped in Suzuki Super Lock (Suzuki's The Yoshimuras installed a
brand name for a strong glue which Suzuki five spoke WM-6 magnesium
minimize blowby and oil consumption hardens only in the complete absence rear wheel originally made for Barry
in spite of the two-ring design. The of air), before being pressed together to Sheene's Suzuki RG500. The Suzuki
slipper piston-skirt design results in a tolerance of less than 0.0012 in. That wheel has more sprocket mounting
fix ended Yoshimura crankshaft bolts-a total of seven spread on a larger
less contact area and less friction
troubles. diameter mounting circle than the
generated. The compression ring is The one exception to the "stock Morris wheel and has a cushdrive as
hard-chromed cast iron. Each wrist pin parts" statement above is the number well. With the new wheel mounted, the
is nitrided to prevent seizure with the one cylinder crankshaft Tsubaki #630 drive chain wouldn't
counterbalancer and alternator taper. clear the rear tire (a Goodyear D 1997
connecting rod small end, and standard The Suzuki cranks used by Yoshimura 3.75- 18 slick), so the left edge of the
circlips are used. are made with a .75-in. shorter taper to tire had to be trimmed slightly with a
While manufacturers of work with a magneto. That allows the razor blade. For 1979, the Yoshimura
alternator cover to be shortened and Suzuki's rear wheel sprocket carrier
forged racing pistons may disagree beveled, the result being improved left was shimmed to allow greater
with the Yosimuras reasons for side cornering clearance. chain/tire clearance.
preferring cast pistons- and many Once the assembled cranks are While the new wheel assembly
received from the factory, Pops ended rear hub failures, clutch
forged pistons are run at the
polishes the counterweights and problems remained with the
recommended clearances as small as connecting rods, being careful not to Yoshimuras to one degree or another
the Yoshimuras 0.0015 in. no one change the balance, then removes all until the day before the Suzuka
traces of abrasives. Eight-Hour endurance race in Japan. A
can argue the fact that the Yoshimura
Besides the cam chain and week of testing yielded nothing but
pistons work well and finish races. crankshaft difficulties, the Yoshimuras disappointment and doubt that the bike
The head gasket used in the also faced clutch problems of various could finish an endurance event.
Yoshimura Superbike is a standard sorts. The first modification was to Finally, Suzuki engineers built a clutch
install heavy-duty racing clutch hub out of steel ' instead of aluminum,
Suzuki part. The Yoshimuras prefer springs. According to Fujio, the and produced a few sets of special
the standard gasket because it is clutch plates. The trick
flexable enough to move with plates-developed for use in an RG500
dry clutch-are coated with paper-fiber
expanding cylinders and cylinder friction material, and engagement tangs
heads, while they believe that solid are formed by folding-over tabs cut
copper racing head gaskets are too thinner than the plate itself. (Stock
tangs are the same thickness as the
inflexible and may lead to gas or oil
plate, and are solid). The folded tangs
leaks. The Yoshimura mechanics dont have a little give to work as dampers.
use any sealers on head gaskets. Those two modifications carried
Worry about matching the day for the Yoshimura Suzuki,
expansion rates of the crankcases, which won the endurance race at
cylinders, and cylinder head also Suzuka and returned to the U.S. to win
motivates the Yoshimura practice of at Laguna Seca without clutch incident
retaining the standard Suzuki cylinder either time.
head studs. Pops feels that the rigidity From the clutch, the GS1000's
and extreme torque applied to heavy power is directed through a Yoshimura
duty aftermarket cylinder studs can close-ratio transmission with
damage crankcases at worst, and hinder chrome-moly alloy gears. Gear teeth
normal expansion at best. GS1000's clutch hub wouldn't have are polish-ground because the hard
The stock Suzuki crankshaft is lasted another lap at Daytona in 1978, material is too tough for machine tools.
pressed together, with five roller main the bike's first victory. The extra loads Standard transmissions are machined
bearings and one ball bearing to take imposed by the racing motor would by gear cutters. Gear dogs are undercut
up lateral thrust. Built-up crankshafts shear off the rivets holding the clutch for more positive engagement, and all
are reliable in standard machines, but basket to the clutch drive gear. Two tolerances are minimal to avoid gear
the pressed-together pieces often slip things were done: The clutch hub slop or drive-line snatch. Internal ratios
out of alignment at extraordinary rpm. securing rivets were increased in size are 33/17 (1.941:1) in first; 30/20
The most common cure is to weld the and strength, and six heavy-duty (1.500:1) in second; 28/23 (1.217:1) in
third; 26/25 (1.040:1) in fourth; and can reduce the effective diameter of a smooth bore. the CRs have good needle
25/26 (0.960:1) in fifth. The retail price carburetor throat. Because the CRs are and main jet accessibility for fast
of the transmission alone is $850. designed for racing use only, the changes at the racetrack-a mechanic
Carburetors are 31 mm engineers who built them were not can rejet the carbs without removing
aluminum-body Keihin CRs. Made for concerned with operation at less than them from the motorcycle.
racing, the CR carbs have smooth bores half-throttle. While a slow-speed The 4-into- I exhaust system is hand-
to eliminate turbulence caused by the circuit is present in the carburetor bent because a pipe made by hand can
protruding jets and fittings present in bodies, there isn't an idle circuit. be built to more precise dimensions
standard carburetors. Such turbulence Besides the large nominal size and with
smoother bends-and thus better exhaust cooling air - the pulsar must be kept
flow-than a machine-bent pipe. The cool to maintain signal accuracy.
Yoshimuras fit different pipes for Ignition timing starts at 14.5 BTDC at
different kinds of racetracks. Longer 500 rpm, advancing to 20' at 2250 rpm,
head pipes produce more low-end and 29.5' at 3000 rpm, 36' at 5000 rpm, and
mid-range power for shorter and tighter 37' at 7000 rpm, which is the point of
tracks like Sears Point, Laguna Seca full advance. The bike is fitted with ND
and Loudon. Shorter head pipes deliver 31EPT racing spark plugs for warm-up
more top-end power and speed for fast and racing at all tracks, with gaps set at
tracks like Daytona and Pocono. The 0.035-0.040 in.
tail section remains unchanged at all All told, the modifications made
tracks. The entire exhaust system is by Yoshimura increase the GS1000's
tucked in so well that it has survived power output to 133.54 bhp at 10,000
crashes without damage, which can rpm and 76.64 ft. lb. of torque at 8000
mean one less thing to fix if the bike is rpm, rneasured at the countershaft
crashed in a heat race or practice before sprocket on the Yoshimura R&D dyno.
the main event. Output readings on one dyno may not
30,000 volts throughout the rpm range match those achieved on another dyno.
The Kokusan Denki CDI ignition and the crank is connected to a black What is important is that the engine
system is powered by a magneto box which will fire across plug gaps of makes more power than its
mounted on the left side of the up to which calculates advance and competition, is plenty fast enough to
crankshaft. A magnetically- triggered triggers 0.060 in. The pulsar is win races, is capable of lasting long
pulsar on the right side of Kokusan protected by the stock points cover, enough to reach victory circle.
Denki coils, which produce which is extensively drilled to admit As expected, all that power produces a
lot of extra heat, and extraordinary spray application and baking, follows turbulence; and holes are drilled into
measures are necessary to keep the the microscopic contours created in the the cylinder head around each spark
engine from melting into a pile of slag. metal by the aluminum oxide blasting. plug to increase the surface area
The engine cases, cyIinders, cylinder The coating helps dissipate heat into available for heat radiance. An
head, and cam cover are all treated with the surrounding air or airstream, all-aluminum ND oil cooler rubber--
Kal-Gard, a grey-black coating causing a typical engine to run 15 mounted on the front frame downtubes
originally developed to protect percent cooler. Only external surfaces is fed by a full-flow Yoshimura fitting
weapons carried by underwater are coated and treatment of a Japanese which replaces the stock oil pressure
demolition crews from the effects of Four runs about $95. sender unit plate and diverts the oil
salt water. Testing showed that the Yoshimura's efforts to keep flow. The ND cooler was fitted with
material could be used for other things, the engine cool involved much more 16mm o.d. rubber hose for 1978, but
including increasing engine heat than engine coating. The air passages AMA rules require braided stainless
dissipation. present between the stock cylinder steel lines and fittings for 1979. Early
Blasting the parts with aluminum bores are hogged out for more air flow; last year, the Yoshimura bikes all ran
oxide increases surface area five times, 3/8-in. holes are drilled through coolers from Earl's Supply with
An increase visible only under cylinder and cylinder head fins to stainless steel lines. After cooler
magnification. The Kal-Gard coating, eliminate stagnant air pockets between failures at
which is only 0.0003 in. thick after fins and to induce cooling air
Daytona (on the Yoshimura Kawasaki) to accept. The Yoshimuras don't know and Loudon, and moved back into the
and Loudon (on the GS1000), the if the more rigid stainless steel lines more protected frame position after
change was made to the ND cooler and had anything to do with the earlier those dnfs. Coolers mounted on triple
rubber lines. failures of Earl's Supply coolers. clamps are vulnerable to damage from
The switch to rubber lines was Cooler mounting position could have small stones kicked up by other bikes.
made at the same time as the influenced the failures, since the The ND cooler was obtained for the
changeover to the ND cooler because coolers were mounted to the lower fork Yoshimuras by the Suzuki factory, and
that's what the ND cooler was designed triple clamp on each bike at Daytona is
not at this time available in the United
States.
Throughout 1978. the Yoshimuras used 30w
Castrol R (bean oil). Pops picked 30w, after
dyno tests showed that using 40w cost about
1.5 horsepower, while 20W didn't have
enough film strength for safe high rpm, high
stress operation. For 1979, a new
sponsorship agreement was reached with
Bel-Ray, and the Yoshimura Superbikes
will be running Bel-Ray 30w Racing Motor
Oil
 Having an engine that makes head area is left stock. An oil cooler swing arm. Mild carbon steel tubing
power stays together and doesn't mount is welded to the frame (22mm o.d.) is brazed into position
overheat is a big part of a successful downtubes, but does not affect frame across the rear frame downtubes at the
Superbike effort. Equally important is a rigidity. Engine mounts and mount engine-mount/swing arm-mount gussets,
quality sometime more difficult to bolts are all stock Suzuki parts. A tab above the swing arm pivot. The tube
obtain-handling. The Yoshimuras have for the shift linkage is welded onto the prevents frame twisting caused by the
obviously sorted out their GS1000, as left bottom engine cradle tube, and torque of the drive chain pulling the rear
its performance on short, difficult rearset footpeg mounts are welded onto sprocket and left side of the swing arm.
tracks has shown. The frame itself is the swing arm mount gussets just Shorter pieces of the same tubing are
not as heavily modified as one might below the swing arm pivot. welded across the bottom of the triangle
expect. There is no additional front There is, however, significant bracing formed by the rear frame downtubes,
frame section bracing, and the steering work done on the rear of the frame and rear section top tubes
and shock absorber mount tubes. Upper
shock absorber mounts are relocated to
provide 54.5' of shock laydown angle, and
11mm o.d. tubes are welded in behind the
gusseted new upper shock mounts and the
rear section top tube of the frame. The
additional tubes and bracing of the rear
section are necessary to handle the increased
loading caused by the laydown shock
position. Alignment of shocks and shock
absorber mounts is critical.

A bridgework of 22mm tubing is built

across and along the bottom of the stock
Suzuki swing arm to minimize flexing.
However, at the Suzuka eight-hour, a braced
frame with laydown shocks and a totally stock
swing arm was used without handling problems
resulting, implying that swing arm bracing is in
fact unnecessary, at least at that racetrack. In
any case, the fact that the drive chain grinds on
the left side swing arm bracing under certain
suspension load conditions doesn't seem to
affect the handling or stability of the U.S.
Superbike.
For the 1979 season, the Yoshimura Suzukis
will have additional front engine mount
gusseting. That's because the frame used at
Suzuka cracked less than one hour
before the end of the endurance race,
causing the bike to wobble. The Yoshimuras
theorize that the break was caused because
the straight right engine mount transmits
engine vibration directly to the frame
downtube, and the strain of eight racing
hours was too much for the mild steel to
take. The left engine mount, on the other
hand, has a bend in it, which would tend to
absorb, rather than transmit, vibration.

The shock absorbers are gas-charged,

13 in. long, made by Kayaba and feature six
damping adjustment positions, five-preload
positions and a choice of six springs, with
two springs used together. One shorter and
lighter spring handles small and initial jolts,
while a longer and stronger spring comes
into play in the case of secondary reaction
and large bumps. There are 270 possible
shock damping, preload, and spring
combinations.
The Kayaba air forks are even more
complex in the possible adjustments Air quantity also comes into riously-which reduced braking power -
and number of potential combinations. effect, since a larger volume at a given during races. Undrilled stock discs also
The triple clamps are stock Suzuki beginning psi will offer a different warped, but the drilled discs haven't
parts. The aftermarket forks started out compression resistance curve, relative caused any problems. The discs are not
with standard length tubes, but the to travel, than a smaller volume at the thinned.
Yoshimuras lengthened the tubes same beginning psi. Fork oil level Non-floating rear brakes restrict
35mm by welding on pieces cut from a determines air volume in the forks. Oil rear suspension movement when
spare fork tube. The extra tube length quantity in each fork leg, then, sets the applied, often causing wheel hop and
increases rake by half a degree, from amount of fork travel under braking. If resultant instability at comer entrances.
26.5' to 27', and changes trail from 4.57 the rider complains of too much fork That makes it difficult or impossible to
in. (for the stock GS1000E) to 5.90 in., dive under braking, adding oil will use the rear brake hard all the way into
though the steering head is not reduce air volume and induce greater a turn apex or to throw the motorcycle
modified. The geometry changes pressure increases-and resistance to into a corner. So the Yoshimura
contribute to top speed stability while dive and bottoming-per unit of fork GS1000 has a floating rear brake-the
the extra fork tube length increases the travel distance. caliper mounting plate is anchored to
height of the engine side covers relative Initial loads are taken by the the frame, not the swing arm, and the
to the ground, thus improving springs, and so spacer length (and thus, mount is free to pivot (on needle roller
cornering clearance as well. Spacers spring preload) determines reaction , to bearings) on the axle. The floating
inside the fork tubes compensate for the point where air compression brake doesn't eliminate the problem
the lengthened tube and determine resistance takes over the major part of completely, but does improve it about
spring preload. reaction control. 90 percent. The rear master cylinder
Stock air caps are connected to a Fork damping action is affected and disc are standard Suzuki.
single Goki air balance fitting mounted by fork oil weight, which varies Yoshimura mechanics fabricated the
on the upper triple clamp behind the from 5w to 30W (in increments of mounting plate and installed an Amer-
steering head. Fork air pressure is ican bearing.
five), depending upon the track
normally set somewhere between 14 After Cooley took the checkered
and 20 psi. and conditions. The Yoshimuras flag last year at Laguna Seca,
Fork oil viscosity and level are both use Bel Ray Racing Fork Oil. Yoshimura mechanics went to push the
variable. The Yoshimuras measure the bike into victory circle and found that
quantity of oil in each fork with a cali- the front brakes had locked. It took
brated dip stick, removing the caps and three men to move the machine into
springs and collapsing the forks before place. Later examination revealed no
each reading. Level is varied by mechanical malfunction, and Fujio
removing oil with a suction gun or by Yoshimura blamed the problem on the
adding oil from a burette. use of brake fluid which had absorbed
Maximum fork travel is 5.7 in. excessive amounts of water during
(145mm), but the Yoshimuras try to set rainy races at Ontario (the AFM
the forks up to deliver 5-5.3 in. six-hour) and Pocono (the AMA
(130-135mm) travel at each track. Superbike Production event which
Various fork adjustments can be made Cooley also won). The fluid hadn't
necessary by rider weight, track been changed since Daytona. After
surface. ambient temperature, available Laguna Seca, the Yoshimuras switched
traction (which affects possible braking It's easy to see that the possible to BelRay DOT 5 silicone-base brake
force) and even riding style. Setting up combinations presented by the four fluid and report no problems with water
the front suspension is in itself an major fork adjustments-spring preload, absorption in practice sessions since
exacting and time-consuming job, and air pressure, oil level, oil weight-are then.
must be done in concert with rear almost infinite even in practical use. The WM-4 19-in. front wheel is
suspension adjustments, it's not Another possible alteration would be
surprising that the Yoshimuras usually spring rating, but that isn't one
need an entire practice day to tune the currently used by the Yoshimuras.
suspension on a track they haven't Steering lock is limited by 6mm
raced on before. Allen head screws with locking nuts
The mechanics begin by setting fitted into the stock lower triple clamp
fork ride height, (with the motorcycle and a KYB steering damper with six
stationary and off the stand with the damping adjustment positions helps
rider aboard), at 1.6 in. (40mm) less stabilize and control the steering in the
than full extended length. Air pressure event of marginal control situations (as
largely determines ride height. The when the rider gets on the gas too hard
Yoshimuras find that another 2.8-3.9 exiting a turn and the rear end steps out
in. (70-100mm) of travel should be violently.)
used on turns, bumps, and under The handlebars are from Graham cast in magnesium by Morris and
braking, but getting the desired amount Sheet Metal (GSM), the grips from carries a Goodyear 3.25-19 slick.
of dynamic travel isn't as simple as American Pro, the quick quarter turn The gas tank is stock, and the seat
setting static air pressure or spring throttle from Magura and the at least started life as a Suzuki part.
preload. easy-to-use-in-mid-race clutch adjuster The steel pan and vinyl cover are
For example, air pressure not mechanism and the tachometer (with retained, but the padding is removed
only sets ride height, but also 10,500 rpm redline) from an RG500. and sheet aluminum used to shape a
determines resistance to fork bottoming The front brake master cylinder bucket to help the rider hang on during
under braking. As the: fork and calipers are Lockheed. Braided acceleration and at top speed. Minimal
compresses, air pressure increases stainless steel lines from Earl's Supply padding is used at the front of the seat,
progressively and offers more are 1/4-in. outside diameter. Front which lowers the rider about four
resistance to further compression. Too brake discs are Suzuki, drilled for inches. Superbike rules for 1979
much static air pressure will reduce lightness and to reduce warpage. The require (as of this writing) stock seat
travel and induce front wheel chatter in Yoshimuras used plasma-sprayed profiles, which should provide quite a
the corners. aluminum discs early in the season, but few spectator (and pilot) thrills on the
found that the discs warped se- faster tracks.