Performance Bikes — March 2018

MARCH 2018|PERFORMANCEBIKES.CO.UK 61

Rear brake caliper

TheYZF-R1bluespotrearcaliperwasoriginally

located above the brake disc, but Jerry switched

ittorunbelowthediscbecausethat’swherethe

YZR500 component was.

Subframe

Jerry fabricated his own steel subframe using

measurements he’d taken from Niall’s bike. The

special’s subframe has extra supports for the

battery required by the road bike.

Exhausts
The exhaust system is a one-off built to perfection by
Mark Dent at Performance Fabrications. It’s made
from mild steel rather than titanium as that’s what the
YZR ran. It has even discoloured in an almost exact
same pattern to Niall’s YZR500, which pleases Jerry
immensely. The cans are very special as the carbon
weave changes pattern due to the weave being
different at either end and in the central area. The
YZR500 has this pattern, presumably to add strength
at the point where the rivets that hold the metal
sections in place are located.

Carbs

Jerry had huge problems with the OE carb set-up and was forced to run airflow

restrictors to make it run rich enough. He now runs 30mm Mikuni flat-slide carbs,

but as they are designed for a motocross bike the effort required to overcome

four carb springs with a quick-action throttle was massive, so he created his own

softer springs using wound piano wire...

Engine

The RD500 motor was sold to Jerry with a Stan Stephens Stage 3 tune on

it. He has no idea if this is true or not, but when he took it apart the porting

was beautiful and it makes 98bhp compared to the standard 54bhp so the

signs are certainly promising. The powervalve motor is repositioned to the

front of the bike (technically the pulley should be on the outside, but that

was too much effort), while the dual-core radiator is a one-off unit built by

Performance Fabrications. The YZR’s cases were sand-cast, something

Jerry replicated through a matt powder-coat finish.