Ah yes please!
When the chaps from Bikeshop Boksburg called to tell us about an interesting machine that they had added to their showroom floor, we asked Séan to wander down to see what it was. He came back all googly eyed with a little vid that absolutely convinced us that this is one bike that needed some proper checking out…
About the B-King:
Suzuki’s B-King was originally showcased in 2000 as a supercharged concept naked. Suzuki built the first B-King in 2007 and powered it with their 1340cc Hayabusa engine. Production continued until 2012. Contrary to popular belief, there was no B-King 600, but there was a 600 GSR, that was affectionately dubbed the baby B- King thanks to the bikes similarities in styling.
We’re not entirely sure how many B-Kings made their way to South Africa at that time, especially since the ‘Busa was out-selling most of the other models and nakeds were not a big priority. But this bike is one of them and we are pretty happy that it has survived this long.
If you were into bikes back in the ‘Busa heyday, around 2006, you’ll remember the fierce competition between that bike and Kawasaki’s ZX. Tuning shops like KCR and TG services were fitting big-bore kits, turbos, nitrous… all in an era prior to rider modes and all of the electronic interventions that we enjoy today. At that time, world drag racing champ Kawasaki’s Ricky Gadson came out to ride Bear Engineering’s ZX1200 against a young Fransie Engelbrecht on a KCR Busa at Tarlton.
Man! That was a day to remember and it kinda kicked off a tuning craze on those big bore machines.
Fast forward to 2025 and this bike turns up. We had to ride it. Something unique, something special, a little bit of motorcycle nostalgia…. well for us anyway. We don’t have figures, but we will tell you that whoever built this bike knows what they are up to.
We think that this one was built by local go fast man and tuner Neels Geldenhuys.
The bike is littered with trick stuff and if you had to build it today, you’d need a fairly chunky bank account.
Yoshi clutch and brake reservoirs, crash bobbins and twin exhaust canisters (just for show). Check out that extended swingarm. It’s adjustable for standard day-to-day riding or you can move the wheel backwards for a day at the drag races. It also accepts a wider 210 profile tyre. This thing boasts a monster 630 O-Ring chain, braided brake hoses, a quickshifter and R&G case savers. The owner opted for a very neat single seat conversion and a mini fairing up front that neatly houses the original analogue digital clocks, as well as the boost gauges. A Matte black spray job finishes it all off with subtle branding all over the show. Along with the extended swingarm the suspension height has been lowered for a better stance as well as friendly handling and better high speed stability.
Nice!
Arriving at the showroom in the late morning, there was a sense of trepidation about navigating a bike like this through manic Boksburg traffic. Those fears were unfounded, because whoever built this thing did not tune it to be berzerk. Sure, it’s a big bore machine, and when you crack the throttle in anger it will light things up, but if you ride it as you would any other bike, it’s a real pleasure with lots of low down torque, so the engine barely revs and doesn’t even crack a sweat. The B-King is a naturally comfortable bike, so you aren’t crouched over like a GP racer, it’s upright and neutral with sensibly placed pegs and handlebars. You do feel every ounce of the 264 Kg wet weight, the only real nod to this bike’s vintage. Just for comparative purposes, a modern Gixxer 1000 weighs just more than 200 Kg’s.
With the extended swingarm you’d expect the handling to be interesting but, remember, it’s a two position swingarm so with the wheel in the forward slot, it has the same configuration as the standard machine and handles just as a Suzuki should.
The magic all happens as you hit the open roads and you nudge the revs up past four and a half thou. When that turbo starts to churn, it’s as if a giant grabs you by the seat of your pants, your butt is pushed back into the step on the seat and you are unceremoniously hurled you down the road. It’s an indescribably cool feeling, no two ways about it!
We are fortunate enough to have a virtually private road out in our neck of the woods where we were able to open her up a bit. You can watch that vid below.
On one of the runs, we saw 270 Kph and this machine was still pulling past the 8000 rpm mark. The standard B-King is rated to a top speed of 254 Kph. Did we run out of road – or did we chicken out? That’s very fast on what is effectively a naked machine. But, a bike like this is not about simple top speeds. It’s all about how it feels gettin up there. Simply put, they don’t build bikes like this any more.
The original Hayabusa’s were wonderful things and the 164HP 1340cc engine was especially cool. When you slap on a turbo and tune it properly, you get something that is actually quite difficult to describe.
The modern batch of superbikes are all smooth and fast and controlled…
This one is a STUFF YOU, HOLD TIGHT! LETS GOOOO!
It’s fantastic! And this one is just waiting at Bikeshop Boksburg for a new home.
