Cyclists shoved aside at last as Boris backs bikers' bus lane right of way

PICTURE inter-bike.co.uk

After months of complaining selfish cyclists in London have been sent packing by Mayor Boris Johnson. So three cheers for him.

Militant cyclists were up in arms as soon as restrictions were lifted on motorcylists using bus lanes and came up with a series of spurious nonsense to oppose the move.

But there remains a little cloud over Boris's blond head after he was accused of upsetting bikers during a parking protest.

Flyscreen fitting for Suzuki B-King revisited

The second most hated part of the B-King is the speedo/headlight cowl. A nose fairing /flyscreen transforms the front end and I launched a search within days of getting the bike.

t was cheaper to buy this in the USA and have it shipped to the UK. Full marks to Race Shop Inc (look for fastwayfirebird400 on eBay) who charged $25 to send it and the screen cost just under 50 quid.
The cheapest I've found it in the UK is £71... plus delivery.


Fitting: You have to drill four holes in headlight cover. I considered silicone gluing it on to preserve the original but, hey, sometimes you just gotta do it, even though the bike's only just covered 2,000 miles.

And it turned out really well.

I rode the V-Max, here's why I bought the B-King (but I did like the M1800 too)

Here's a quick recap for anyone new to this site, especially more than 200 newcomers who've downloaded the Ovi App for Nokia in the past three days.

The B-King remains the biggest bargain out there. In 20 years time it will be remembered and revered. It is unusual and special... and phenomenally fast.

I wrote this last June but two weeks ago I rode the V-Max 30 miles cross country at the same Bedfordshire test day. It is amazing, needs the same determined hand as any seventies superbike (flick bar slightly in the opposite direction to the bend just to bring her down initially) but the rewards are immense. I can not understand why the British bike press hates it so apart from their ridiculous love affair with all out sport machinery.

Anyway here's the original piece on which I based my decision to take on the B-King:

I rode the B-King and VMAX, on the same day last year and I fell for the B-King.

Why the B-King has no real rival, especially for the price

More than 100 people have downloaded the Ovi B-King App for Nokia phone owners in the past 12 hours (if you're reading on the web, click here to get it sent to your Nokia)

Anyway, for all you new visitors, here's why I originally bought the B-King. This is my original review as published on suzibking.blogspot.com


My six-month old Suzuki B-King picked up a week ago. Genuinely awesome machine which I bought after a 45-minute test ride during a press day in Bedfordshire.
After a Goldwing, then Harley Street Glide and a Suzuki M1800, the B-King felt like a middleweight ... with enormous controllable a power.
When you wound open the throttle, it really did feel as though you spun the world on its axis. It was the second in a series of big grins that day (the M1800 was immense and the V Max, see below, is also incredible)
And in the words of Captain Steven Hiller: (Will Smith in Independence Day as he tried the alien ship for the first time):"I have got to get me one of these."
I tried the V Max on the same day. Different, similar straight line performance (though the Yam felt heavier and somehow even more substantial) but the B-King's tyres are sports tyres and that was the clincher (OK and the fact that there is no way I can find the 16 grand).
Within a fortnight I was an owner of this 2008 B-King, for about three grand less than the original list price when the bike was launched 18 months ago.
And now a week later after around 400 miles, I can honestly say that initial impression was a little misguided – this is a big bike, it weighs getting on for 600lbs BUT it is an incredible machine, brilliantly balanced and it's a hoot to ride.
But here's the biggie: holiday time and sit on the runway in your jet, ready for take off. The pilot holds it on the brakes, winds up the jet engines. The roar intensifies and then he releases the brakes. And you are accelerating hard.
I love that feeling, no matter how cheap the flight, the feeling is I thought something special.
Well the B King is better. Much better, one twist of the grip and I swear your organs move back in your body. Surely the most addictive part of the BK. Any gear, any time... probably best in a straight line though.
I really don't care about the divided opinions on the looks, it has a mountain of attitude and is a true future classic, it's a great bike, more power than you could ever need. I've been riding 30 years and have NEVER ridden a bike like it.
Brilliant poise, phenomenal grip, instant acceleration in any gear, fantastic brakes....
OK, you can see I like it and it has completely restored my love of motorcycling. What surprises me is how few people have had a go.
Sports bikes are cool, no argument but the B-King will be the bike that people will hanker for in future, when the petrol's running out and we have a 100bhp limit (like our French cousins suffer already), maybe less.
My advice is get one, while we still have unleaded fuel at a price we can all afford, get one while it is still legal to have 181bhp on two wheels (well something like that, most people agree it's 170 at the rear wheel anyway), get one while you can still buy a machine that will reach 170mph, do 0-60 in 2.8 secs... You get the idea, you know it makes sense.
AND if they've got one in stock, dealers will deal. Brand new £7,400 OTR at Robinson's in Canterbury (£8,1121 list and that's down from £9,000 at the launch in 2007)
My only tip so far, up the standard spring pre-load on the front forks from 4 to 3 and maybe a quarter of a turn more rebound damping on the rear... and that's it... well it is if you weigh 13 stone (no idea what that is in kilos, work it out yourself)
Oh yeah, the lad on the bike's my son, fresh out of hospital after an eye op. He said the stretch to the ground is too much for his 11-year-old legs.

My brilliant Suzuki B-King for sale on eBay

From B-King eBay

OK, this is it, she has to go. Simple reason: my divorce, not content with the house, pension and 13 years of keeping her, she wants my bike too.

As you can see on my blog, it's a brilliant machine that I shall be very, very sorry to see go.

No more to say, too sad.

Listing is here on eBay

Could this modded B-King make more people love it?

Crescent Suzuki's neat mods on the B-King cost £2,500 if they do it for you or they'll flog you a a new one for a fiver under 10 grand.

Superbike.co.uk – those nice chaps who have already supercharged their own GSX1300 - reports today: "Suzuki's B-King is a bit of a Marmite bike. Folk love them or hate them, mostly due to the 'radical' design of the back end and exhaust system.

"The stock cans, heatshield and plastic shrouds make for a challenging look, and for many potential riders, it's a deal breaker.

"Which is a real shame, because as a bike to ride, the B-King is an absolute stormer, with oodles of bhp and very capable handling. So Suzuki specialists Crescent Suzuki has put together this extremely pretty special edition B-King.

"On paper, it's a pretty simple package of changes: a side-mounted Akrapovic silencer, Power Commander, Crescent's own carbon undertray and tail tidy, Renthal Fat Bars, chrome-effect powder-coat wheels and some matt-black paint detailing. But the effect is much more than you'd expect: the bike looks radically different from stock, with a much smaller, harder look to it. On the road, the Akrapovic can adds some noise and a bit of pep, as well as losing a heap of weight.

"Having said that, the performance isn't so far off stock, with a few more BHP available through the rev range."

For full story right click HERE

But by way of camparison, here's what the Yanks can do for a little more cash, say £3,250, click HERE

New colour for Suzuki's 2010 B-King

The press in Spain is reporting a new paint scheme for the B-King according to Visordown.com.

I think it looks pretty good and refreshes the bike for its third year of production but opinion's divided and there are of course allegations it's just to try and shift more of what's seen as an unpopular machine sales wise.

The Suzuki blue and white is a natural choice, though the gold rims are a little dated. But hey, this is still a killer machine and remember how long it took people to love the Hyabusa's looks?

See full story right click HERE

Only the French eh?

I quite like this. Our French chums have never had the full power B-King.. but they can come up with something different.

www.latestcarnews.net reports this morning: "A French company called D.J. Construction has created the DJ Sport B-King sidecar, which is nothing more than a detuned B-King (106-horsepower) with a modified front end (that yellow shock is actually an expensive Öhlins part) and a rather aerodynamic and yet comfortable rig.

"MotoMag in France actually got the chance to ride this strange combination and their impressions are not bad at all, although they do mention the DJ Sport Suzuki B-King sidecar enjoys turning right more than it does turning left. Now why would that be…?"

Want one? It's £32,000... phew

DJ Sport Suzuki B-King sidecar originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 11 February 2010 18:29 EST.

Full details, right click HERE

ASV levers for Suzuki B-King... avoid

I like ASV levers and they were next on my list of mods. But...

This vid on Youtube warns against using ASV levers on the B-King. Watch and you'll see why. This guy loves his BK and has done some neat mods which he shares on his site as well.

Right click HERE to see the Youtube clip.

For his site take a look at www.Road-Quest.com

Is the B-King's suspension too soft?

Found this about B-King suspension settings out of the showroom and while I'm not totally convinced anyone over 10 stone will find the suspension too soft, it's interesting.

2008 Suzuki B-King Suspension Evaluation | Action Sports | SPIKE.com