Telescopic fork with became the de facto solution for a motorcycle’s front suspension, but most major manufacturers experimented with alternative designs at some point. Yamaha had the GTS1000 in the ’90s – a sports touring car with a front swingarm setup that closely resembles a center-centered handlebar.
The GTS1000 wasn’t a bestseller when it launched, but these days it scores a lot for its rarity and unusualness. It is also not a sponsor for a cafe racer project. Fortunately, that didn’t stop Aki Suokas from tearing up his own GTS, to create this crisp blue machine.
Aki lives in Finland and has been driving since the age of 10. So he’s been modifying his own bikes since he got into stunt riding at the age of 16.
Aki has a day job, but he spends his time riding motorcycles, and even racing in the winter Finnish ice racing series. Most of his work is in street fighters or racing bikes – but he’s recently developed an interest in cafe racers. So when he found a 1997 Yamaha GTS1000 full of touring trims, including panniers, his brain went wild.
“I love building bikes that aren’t just for show,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to build a bike that you can ride.”
“From the very beginning, it was clear that I wanted to build a cafe racer style bike from this bike. Anyway, I don’t know what the bike will look like when it’s ready. I didn’t have a clear vision from the start — or rather, the only thing that was clear was that I wanted to fit some special wheels and a side swingarm. “
Top of Aki’s list is a rework of the GTS1000’s already unique suspension. He wanted the front end to be positioned lower — but modifying the swingarm-focused system required some clever engineering workarounds. In the end, he had to remove the OEM steering link and replace it with a series of chromoly links and ball joints.
A modified Suzuki shock absorber operates at the front, with the side swingarm (and shock absorber) from the Honda VFR800 mounted at the rear.
The wheels are particularly interesting: they fit 17-inch car parts, modified to fit Yamaha. The Aki wraps the rear in a 200/50-17” Mitas tire that is way too wide for the front end.
His solution was to cut the hub off the front wheel and pair it with the outer rim from a Yamaha FZR1000. The two parts are bolted together through a special mounting ring, which is welded to the FZR face. The arrangement also retains the GTS1000’s six-piston front brake calipers.
Aki also tore off the bike’s frame, freeing it from any excess attachment points and removing the rear part. Next, he built a new subframe, rear shock mount, front crank bracket, front fender and new bracket.
As if that weren’t enough, this GTS is packed with a plethora of tailor-made body parts. Some bits are generic aftermarket items – but nothing makes it to Yamaha without expansion mods.
Up front is a modified luxury cafe racer crank, fitted with 5 3/4” LED headlights. At the back, Aki modified the removable tail to fit the bike, adding a thin seat cushion and Frenched-in Highsider LED taillights.
Between the two is a very well done custom fuel tank arrangement that looks like it came from the factory. Aki begins by cutting and closing the fuel reserve tank to shrink it; it holds half the fuel it did before, but he doesn’t plan to tour with the GTS. He then cut a 1984 Suzuki GSX1100 tank, lengthened, extended and trimmed to fit the frame, before fitting it as the tank cover.
The rest of the build is a laundry list of well-reviewed add-ons. Aki installed braided stainless steel brake hoses, a modified Yamaha YZF1000 Thunderace radiator, and rear mounting pins from Suzuki Hayabusa. There is also a Lighttech gas cap, a set of Fehling tow bars, Ermax LED turn signals and a Motogadget speed.
The twin exhaust silencer also comes from another bike, but it looks like it belongs here. It’s a Kawasaki Z1000, and it’s attached to a custom set of headers to attach to the bike’s underbody.
All told, it’s an impressive remake of an unlikely motorcycle. Notably, Aki did most of the work herself, outsourcing some specialized welding and machining work for friends. He also helped with the paint – Kuusaan Automaalaamo Oy shot patches in blue, while Tmi Heikki Jarvenpaa painted all layers of paint black.
“In the end,” said Aki, “this bike is built with pure intuition, while working and living a so-called ‘normal’ life.”
We could never have imagined that the quirky GTS1000 would turn out to be a great coffee racer. Not only did Aki prove that it can be done, but it can be done well.
Aki Suokas Instagram | Photo of Juho Vainonen
