The GSXR with new header paint and
parts in June, 1992.

After pulling her out of storage, I realized that this bike still kicked ASS! I also realized that running race fuel all of the time was expensive. I got pulled over for speeding the first night I had it back on the street. D'OH! Luckily, my military ID got me out of a ticket. I wound up adding a Lockhart flourescent orange windscreen (can you say "Squid Gear"), clear headlight cover and some Russell braided steel lines to the bike during this time. I then winterized the bike and put it into storage when I returned to Germany.

Riding the Suzi in the Colorado
mountains while on leave in 1992.
Oh YEAH!

In Spring 1993, I was back in the States at Fort Jackson. I really needed a ride, so my dad shipped her out to me. During the summer of 1993, I added Progressive Springs in the front to help the wheelie-worn mushy stock ones. It was during my travels that I wound up finding International Cycle Salvage in Columbia, S.C. I made friends with the guys working there, and started working there part-time later that fall.

While I was at ICS, my co-workers and I put together an ad-hoc Drag Race team and hit the Thursday Night drags for a couple of months. It was a good time, but it cost me a lot of beer to keep my crew driving out with me to the strip every week!

Staged and ready at Carolina Dragway July, 1993. I
stomped this poor 1989 Ninja 750 (figures, I have
one of these now too).

I wound up crashing the bike in August 1993 when I hit some pea gravel on a switchback at 60 MPH. I wasn't hurt thanks to my racing leathers, but the bike took a couple of hits. I broke the windscreen, front brake lines and right side cover. Luckily, I didn't have the lower on, so it did not get damaged. I added a clear Lockhart screen, Yoshimura heavy-duty side covers and Fastline racing brake lines to fix her up.