When Suzuki announced that they were going to commence production of the sensational B-King concept bike that was displayed at the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, the public was anticipating the first forced-induction production motorcycle (the concept B-King featured a supercharger) since the turbo bikes of the late 80s. In 2008 when the concept finally became a reality, the market was handed a naked bike based on the Hayabusa engine, but the boost was gone. Instead, we got a naturally-aspirated 160-horsepower streetbike with styling that was not exactly eye candy.When Barry Henson at Velocity Racing saw the production B-King, he looked at it as an opportunity to build an actual boosted version. Velocity is the leading supplier of turbo systems in the USA and also runs the most successful AMA Dragbike and MIROCK racing program today. Velocity-equipped bikes have won 13 championships stateside and three more in the UK. These turbocharged Hayabusa "streetbikes" have turned quarter-mile times as low as 7.18 seconds and 205 mph with rider Mike Slowe.
Before starting the project, Velocity sat down and mapped out its goals: to build a clean, streetable package without overdoing it. This meant no gaudy paint, and a resemblance to a bike that Suzuki would have built if they weren't constrained by production cost and marketing concerns.Because Velocity has produced and sold over 1000 turbo kits for the Hayabusa, it was not a huge leap to develop a kit for the B-King. With the intentions of making a 100 percent streetable system, they chose a Garrett GT-25 turbo. With six psi as the target boost level, the oil-cooled GT-25 had more than enough volumetric capacity, plus the slightly smaller housing made packaging it on the bike easier as well. In keeping with the OEM theme, the turbo compressor housing was Jet Hot(r) coated black while the turbine housing was treated to a sterling silver finish to keep corrosion in check.
Instead of the turbo exhaust...
Instead of the turbo exhaust just feeding into a dump pipe per the standard kit, Velocity decided to fabricate a custom exhaust that replicates the stock B-King twin underseat muffler setup.
The standard B-King turbo kit retails for $3995 which includes a dump pipe. However, this one was upgraded to a full exhaust to replicate the styling of the stock B-King. The system consists of a hand-welded stainless steel header and midpipe. Then it finishes with a pair of Vance and Hines Indy Series canisters. The exhaust and aftermarket canisters add another $2000 to the total.
One of Velocity's own 6-inch-over...
One of Velocity's own 6-inch-over swingarms holds an 18 x 8.5-inch RC Comp Savage forged aluminum wheel shod with a 250/40R-18 Avon Cobra radial.
The bike comes from the factory making about 160 horsepower, but the Velocity boost treatment nets the Suzuki 205 horsepower at the rear wheel even with the big tire kit, which robs about 20-25 horsepower due to the added weight and rolling friction. Thus, if you boost your B-King without the big tire kit, you can expect more like 225 horsepower on the ground.