SP Rides: Born and Bred for Speed

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BY MICHAEL KITCHENS

Name: Troy Keene
Occupation: Retired
Hobbies: Motorcycles, Racing, Mountain Biking, Hiking
Year, Make, Model: 2011 Suzuki Hayabusa
Color: Pearl Mirage White
Engine: 1340cc 4-stroke, 4-cylinder, DOHC, Brocks Performance Exhaust
Exterior: Chromed (Diamond cut triple tree w/ yoke and fork cap covers, Diamond cut guage cluster cover, hand grips and levers,front and rear foot brackets and pegs, license plate bracket, frame sliders, billet mirrors, windscreen, rear brake caliber, fairing diamond zirconia fairing screws, Hayabusa kickstand), aftermarket rear LED tail light, alligator skin front and rear seat, illuminated Hayabusa/Kanji symbol, Ultra Bright white LED light kit, Custom fairing screens, ALARM w/ motion/tilt sensors
Suspension: 300 OSD (outside drive) Fat tire kit, 8.5 inch stretched over stock swingarm, Custom Air Ride Install
Wheels/Tires: Chrome wheels, Metzler 300/35zr18 rear tire and 120/70/zr17 front tire
Shout-Outs: Montgomery Powersports, Ben @Hawaii Auto Detailing, Aloha Upholstery, Ted @ Revtek, Aloha Signs and Graphics Pearl City, Hannibal@ Cycledelic, Shedrick, Cecil, Dee, Ric, Ike, April, Koolaid, Popcorn, Smoke, Swerve, Cee-Lo,Turbo, John, Stormy G, Breakin, Sean Paul, Elvis, Celeste, Big Country, Ezell, Graves, Hasani, Ol Skool, Sykes, Clay, Taishawn, Tomeka, Tiny-Tina, Ray, plus a lot of other bikers that I have forgotten names and had the pleasure of riding along side of, (or in front of LOL) that have left the island.

Troy Keene was born to ride motorcycles.   He was raised in a North Carolina family who loved them…his uncles and his father all drag raced them while he was a kid.  His first drag race was at Hawaii Raceway Park when he was fifteen years while visiting his uncle who happened to live at Hickam AFB.  Throughout his entire military career and life, he has never stopped riding them no matter where he was stationed.  And although he’s dabbled in the import world with a 300ZX, he has always come back to his true love.

After years of racing super-tuned drag bikes, Troy retired to Hawaii and opted to enjoy a slightly more sedate lifestyle.  I don’t exactly call a 1340cc Suzuki Hayabusa a step-down, but apparently this 2011 model was acquired and then customized more for enjoyment than straight-out speed.  For the uniformed, for many years the Hayabusa was arguably considered the fastest production bike ever made.

Troy loves the “fat tire” look, so the first modification upon receipt of this restrained monster was a 300 OSD (outside drive) fat tire kit wrapped in a 300/35ZR18 Metzler rear tire on some flashy chrome wheels. Montgomery Powersports handled the install and the bike now has an 8.5 inch stretched-over-stock swingarm. Combined with a custom Air Ride airbag setup the resulting look is one of atypical badness that can be slammed to the pavement or ridden high for comfort.

Next up was the look…so Troy set about customizing the small details.  He chromed out the triple tree, hand grips, mirrors, dash, kickstand as well as many other components such as the frame sliders and diamond zirconia fairing screws.  Troy chose to leave the frame and other parts in the deep black color as to better offset the chromed pieces.  The fairings for the bike were given some love by installing chrome mesh screens in addition to a svelte chrome windscreen finishes off the polished look of this sick bike.

This bike lights up the night thanks to the Ultra Bright white LEDs that illuminate select areas. One of the most spectacular additions, is the illuminated paper “隼” decal symbol that glows vividly in the dark.  The rear tail light was also upgraded with an aftermarket rear LED.  For some style, the front and rear seats were color-matched in alligator skin material.  Although mum’s the word when it comes to the bike’s performance upgrades, it’s hard to miss the Brocks Performance exhaust.

Although there are tons of different bike manufacturers, Troy enjoys Suzuki as his chosen ride.  It’s perfect for his height and build while being recognized the world over as a legendary piece of engineering.  He admits he still rides it like he stole it…he grew up loving bikes and his passion for them still continues today.

 

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