The clean, curvy design lines of the time slowly faded into the more acute
angles characterized by the first generation of Japanese 1000cc superbikes
of the early 2000s, but the free-flowing lines of the 1990s have left an indelible
mark on the memories of those who were there and those who wish they were.
Bell has made a slow but steady impact on the world of custom motorcycles
over the past five years, one of his first major hits stemming from a highly
modified 2008 Suzuki GSX-R1000 that was renamed Slabshot as a tribute to
the air-cooled Suzuki "slabby" motors of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Dressed in hot pink and featuring hints of Suzuki's RGV500 and GSX-R750,
Slabshot hired Bell to head an era of custom bikes as yet untapped. Modern
tech and running gear meet 1990s fancy dress. The question was, what could
he do to top it?
Marc Bell
with his
creation. "It
was a huge
obsession—it's
all I thought
about for the
best part of
the year."
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FEATURE I HAXCH MOTO YAMAHA XZR900
