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setup allowed the bike to be flicked from side to side on a moments notice, and the typical "streetbike squish" as I like to call it wasn't there. (By streetbike squish I am referring to the typically under-sprung nature of street- bikes, resulting in the rider's inputs to be damp- ened by the soft suspension, causing the rider to have to exert more energy to get the machine to do the desired actions). Having ridden so many street machines as of recently, this is something that I can become very used to, and dare I even say it – I've even taken a liking to a softer setup. (Does the mean I'm loosing my hard racer's edge and getting soft?). I was a getting a little worried at first, as the harsh setup was jarring and caused a lot of dis- comfort for me initially. I caught myself think- ing, "Man, maybe I really am getting soft from all these streetbike tests?" Thankfully for my ego, by the end of my third lap I was getting more and more comfortable. And by the time my first seven-lap stint was over, I was right back at home on the razor-sharp Suzuki. Making the Suzuki so razor-sharp is a set of 25mm cartridge drop-in Öhlins-fork internals, which have been reworked with the magic Matushima touch to fit Danny's aggressive rid- ing style, then dropped into a set of stock GSX- R600 fork bodies. They appear stock from the outside, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Out back is a Öhlins piggyback shock that Matushima has turned the screws to, making the unit able to withstand Eslick's abuse, lap after lap, and still be good at the end of a 60K Formula Xtreme final. To the average viewer the whole suspen- sion package looks pretty straightforward, and quite close to stock, but Grant's magic touch, combined with Eslick's feedback, are what makes the bike work so well. "Danny has really come along and gives really good feedback when we are able to test," said Matushima, who has worked with Eslick the past two seasons. "With the way he rides - or should I say slides - it's almost easier to set the bike up, because he is able to ride around some of the smaller issues. He rides so hard that if I can get the thing close, then he does the rest." No doubt, the chassis is the shining point of the MPT Racing Suzuki, but where it lacks a lit- tle on the factory competition is in the engine department. "I would say we are about 15-18 horsepow- er down on the Hondas and Yamahas," accord- ing to Matushima. Having ridden both the factory and Erion Honda FX bikes in the past couple years, this was pretty easy to believe. Though considering what Grant has to work with, even getting that close is quite a feat. Matushima estimates that bike makes in the neighborhood of 130 horsepower at the rear wheel, which is still over 25 more horsepower than the stock Suzuki makes. To get the extra 25 horsepower, Matushima starts by modifying a set of stock pistons that are mated to beefier connecting rods. The top- end is then ported to his specifications, with reworked cams taking care of the valve-open- ing and closing duties. The exhaust is Matsushima's own EKG-brand exhaust, which he has designed and done all the R&D work on himself. It's a straight-shot 4-1 stainless-steel system, and features a small canister that sits in the underbelly and has a short MotoGP-style end sticking out of the lower fairing. To say the thing is loud would be like calling a bear a mild- mannered animal. The system barks and howls, with the entire town knowing well ahead of time when the MPT machine is coming. The EKG exhaust system also emits a good deal of heat on the rider's right foot, but the sys- tem we tested with was a preproduction unit that had no heat shield, and when they go into final production they will come with a heat shield to prevent excessive heat. Suzuki did let Matushima dip his hand into the factory-parts cookie jar a little, setting him up with a close-ratio transmission to keep the rev drop between gears to a minimum. And to slam through those gears even quicker, Matushima installed a quick-shifter for full throttle upshifting. One of the things I noticed - or should I say didn't notice - was excessive engine braking from the MPT machine. I was able to grab mul- tiple downshifts at once and it wouldn't skip a beat, with the slipper clutch soaking up any of my inconsistencies. To keep the Suzuki's rear- end from coming around under hard braking and fast downshifting, Matsushima modified the stock Suzuki slipper clutch by adding beefier springs and plates so it is able to handle the riggers that "Sideways Slick" puts it through each weekend. To keep rotating mass down, MPT opted for 17-inch Marchesini forged-aluminum wheels. They tried a 16.5-inch rear at one point, searching for added side grip, but the additional weight of the larger tire meant they would have had to run magnesium wheels to keep the weight to a reasonable level, but cost prevented that from happening. This rules them out on some of the 16.5 Dunlops that the factory teams have been using, but according to Eslick, he's been really happy with his tire selections this season, especially coming off of Pirellis last year. "The tires have been great," said Eslick. "Jim [Allen] has really helped out and it's making a big difference. I mean, the bike is a little better this year and so am I, but the tires are a big rea- son I've been able to hang on and be there at the end with a shot to put it on the podium. They just suit the way I ride a little better." Brakes are another area of the MPT machine that is deceiving to the naked eye. Matushima opted to keep the stock Suzuki calipers and master cylinder, but the addition of Vesrah pads and steel-braided lines are enough to get the GSX-R hauled to a stop in a hurry. Grant also modified the stock lever to have a remote adjuster that mounts on the opposite clip-on, allowing the rider to adjust the lever position on the fly. In the limited amount of time I had on the bike, I never need to adjust the lever position and didn't experience any brake fade whatsoever. They were strong, pre- dictable, and had ample feel. To make a good race bike, you have to have a complete package that works well together, and that's exactly what MPT Racing has done with the Suzuki GSX-R600. But there's more to it than just putting a good bike under a young rider and letting him loose, and Matushima has also been a huge part of sculpting the young Eslick into the podium contender he is today. And he is looking to continue to develop more new riders, including Eslick's up-and-coming young teammate, Blake Young. "I really like the role I've been put in to devel- op new riders," Matushima said. "It has been great to work with Danny, and though we would love for him to stay forever, there will be a point where he moves on to bigger and better things. And Blake [Young] is our next new guy and he's been doing really well. If I can stay in the roll of bringing young, new racers through the ranks, I would be really happy." At a glance, the MPT Racing machine doesn't look to be much more than a Supersport-spec Suzuki GSX-R600, but after throwing a leg over the razor-sharp machine, it's easy to see there is much more to it than the naked eye can see. Matushima has been able to work his magic on the GSX-R, turning it into a bike that has allowed Eslick to be a podium threat, week in and week out, in Formula Xtreme, which is exactly what MPT Racing and Suzuki set out to do this season. Mission accomplished boys. CN C Y C L E N E W S • AUGUST 16, 2006 49 THE FACTORY TEAMS LOVE TO HATE ...and with its clothes off. The MPT Racing crew. The MPT Racing machine with its clothes on...