It was 2018 when I first laid eyes on the SRAD in a ‘budget’ shop in Leeds. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight and, fast forward three years, I certainly didn’t expect to be wasting spending time overhauling the old girl and treating her to some fancy upgrades. It’s safe to say we’ve had a chequered history, including the pivotal moment when she prolapsed outside a hotel and essentially handed Budget Bike Battle victory to Sue Perkins, but true love never dies according to Kelly Llorenna.
I didn’t even expect to own it again. When Chris rang me in hysterics with an obvious boner and said, ’the original BBB bikes are for sale – let’s buy them!’ I laughed initially, but soon remembered that this pair is an intrinsic part of 44T and we soon cultivated a plan to bring them back to life. As previously mentioned in the videos, BBB ‘Reload’ isn’t a proper battle in the sense of the word, although I’m going balls-deep with the SRAD with a whiff of redemption. Balls-deep, but in a modest, frugal manner.
You should have seen James’s (off of JHS Racing) face when I wheeled her back into the workshop; it was a mixture of hatred and pure fear, as all those nasty memories came flooding back into that complex brain of his. But that soon vanished when he realised it wasn’t that much of a howler and, more importantly, he might have a donor bike to use for a Classic TT project (the SRAD has now been allowed to compete alongside the ZX-7Rs in the Classic Superbike TT).
Anyway, I can’t wait to see what the future brings for my very own Kim Kardashian. James has some of his usual elaborate ideas that fit nicely with my vision and I’m genuinely buzzing for some modern superbike bashing at a summer trackday #TeamSRAD
5 Responses
What’s happened with the BBB SRAD? – was looking forward to seeing the dyno results with the K5 headers
It’s coming. We had to wait a little while for parts to arrive
Hey Al, when are we going to get an update on the SRAD?
As soon as James has finished the bits I can’t!
Great, can’t wait for the next episodes; nb I’ve resurrected a ZXR750 L model in South America and am most keen to see you in particular take on some more modern sports bikes with these 1990’s classics, that by the way are FAR more of an owner maintainable bike Plus much more beautiful to look at than today’s offerings