special brew
YOUR BIKES, YOUR WAY
As a tribute to Steve Burns’ original 1992 Monster Wayne Leach’s updated take is about as close as you can go without it being just a slavish copy
Wayne’s world revolves around specials. And has done for the last 40 years. While he spent those twoscore years putting together all manner of two-strokes, there was always one big, blown four-banger he knew he had to build. One day.
That machine is this early 21st Century take on one of the most ground-breaking specials of the previous millennium; Steve Burns’ 1992 Monster. “I’d aways wanted to build a Spondon or a Martek. It was that Performance Bikes poster of the Burns bike that did it for me, and for a lot of other people too,” says Wayne.
Certainly, the original Monster changed the boundaries of what was deemed achievable in terms of power-to-weight ratio for a street bike. It put the strength and beauty of high-end engineering into the mainstream, and spawned a tough, truncated look. Because those really were the days. And still are, as Wayne proves.
Small wonder then, that it’s indelibly etched into the consciousness of so many people of a certain age (and of ages above and below a rough median of say 56). Wayne is 56. He works in engineering. No surprise he decided the time was right to revisit the Monster concept back in 2018.
“There will never be another Monster,” says Wayne. “I just wanted to update the idea with more modern components. It’s a respectful nod to Steve Burns. I’m not trying to draw a direct comparison.” It’s a tribute bike for the modern age with a similar look and similar horsepower (around 250bhp). But similar is not the same as the same, not when brakes and suspension have significantly moved on. And when all the little knick-knacks like clocks and controls are much advanced.
The architecture remains broadly as per the 1992 bike. The Burns Spondon frame was in 7020 self-annealing alloy tube, with a GSX1100EF engine wearing a 1498cc MTC big block and a Rayjay turbocharger sucking through a huge single carb. Wayne’s Martek-framed version carries an 1186cc GSX-R1100 engine with a blow through Garret T25 turbocharger.
“We’re using Bandit 1200 cams and carbs,” says Wayne. “But with machined from solid carb tops to stop them blowing off.” This is one of the beauties of turbocharging as a means of making massive power – there isn’t a huge amount of expense once you’ve bought your blower and the associated plumbing. Just reinforce a few other components, like cylinder studs and then reap the benefits without having to port heads, buy big valves, Carillo rods, and all the other gubbins required for a highly tuned, normally aspirat
