Hunting Werewolves: “Silver Bullet” Suzuki TL1000 Sprint Racer

From Bully Performance:  V-Twin Drag Bike Built for Glemseck 101…  

In the late 90s, Ducati’s desmo V-twins were dominating short circuits around the world, and the Japanese Big Four knew they had to respond with twin-cylinder superbikes of their own. Suzuki R&D project leader Mr. Hiroshi Moritake made no bones about the sporting intentions of their new twin:

“The concept behind the TL1000R is simple: Build a V-twin with the potential to win Superbike races.” –Sport Rider

The first version to appear was the TL1000S, whose fuel-injected 114-hp V-twin engine and aluminum trellis chassis were sound enough to stand up to the competition on the street and track. Suzuki soon followed with the TL1000R, which boasted a twin-spar frame, braced swingarm, and the same V-twin hot-rodded to 135 horsepower. Ducati riders suddenly had a new foe to watch for in their rearview mirrors…though both the TL-S and TL-R did prove tricky to ride at ten-tenths.

“The Suzuki TL1000R is exciting to ride, but for experts/nutters only.” –MCN

Enter our new friend Philipp Malik of Germany’s Bully Performance — a workshop that grew from humble beginnings.

“It started with minor service work and repairs in the backyard of a bakery in Bremen, mainly purchased as a meeting place for friends and like-minded people. This did not go unnoticed and grew steadily….”

Today, Philipp and his wife work out of a much bigger workshop in the small village of Weserbogen. They do everything from basic repair and maintenance, to custom fabrication of one-off parts, to full-scale transformations like the “Silver Bullet” you see here — a Suzuki TL1000S built with a single mission in mind:

“The bike was built in 2023/2024 to race at the famous Glemseck 101 international Sprint race (1/8 mile).”

As many of you know, the Glemseck 101 is the largest motorcycle event in Europe, held the first weekend of September at the former “Solitude” racetrack (Solituderennen) in southern Germany. Glemseck is probably best-known for its 1/8-mile sprint races, where sprint / drag bikes compete side by side on a stretch of the old racetrack.

Philipp thought the torquey V-twin would be good for these 200-meter blasts down the track and set out to create a machine that could stand up to the fierce competition that always turns up at the event. Nearly every last part of the bike is hand-made or highly modified: the aluminum chassis, swingarm, gas tank, fairings, electrical system, and hand-built titanium exhaust.

Philipp left the engine’s internals stock, but tuned the ECU for the custom exhaust and intake.  He reckons the bike makes about 120 horsepower and weighs 140 kilograms (308 pounds) — about 100 pounds less than the stock TL-S!

So how did this “Silver Bullet” perform on the track?

“It was very fast at Glemseck, but we had to race against Jo Bauer on the Louis ZH2 in the first round. I won the test sprint against him. He won the race. But that doesn’t matter, because we also built the ZH2.”

Well, when you built the bike that beats you, it’s tough to be too upset!  And let’s be honest, nothing else looked as good streaking down the track as the “Silver Bullet.” Below is our uncut interview with Philipp about the build, and we hope to follow up with that race-winning ZH2 in the near future. Also, thanks goes to Ulf Penner (@ulfbremen) for the photos!

Suzuki TL1000S Drag Bike: Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

We are a little company, me and my wife. We’ve been building motorcycles for 15 years. Everything started in a little garage.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?

Suzuki TL1000S.

• Why was this bike built?

The bike was built in 2023/2024 to race at the famous Glemseck 101 international Sprint
race (1/8 mile).

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

There was nothing influencing this build. It is made from our ideas.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

Selfmade aluminium frame, swingarm, Gas tank, fairings, titanium exhaust system, electrical system, and more.

Nothing has been changed on the engine itself. We have only adapted and optimized the software for the exhaust and the open funnels.

• Does the bike have a nickname?

“Silver Bullet.”

• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?

120 HP, ~140kg

• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?

It was very fast at Glemseck, but we had to race against Jo Bauer on the Louis ZH2 in the first round. I won the test sprint against him. He won the race. But that doesn’t matter, because we also built the ZH2.

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

Yes, we only had one year to build the whole bike. We had many problems, but the build was successful. It is running.

• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

My wife for her patience with me.

Follow the Builder

Web: www.bully-performance.de
Instagram: @bully_performance
Facebook: Bully Performance
Photos: Ulf Penner (@ulfbremen)

Follow Glemseck 101

Web: www.glemseck101.de
Instagram: @glemseck101
Facebook: Glemseck 101

More from Glemseck…

---