PROJECT CORNER CHRIS JENNINGS' BANDIT 400 TURBO

Welcome to our project-themed paradise - a place where readers like you take a few snaps, tell a few tales, and get to show us what they've been grafting away at in their garages. This month, Chris Jennings shares his turbo'd Suzuki Bandit 400.

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Why this bike?

I've always favoured smaller capacity bikes, having had various 400s over the years: an NC23, which I've still got, and a Moriwaki themed Z400J, along with the various Suzuki 400s. I always try to build odd stuff that's a bit off the wall and have previously built a GSX-R400 Turbo - that's currently taken about nine years and still doesn't run right, so I figured what's better than one non-running turbo'd Suzuki 400 than two?!

Many moons ago I had built another Bandit 400 with some additions to the frame rails to make it look like a mini Harris Magnum 4. The original plan was to put a turbo on it, but I didn't get round to doing it and ended up selling it, so there was a certain amount of unfinished business with the idea.

I had bought a Bandit 400 engine and some parts from a chap on the PB Evo forum a good few years back as a spare, just in case the first turbo grenaded itself, but over the years it just sat under the workbench gathering dust. Eventually, during a big tidy-up, I decided it either needed to go or be put in something.

Initially, it was destined for a 1970s Bultaco trials frame but fortunately wouldn't fit without a daft amount of work. It was at this point that I decided to revisit the Bandit 400 turbo idea, armed with much more knowledge than when I started the GSX-R attempt and the suspicion that the Bandit might be a bit more user-friendly when it came to getting it to work.

I'd also been in touch with Ian and Jim Cross, of Cross Customs, during the past few years. They specialise in Suzuki 400s and currently run the most epic GSX-R400-based drag bikes which are beautifully engineered and properly fast. They had a white Bandit 400 featured in Streetfighters way back in the day, which was always a big inspiration as well.

What's the end goal and why?