Evan Becker’s Hayabusa-Powered VW Rabbit

Evan Becker enjoyed driving his blue 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit however the 1.6 L diesel inline-four felt underpowered. After two years he wanted to swap the motor with an unusual choice.

Evan replaced the factory powertrain for a 1.3 L inline-four and six-speed sequential transmission from a Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa. For Evan the choice was easy due to the motor’s power, aftermarket support, and lovely 9,000+ rpm.

The motorcycle powertrain is supported by custom mounts designed by Evan and cut by SendCutSend. Evan added a low-profile oil pan with swinging pickup and stainless steel exhaust. The Suzuki motor is cooled by a custom radiator from CG&J Radiator with a custom shroud and Kia Optima radiator mounts.

Power is sent to the front wheels through a custom chain drive system built by Evan. It features a 530 BMXR drive chain, custom drive cog cut by SendCutSend, and Scion FRS (1st-gen) limited-slip differential with a custom grease housing and custom Dutchman axles. The car goes in reverse thanks to a Chevrolet Cobalt starter and flexplate.

When it came to the suspension Evan added a Quaife quick-ratio steering rack, Koni Sport dampers, and stiffens the rear axle beam. The factory front brakes were swapped to a set of Wilwood Powerlite four-piston brakes using Tech-53 adapter brackets. These are assisted by a 22 mm master cylinder.

The Rabbit’s interior has been kept mostly stock. Evan installed a custom sequential shifter for controlling the motorcycle transmission. The gear number is displayed on HealTech’s GIpro indicator. The factory VW speedometer is calibrated by HealTech’s SpeedoHealer which typically is used on motorcycles with different sprockets.

Source: @vwmk11k