About Badger

Who is Badger, and what makes him a cool oil-cooled GSXR specialist?

From the moment Uncle Roger came to visit my folks, on his red Honda 400 four, a very young and little me was well and truly smitten with bikes. I’d always thought they were cool but that was the point I was truly in love with two wheels.

I come from a family where motorcycles are kind of in the blood. Not a “biker” family but one that has had many members that used and loved two and three wheels along the way.
My kids also ride so it’s cool that the family obsession continues!

As a young lad I tinkered with my own mopeds and field hacks (and got myself in trouble plenty of times; not proud) then, when the time came, I trained at West Suffolk College. That was 30 years ago!

Initially I worked in two local Landrover/four-wheel drive garages but life and health put a stop to the professional mechanical path for a few years. I continued to work on and customise my own and other people’s bikes as it was a passion and bug that I couldn’t leave alone.

I had loads of motorcycles along the way, CB’s, GS’s, ZEDs, but it was the purchase of a brand new 600 Suzuki Bandit in 1998 where everything really changed. As brilliant a bike as it was I got bored and wanted more power and speed so the Bandit got swapped for a GSXR1100H Slabside Streetfighter. This, as MANY people will tell you, sparked my totally over the top love affair with Suzuki’s iconic oil cooled gsxr series engines. This included a rather “anorak” knowledge to boot! I probably know an unhealthy amount about these particular bikes…

Eventually fate pushed me into working with two of the absolute best teachers you could have, Bushy at Frontline Motorcycles and Eriks at Ekquire Motorcycles, (both in Bury St. Edmunds). I learnt so much with these two amazing human beans, both in life and motorcycles.

In 2004 I needed to spread my wings and established Badger Motorcycles in Ipswich.

Over the years I’ve morphed from an oil cooled GSXR specialist with custom work and sales bikes on offer, to a much more general motorbike workshop that caters to almost all makes and models.

I’ve built one-off and custom bikes in the past that were featured in Backstreet Heroes, Streetfighters, and 100% Biker magazines with 3 and 4 page spreads, (one even got centre page spread as a poster for readers!)

I’ve won countless trophies at rallies, too. That’s not me bragging I want people to know I’m capable and their bike is in safe hands!

Pop in and say Hello!

Badger