For those of you that came to this page in an attempt to escape the wall to wall coverage of the World Cup I apologise, but indulge me for one paragraph. As I poured over the pictures of this, the latest build from Portuguese outfit it roCkS!, a footballing analogy could not help but force its way into my mind. Grainy footage of the legendary "Black Panther" the Portugal striker whose speed, technique, athleticism and ferocious shot made him one of the greats of the game. If this motorbike was a footballer, it would be Eusebio. No more football. I promise. Speed, power, precision, it is all there in this latest build from it roCkS! A hulking 2003 XJR1300SP was taken to Osvaldo Coutinho and Alexandre Santos by a friend of theirs who was looking for a few minor tweaks for his Yamaha, but they explained to him "if we put our hands on his bike, in the end he would get a new bike… and so it was!". Taking inspiration from the customer's involvement with Aeroplanes, they looked to the menacing stealth jet as a reference point and began to create its two wheeled counterpart.

The flat black planes and aggressive forward tilt of the aircraft are all present in the finished bike, but it is hard to imagine it flying under any radar with its huge presence and glorious detailing. The donor bike was in excellent order and many original parts remain, including the engine, tank, wheels, large parts of the frame, the rear shocks and the brakes. At the front Kawasaki ZXR up side down forks were mated to the frame, "We had to fabricate aluminum CNC 3D adapters for the calipers and axles for the wheels and steering column." The brakes and Ohlins rear shocks were refurbished and refitted.

The dominating engine received a coat of matte black paint befitting the stealth theme and all of the bolts were replaced. A small high performance oil cooler also de-clutters the mill."The original air box was removed and we designed our own set of velocity stacks with filter, custom built by us especially for this project". The exhaust is a titanium unit that beneath its thermal black wrap flows from four into two into one. The carburettors were retuned and rejetted to befit the free flowing mods.

The tail unit was crafted in metal reflecting the shape of the tank and flows seamlessly with the baseline, it is fitted with a luxurious hand made light brown leather seat. Other parts fabricated in metal include the foot pegs, front and rear fenders, and dashboard mounts. The CNC housing contains a Motogadget motoscope pro, Motogadget also supplied their m-switch units. Signal and license plate lighting came from Rizoma whilst the rear lights are two simple LEDs mounted in the plate bracket.

The small black headlight and tight ZXR front end exaggerate the bulk of the engine and tank giving the bike hunched, powerful shoulders. A tiny lithium battery hides away in the tail allowing for the cavernous spaces around the seat to further tilt the bulk of the bike towards its centre. The obligatory Stealth matte black paint scheme is paired with some classic gold striping and components such as the bar ends, brakes and Ohlins, showing the bike is less inclined to hide from view than its namesake jet.

The inevitable weight loss of the transformation combined with the engine liberation and chassis modifications has released the potential of an all ready dynamic machine. "A powerhouse.... It just pulls away at any speed! The steering geometry is now much more radical, so the bike encourages us to ride in twisty roads and having fun in the corners." Now the owners daily steed the XJR is owning the roads of its homeland.

Another impressive muscular beauty to add to the it roCkS! bikes stable. See the rest of their machines and keep yourself distracted from the football at their own Bike Shed Page.