New Member, New Kat Owner, Old Rider!

muddy

muddy

GSX400S Rider
G'day Everyone

Gotta admit I've been lurking around here for a while. The site is full of helpful info and people willing to share their experience.

I've recently bought my second Katana 1100. It is nearly the same as my first, the latest being a 1982 (1981 MY) GSX1100SZ. I've been looking around for a reasonable one to do up and managed to get hold of one in Maryborough QLD, in October last year. It has plenty of potential, but also needs plenty of work as the pictures show. I've got it fully stripped down and preparing to paint and rejuvenate.

I've been around bikes most of my life, with Dad buying my first 1959 Honda C71 Dream in 1974. It was a great old reliable bike and taught me a lot about motors and swapping engines, frames and electrics. Since then I've had a Suzuki TM125, Honda 750/4, my original 1982 Katana 1100 SZ, Suzuki 1100 EFE (which I was really pleased to get rid of) and a BMW K100RS.

In the shed at the moment I've got a Suzuki SV1000S with a few mods and beefed-up GSXR suspension, a 1964 Honda C72 Dream, 1995 Ducati 900 SS custom and the latest Katana. I just love working on bikes, that doesn't mean I'm any good at it, but I do love the research and experimentation.

The latest Katana needs a lot of paint - I plan to keep the frame, tank, fairing, covers etc as standard, but want to make the rest of the bike look like the SY - I do love the look of that bike. To do this, I hope to powder coat the rims, paint the forks and engine. I also plan to do up the front forks, rebuild the rear Marzocchi shocks, upgrade the front brakes and get various bits and pieces powder coated. The tank is being repainted now, I've got a new fairing, front mudguard and black tail cowl. I'm in the process of rattle-can spraying a number of bits and pieces.

Anyway I'm in for the long haul - the Ducati took me about 3 years and expect about the same for the Kat.

I hope to be able to contribute a little, but I could never compete with the collective knowledge and experience on this site.

Sty safe and upright.

Regards

Muddy
 

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PS. The eagle-eyed of you may notice that the original seat has no strap. Also the bike has chromed air-box covers, plus various chromed bits and pieces including some of the switch-gear, the bar end weights, chain guard, side stand and parts of the mirror stalks. I'm told this is a characteristic of the very early Katanas - is this correct?

Regards

Muddy
 
Welcome to the site Muddy. It's always good to have an interest/hobby and working on motorcycles is a great thing to do ... albeit bloody frustrating at times.
 
Hey Muddy, welcome! Yep a bit of spit and polish and she'll clean right up :D

I'm with you enjoying working on bikes, I rebuilt my GS450 over a number of years, now enjoying getting my Kat done. So far two and half years and counting... don't think I'll make the three year mark but that's ok, the working on it is only second to riding it :)

I'm sure one of the more knowledgeable folk will be along shortly to answer your queries.
 
muddy said:
PS. The eagle-eyed of you may notice that the original seat has no strap. Also the bike has chromed air-box covers, plus various chromed bits and pieces including some of the switch-gear, the bar end weights, chain guard, side stand and parts of the mirror stalks. I'm told this is a characteristic of the very early Katanas - is this correct?

Regards

Muddy
Click to expand...

Welcome Muddy
Yes, am sure the Revit counters are lurkingin the shallows ready to pounce ( hi everyone, my name is Stuart and in a closet five counter. )
Just be sure nobody tries to seperate you from the front fender mud flap, perhaps that's where your tag name comes from, but if original is a bit of 'un-obtainium'!

Hope you enjoy the forum and remember, it's a symbiotic relationship. We welcome the input of others as much as knowledge of the elders.

Are you considering the State Of Origin ride in September?

Cheers
Stuart
 
Hi Muddy and welcome to the Forum, glad to see you have stepped out from the shadows. Good score on the Kat, she looks to be in very good shape and pretty well unmolested. The cut rear guard and bling work are minor blemishes and easy to sort out. The main parts SZ Kat had chrome work on were the starter motor cover, gear lever and rod, block oil gallery bolts,cam end caps and screws, rear brake lever and clutch release arm. The airbox covers, chain guard and bar weights were chromed on many Kats after the owners bought them and with the passing years that has lead to some thinking the chrome was an early feature, it isn't. They were satin black ex-factory as were the mirror stems and sidestand. In the photo your carb boot clamps and airbox clamps appear to be chrome, all clamps were satin black ex-factory. If you have chromed switch blocks the blocks are alloy/white metal items from a GS or maybe a 750 or something else, the SZ Katana 1100 switch blocks were black plastic.

The photos show your Kat is fitted with alloy footpegs and an alloy rear brake lever from the SD/SE Kat. SZ Kat pegs were blocky rubber/steel units and the rear brake lever was forged steel. Not saying there is an issue with the pegs or lever, just an observation. The aftermarket screen is fitted with screws that appear to be chromed. The screen screws are guess what? Yep, satin black ex-factory however, when new ones are ordered from Suzuki now they sometimes turn up as chrome finish. Clutch and front brake lever are anodised satin black ex-factory.

Thanks for your intro and photos of your new Baby and look forward to seeing more posts as you work through the Kat. Do you still have your first Kat? Is it a runner? If you can get away in Sep the SOO is there for you and your Kat to join in the fun. Good to see your offsider (diggity dog) there to help. Mine has a habit of chewing the Kat tyres so the only time she is helpful is when new tyres are fitted and she roughs them up a bit.

Have sent you a P.M.

Cheers,
Glen.
 
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Hi Muddy,
Good to see another Kat getting a tidy up!

As Glen states in his reply, looks like a PO has put a bit of extra bling on the Kat. Not that I mind bling, just if you are doing a 100% restoration you'll need to get out the satin black or buy NOS from Hones in Melb.

Keep posting those photos, cheers
Rob
 
Tomcat said:
To be honest Muddy,

I'm keen to know what this is in the background!
https://www.suzukikatanaaustralia.com.au/member/attachment.php?attachmentid=6134&d=1524999308

Possible smoke from the 'grassy knowl'?
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the replies and welcome guys - I feel right at home already! That photo is from where I picked the bike up just outside Maryborough QLD. The PO was telling me it is a Mark IX Jag that was an embassy staff car that Robert Menzies used to drive around in. He calls it Sir Bob! Anyway it is in really good condition and is on his do-up list. He's got some mags to go on it and it looks absolutely fantastic.
 
Shin-Ken 1074 said:
Hi Muddy and welcome to the Forum, glad to see you have stepped out from the shadows. Good score on the Kat, she looks to be in very good shape and pretty well unmolested. The cut rear guard and bling work are minor blemishes and easy to sort out. The main parts SZ Kat had chrome work on were the starter motor cover, gear lever and rod, block oil gallery bolts,cam end caps and screws, rear brake lever and clutch release arm. The airbox covers, chain guard and bar weights were chromed on many Kats after the owners bought them and with the passing years that has lead to some thinking the chrome was an early feature, it isn't. They were satin black ex-factory as were the mirror stems and sidestand. In the photo your carb boot clamps and airbox clamps appear to be chrome, all clamps were satin black ex-factory. If you have chromed switch blocks the blocks are alloy/white metal items from a GS or maybe a 750 or something else, the SZ Katana 1100 switch blocks were black plastic.

The photos show your Kat is fitted with alloy footpegs and an alloy rear brake lever from the SD/SE Kat. SZ Kat pegs were blocky rubber/steel units and the rear brake lever was forged steel. Not saying there is an issue with the pegs or lever, just an observation. The aftermarket screen is fitted with screws that appear to be chromed. The screen screws are guess what? Yep, satin black ex-factory however, when new ones are ordered from Suzuki now they sometimes turn up as chrome finish. Clutch and front brake lever are anodised satin black ex-factory.

Thanks for your intro and photos of your new Baby and look forward to seeing more posts as you work through the Kat. Do you still have your first Kat? Is it a runner? If you can get away in Sep the SOO is there for you and your Kat to join in the fun. Good to see your offsider (diggity dog) there to help. Mine has a habit of chewing the Kat tyres so the only time she is helpful is when new tyres are fitted and she roughs them up a bit.

Have sent you a P.M.

Cheers,
Glen.
Click to expand...

Thanks Shin-Ken, that is great info. Strangely a couple of features in the pictures were not on the bike when I collected it. There was no rear brake pedal, although I purchased a new chrome one from Mick Hones. The pegs were also incorrect - something off another GS that had tried to be adapted - I had to buy later model Kat pegs from Hone's also. Clutch lever is chromed and the carb boot clamps and airbox clamps also are chrome.

I never realised the front mudflap was "unobtainium".

I'll respond to you PM tomorrow or over the weekend.

Thanks.

Regards

Muddy
 
muddy said:
PS. The eagle-eyed of you may notice that the original seat has no strap. Also the bike has chromed air-box covers, plus various chromed bits and pieces including some of the switch-gear, the bar end weights, chain guard, side stand and parts of the mirror stalks. I'm told this is a characteristic of the very early Katanas - is this correct?

Regards

Muddy
Click to expand...

would you be chasing up a seat strap by any chance mud?
 
After a bit of research some time ago looking for a mudflap I found another model bike with the the same part number, from memory it was a GP125

Cheers
Max
 
Mick Hone is listing the GP125 mud flap. It is a different profile to the Kat mud flap and uses 3 screws to secure it compared to the two screws on the Kat however, if for some reason you had to have a mud flap and couldn't track down a Kat flap one of these could be adapted for functional use rather than OEM spec.

GP 125 front fender mud flap 53311-25600 $14.75 for the flap only. Screws, washers, nuts and plate additional cost.
 
patrick said:
would you be chasing up a seat strap by any chance mud?
Click to expand...

G'day patrick

no plans to get a seat strap. There is no clips on the seat to match the strap, which made me think there was never one fitted.

Regards

Muddy
 
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Shin-Ken 1074 said:
Mick Hone is listing the GP125 mud flap. It is a different profile to the Kat mud flap and uses 3 screws to secure it compared to the two screws on the Kat however, if for some reason you had to have a mud flap and couldn't track down a Kat flap one of these could be adapted for functional use rather than OEM spec.

GP 125 front fender mud flap 53311-25600 $14.75 for the flap only. Screws, washers, nuts and plate additional cost.
Click to expand...


OK I'll have a better look when I get home in a couple of weeks, I'm pretty sure I found one the same as a Kat one

Cheers
Max
 
gs110xsxz said:
OK I'll have a better look when I get home in a couple of weeks, I'm pretty sure I found one the same as a Kat one

Cheers
Max
Click to expand...

Hope you find it when you get home Max. The Kat flaps dropped off the Suzi parts list last year. Steve said I bought the last one he had on the shelf and since then they are NLA. Bugger!
 
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