On the way back home

R

rangerkat1100s

Hi All, after a 10 year rest in central Qld my beloved 83 1100 SD is heading home to WA. I've been living in PNG for past 10 years & the kat's been in a storage shed all that time. I organised Bikemovers, Stephen Sylvia is the man, they came & picked her up in Yeppoon and it will be delivered to my bro's place in Perth in about 10 days. Told them that it won't run & possibly have flat tyres but that was no problem for them. Great service and reasonably priced. I recommend them ! The kat will be there when I arrive from PNG before xmas so can't wait to throw a leg over her. Now guys I have a few questions about bringing her back to life so any advice will be greatly appreciated.
1. New battery. I just go for the old original lead acid type or is there a newfangled type used nowadays ?
2. Tyres. The tyres on her are over ten years old, Michelin Macadam rear, Metzler front. I'm a old bugger, not a boy racer so what rubber do you recon I should shod her with. Good grip & wear but not the most expensive.
3. Fuel. Yes, will get carbies cleaned out. Then, what fuel do I put in her ?KATANA Vic.jpg
Well stay tuned guys. In a couple of weeks I'll be in Perth so will let you know how things turn out. Of course if I have any issues trying to get her going there is only 1 place to go, here !
onya, rangerkat
 
Welcome back to the sunny West.

1. Cheap Katana battery last for around 5 years in mine (from Super Cheap Autos)
2. Tyres go off (well the rubber does). They will need changing no matter how good they look. I use Pirelli's and Bridgetsones - both are great - I use Motorcycle Pit Stop in Angove St North Perth
3. 98 octane

Give me a yell when you get settled.

Tom
 
rangerkat1100s said:
Thanks Tom, what about tyres for bikes in vic park and bridgestones ? I'll be up near Whitfords, nth burbs.
onya, rangerkat.
Click to expand...

Yep, they get a good wrap. Long time Kat owner Shaun Roe (Roey) love the BS Battleaxe on his beast and has been using them for years.
 
Hi ranger, just put on a Pirelli sports demon rear to match the front but tyre guy was saying Avon's are the go (is that because there's a bigger margin on them????:o ) which is what I'll put on next front rear swap over, that was tyres for bikes bris. Also I run 91 octane which is what I believe the bikes ran on when we bought them but a bit of av gas wouldn't hurt every now and again :D. Cheers swoop
 
After standing for 10 years or so.....

With new oil/filter - I would manually prime the oil pump and chase certainty of good clean oil - sequentially - at each of the 5 oil galley bolts.

Most likely shall need new m/c and brake seal kits. Replace brake lines with braided if original still.

Clutch may be seized - don't ask me how I know - I would pull clutch cover off - oil each plate and check/tighten the big clutch nut. If it still sticks - ride it down the road in 5th - pull in the clutch, pick up the revs and apply the rear brake.

New fork oil (atf) wouldn't go amiss.

These are assuming the tank/fuel/tap and carbies are all sorted......with the carbies - primary circuit is critical to get clean.

Good luck - I just started a bike that had stood for at least 11 years - it can be done.
 
Glad to hear you'll get to resurrect her Ranger!

You already have plenty of tips above but I'll throw my 2 cents in anyway... I have Avon Roadriders on the 450 and Bridgestone BT45's on the Kat, very happy with both. The Avons are a hair more expensive than the BT45's, but the BT45's have a dual compound rear meaning the centre should in theory last a little than the centre of the Avons. Really can't go wrong with either I don't think.

I also run standard 91 octane in both my bikes and they're happy with it.
 
Thanks guys for the reply's. I'll probably go for the bridgestones. I also forgot to ask what oil do you reckon is the go to put in her.
cheers, rangerkat
 
Ranger it might not be for everyone but if you google cost effective maintenance I use these products in my truck car bike. Expensive but the bloke has an interesting story and Oz University's have tested the stuff to the point mines with multi million motors use it. So oil flush, fuel system cleaner, cylinder de carb I do. An ex Chem engineer from csiro I think. For a bike not too expensive. Cheers
 
Oils? Now there's a controversial topic! :D

For me I've had good success with Penrite HPR15 15w50 semi synthetic Diesel oil. I tend to wait 'til it's on special at Autobarn or Supercheap and buy the 10L bottle, goes well in both the 450 and the Kat.
 
As Pete said "Oils? Now there's a controversial topic!"

I use Penrite MC-4ST SEMI SYNTHETIC 10W-40 and also Valvoline XLD mineral oil changing every 2000k's
 
Me again guys, sorry to be a pain but, carbies. 10 years sitting. How do you reckon I go about sorting these out before I hit the start button. First I'll do oil/filter change then do the fuel ( drain/replace ) Then carbies, any suggestions from you esteemed gentlemen would be greatly appreciated.
onya, rangerkat
 
First time I touched the Kat new nothing (absolutely nothing) about carbs. I found this to be a great help - got me through a rebuild, and now ive played with three types of carbs and feel totally comfortable to pull them apart etc. One note though - if replacing any jetting componants make sure you buy genuine Mikuni parts - aftermarket products can have crap quality control which equals crap tuning.... Been there before... Good luck!

https://thexscafedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/mikuni_bs-cv_carburetor_rebuild_tutorial.pdf
 
Unless you drained and stored clean/well you most likely will have to pull the carbies out. Might just as well order new manifold rubbers now.
 
Compare prices of Tyres with tyreman-mc on ebay.
For battery I've had a lithium for 5 yrs, there good for 8 yrs and around $ 165 on eBay, 10 times the cranking amps.
Oils ain't oils , I use Castrol Power 1, 10W-40, 4T part synthetic, I get mine from the BP depot. 4 lts for the change 1 Lt extra for top ups.
Drop the sump plate, wash out the pick up screen with brake cleaner, remember to replace another O'ring in there too, Grease to hold it in place.
When you get new oil filter ,make sure to get new rubber O'ring gasket.
 
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As far as oil change goes CEM recommends with their oil flush product to get the motor running then drop the original oil then add a cheap bike oil and pour in their additive and run for their recommended time then drop that and put in the good oil. With the carbs I use a CEM fuel additive to melt the crap but a mate bought an ultra sonic cleaner if your going to pull them down and threw the lot in. $140 sheckels at Repco but he paid 400 for a big one.
 
Swoopswoop, please tell me more about ultra sonic cleaner. You just put all carbs in it still ganged together. CEM fuel additive ? I always used Wynn's Spitfire octane boost in my tank. I used to live in Broome and rode the Kat 6 times between there & Perth ( 2,400Ks one way ). Never had any issues with fuel or plugs.
onya,rangerkat
 
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