But ferk me. Were bikes from the 80s not the ugliest? Some folks on here might be aware of the tragic story of Doc from Oban and possibly knew him from his connection to one or two bike club's. Anyways, this turns up at the workshop. One of the lads has been left a pretty well looked after 42yr old katana 1100 with 14k on the clock in Docs will. He ain't too sure what to do with it yet. Concourse it. Use it as is or mod it. And if anyone can it will be the lad that now has it. What he is wondering is, any recomendations of site's/forums and or personal experience of ownership and mods done on here?
I’d ride it as is tbh, my only experience is loving the design of it when it was released. There are 2 Katana owners pages on FB. There is also this https://www.katanaownersuk.club/
Nice looking Kat, I used to have a 750 Gen1 and 750 Gen2 (pop-up headlight). As far as online resources I spent more time at oldskoolsuzuki.info
I'd ride it as is with maybe a light tidy up and clean. Obviously a good service and a new reg/rec. Be a nice thing to take out when in the mood. It'll feel heavy, ponderous and under braked though but it'll give plenty of smiles per miles
That's a very cool bike! It looks original, so I'd suggest leaving it in that condition. It's a personal taste thing, but I'm not that keen on seeing 'over-restored' classic machinery. There is nothing wrong with a bike looking its age & motorcycles with patina probably get ridden more. Having had Katana's in the past, the forks 'Anti-dive' was often binned, and some guys replaced the under spec front end with beefier forks with stronger brakes. Big Suzuki engines were often bored out, but in some cases the ride becomes more harsh if the setup is slightly off. Good luck with the bike!
I owned one for 5 or 6 yrs Fin. I then restored it and sold it to help pay for my new 1198 along with a husky 510smr that I had to sell before it killed me. I restored it after i had to commute on it to guildford during a bad winter. Salt is its enemy. I rode it everywhere, fantastic bike. But, and isnt there always a but, its the only bike you need to 10pt turn to do a u-turn. With the 19" front, the rake and the bars and distance from seat to bars , it was like lying down face first on a luge. Bad tyre choice can result in the front shaking its head and the frame has 3 hinges in it at 120+. That still has its orig pipes. Protect them. Proverbial rocking horse shit. The engine is bullet proof, the cycle parts are all shit. Its an uncomfortable bike unless you are in your early 30's as i was. I came from a GS750db to the Kat. The 1000cc version is the one to have for collectors. That ones missing its seat strap. Personally I love them and Target Design created a classic. Dont mod it. Keep it OEM.
thanks for the replies. i've passed the info on. i think he was a lil overwhelmed at first but now we in agreement over time, bars, mirrors, indicators, foot pegs and exhaust all need to go. knowing yer man, it will be tastefully done.
Ha, i now know what those buttons do. from that old school Suzuki site. Suzuki Archives - Oldskoolsuzuki.info
