1981 GSX1100 Katana Based Project

[Rob S.]

Yeah, just reread your first post.

[Shin-Ken 1074]

Yep, DW = Dry Weight.

[Rob S.]

The DW180 only has 35 clicks on the clock...

I keep forgetting what DW stands for. A couple of days ago I settled on Dry Weight, but that doesn't work.

I just remember that it was obvious.

[Shin-Ken 1074]

Well done mate! It's always impressive to see what was along-held dream become reality. I'm betting it's even better than you imagined. Great work as always. I had the pleasure of visiting and riding with an old mate though you're neck of the woods (Tamborine/ Beechmont area) in early Feb. I'm sure the DW180 will be an absolute blast in the Brissie hinterlands.

Thanks Darryl, yeah, it has turned out even better than I thought it would! Everything is soo much better, seating position, clip-on position, comfort - for a Kat, suspension, handling, brakes, engine performance - it is a weapon!

I mentioned it in a previous post, if I had known how these improvements would make riding so much better I would have done this years ago. It is unlikely I'll ever ride the stock Kat again so she will become a Hanger Queen!

Glad to hear you had a good run through Tamborine/Beechmont, some great roads through there when it's dry. The DW180 only has 35 clicks on the clock as of today however, the plan is to get a couple of short rides in over the weekend to check out the engine and get some oil temp readings at highway speeds and stop/start city traffic.

Great to hear from you mate.

Cheers.

[KiwiAlfa156]

Well done mate! It's always impressive to see what was along-held dream become reality. I'm betting it's even better than you imagined. Great work as always. I had the pleasure of visiting and riding with an old mate though you're neck of the woods (Tamborine/ Beechmont area) in early Feb. I'm sure the DW180 will be an absolute blast in the Brissie hinterlands.

[Shin-Ken 1074]

Great job: Impressive results and I think it still looks great.

Thanks Big Block. While out test riding the Kat, a couple of other riders I meet on the day commented on how factory it looks. To clarify, they were not vintage Kat riders who would notice all the mods straight up however, their comment was how it looked to them as a mostly factory machine. One of the criteria for the build was to try and have a stock "look" for the completed project rather than a resto-mod or custom look to it. Considering there are only eight parts on the completed build that are OEM Katana parts I am happy with the result and how it has a factory "look", excluding the titanium pipes.

I'll post a pic of a stock 1100SZ Kat with the DW to compare and see how close it is to a "factory/stock look".

[Shin-Ken 1074]

From 573 lbs to 454 lbs is VERY impressive. Now for the $64 question: How much do YOU weigh?

Your Kat is a real "Q" ship, a sleeper. Any plans to visit a drag strip? Depending on your skills (and weight ), I see no reason she shouldn't break into the nines.

Q Ship, you know your history. This will stay just that, not standing out in the crowd and being like the "Grey Man" although in this case "Grey Kat" is perhaps a better description. So, no drags, just a Kat to ride and enjoy.

[Shin-Ken 1074]

Very inpressive indeed; given the fact that curb weight varyies from manufacturer to manufacturer, some rate it with a full tank, others with half or 10lt. dry weight comparison might been even more dramatic...

Thanks Lorenzo, yeah, the manual doesn't say how much fuel is in the tank when it quotes the curb weight of 260kg. The main thing is I know what it weighs with a full tank and there are not many 1100 cc bikes with a steel frame that weigh 206 kg with 21 litres of fuel. Dry or wet it is still very light and an amazing bike to ride. I think it will be difficult to throw my leg over any other 1100 road machine now that I have ridden this one.

[Shin-Ken 1074]

That weight saving is incredible!
You should be very proud of all your hard work.

Hey if it's going to wheelie all the time maybe you should weigh it with the front wheel in the air.

Thank you Steve, I appreciate your thoughts on the build. Yeah, with the front wheel in the air I wont need those pesky front brakes so they could come off!

[Rob S.]

From 573 lbs to 454 lbs is VERY impressive. Now for the $64 question: How much do YOU weigh?

Your Kat is a real "Q" ship, a sleeper. Any plans to visit a drag strip? Depending on your skills (and weight ), I see no reason she shouldn't break into the nines.

[Lorenzo]

Very inpressive indeed; given the fact that curb weight varyies from manufacturer to manufacturer, some rate it with a full tank, others with half or 10lt. dry weight comparison might been even more dramatic...

[steve murdoch]

That weight saving is incredible!
You should be very proud of all your hard work.

Hey if it's going to wheelie all the time maybe you should weigh it with the front wheel in the air.

[Shin-Ken 1074]

What about the carb tuning? How does it rate with the big 3?

1. Starting
2. Idling
3. Pulling hard to red line with nary a cough or whimper

All good with the Big 3.

1) Starts right on the button.

2) Idle is perfect.

3) Throttle response is crisp through the rev range with power delivery being instant when the throttle is snapped, I think my arms are now a bit longer!

The front wheel is not keen to stay on the ground in any gear if the throttle is given a bit of stick!

[Rob S.]

What about the carb tuning? How does it rate with the big 3?

1. Starting
2. Idling
3. Pulling hard to red line with nary a cough or whimper

[Shin-Ken 1074]

As Bettlejuice once said, "It's showtime!" Put the Kat on the scales today to confirm curb weight, all fluids including a full tank with 21lt of fuel. Curb weight = 206.00kg.

Katana manual states OEM curb weight = 260kg.

With those numbers the build at this stage has the Kat 54kg (119.05 lb) lighter than a stock 1981 GSX1100SZ curb weight. I was very pleased when I saw the scales read 206 kg today and even happier riding it!
Each day can't come quick enough to get the chance to go for a ride on the new Kat!


Manual Curb weight by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


Scales 1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


Scales 2 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr