1981 GSX1100 Katana Based Project

[steve murdoch]

27 Kats in your regular group is incredible.
Don't think i seen that many in total.

[Shin-Ken 1074]

Mostly 1100cc, or varied sizes?

On this part of the planet, 1100 Katanas are few and far between.

On the day there was three 750cc, two 1000cc, five 1166cc, two 1230cc and the other seven were stock 1100cc. We have 27 Kats in our regular riding group in the local area however, there are another 43 Kats registered in the area that have chosen to do their own thing however, sometimes we do meet up by chance on rides, bike shows and swap meets.

We also meet up with some Kat friends from NSW (the State on the Southern border of our State - QLD) each year for a weekend ride that is a round trip of about 1,200 km.

Kat Weekend by Max Mutarn, on Flickr

[Rob S.]

Mostly 1100cc, or varied sizes?

On this part of the planet, 1100 Katanas are few and far between.

[Shin-Ken 1074]

When I mentioned we hang out with Kat riders and talk Kats, this is a BBQ at a mates place to give you an idea of what it is like when some local Kats gather around the BBQ for a chat.

Sat BBQ by Max Mutarn, on Flickr

Sat BBQ 2 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr

[Shin-Ken 1074]

Wow! She got a sister (preferably in the northern hemisphere)?

You are not the first one to ask that question for some reason? Same answer though, no sister.

[Rob S.]

Lucky for me I don't have to try and slide the build through on a paper thin reason like "an investment". My wife is very much Kat aware and is pretty clued up on Kats their parts and prices, we ride and hang out with Kat people and talk Kats most days. At times she has suggested buying parts that she knows are becoming difficult to find to future-proof the Kat, what a wonderful wife!

Wow! She got a sister (preferably in the northern hemisphere)?

[Shin-Ken 1074]

There are still a few things to sort out like overhauling the calipers and master cylinders and tuning the carbs however, yesterday was spent going through the wiring system. An aftermarket main harness, SZ Kat electrics - coils, igniter, switchblocks, clocks and indicators and a 1985 GSX 1135 EF engine. Carbs had been sitting for a year on the shelf with an unknown history and in full knowledge they will need to be overhauled but the goal yesterday was to see if the engine would fire-up and the electrics would work.

Success, the engine fired and ran after a few seconds on the starter button, sort of. Only cylinder 1 and 4 doing their job, 2 and 3 header pipes cold, gave 2 and 3 intakes a squirt of fuel and they fired up.

O.K. no fuel getting through 2 and 3, no drama.Carbs off in abound 30 seconds, no airbox makes it so easy to work on the carbs. Sure enough 2 and 3 were gummed up so a quick clean and reinstall. Fired up and ran on all cylinders so with that a major step forward, a working engine. Next job is to strip down and service the carbs and after that to sort out jetting. Right now it is still fitted with the 750 jets ex-factory.

Tested horn, lights, indicators, instrument lights, brake lights and went well except for the rear tail light. Tail light not working, brake light circuit is fine but no tail light working. Will go through the wiring again to find the problem however, I am very happy with results.

My mate the "Wizard" sorting out the electrics in his shed. The "Dark Art" of electrics is beyond my mental capacity so I am very fortunate to have help from a mate who knows how to wrangle those pesky little elec-trickery goblins!

Electrics1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr

[Shin-Ken 1074]

OEM horn painted silver in its new location. Much easier to access the tappet cover now and the horn is a bit louder facing towards the front instead of the OEM position facing down towards the tappet cover.

horna1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr

[Shin-Ken 1074]

You've told your wife this all just an investment, right?

Lucky for me I don't have to try and slide the build through on a paper thin reason like "an investment". My wife is very much Kat aware and is pretty clued up on Kats their parts and prices, we ride and hang out with Kat people and talk Kats most days. At times she has suggested buying parts that she knows are becoming difficult to find to future-proof the Kat, what a wonderful wife!

[Lorenzo]

Less Is more...

[Rob S.]

You've told your wife this all just an investment, right?

[Shin-Ken 1074]

Most of these light parts are lots better looking too IMO. Nice work!

Thanks Big Block, much appreciated.

[Shin-Ken 1074]

If a may suggest a lile improvement on detracting from the weight tally:

Hi Lorenzo, thanks for the suggestion on the rear res, they are a great product. I have installed a similar product on the DW rear master.

RR 1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


RR 2 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr

[Shin-Ken 1074]

Aluminium rear indicator brackets are finished.


OEM indicator and bracket.

RI 2 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr



DW indicator and bracket.

RI 1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


RI 3 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


RI 4 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


Running tally = 184,704 grams.

[Shin-Ken 1074]

Modified horn bracket is finished, went with silver so it blends in with the frame instead of the factory black.


H 1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr

H 2 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr