'82 - '83 Katana Fairing Differences?

[Joe Nardy]

I have a spare fiberglass Katana fairing that I am having repaired and possibly painted. I will be selling it and want to have the biggest target audience as possible. Here are my questions:

1. Is the fairing the same for the '82 and '83 models? I believe they are but they are different part numbers. I'm guessing the difference is paint but the '83 MSRP ($446) is much less than the '82 MSRP ($640). Is it possible that the '82 fairings were fiberglass while the '83 fairings were plastic?

2. Is the base color (13L - Bright Silver Metallic) the same for the '82 and '83 models? Again, I believe it is but would like to be sure.

3. Parts fiches show a 'Tape Set' for the fairing but it looks like it is only the lighter stripes. Can anyone verify this?

4. In regard to question #3, is the darker blue on the fairing painted or decal?

My thinking is that I can have the fairing painted 13L Bright Metallic Silver and if an '83 owner wants it he could have the dark blue added. However, if the '83 models did not originally have fiberglass fairings then this won't be an issue as the originality of fiberglass will not appeal to them.

Thanks for any input you can provide,
Joe

[harley10]

On my 83 blue it is painted I just had it touched up at painters, brian

[Joe Nardy]

On my 83 blue it is painted I just had it touched up at painters, brian

Brian,

Thanks. Is your fairing fiberglass of plastic? Do you know if it is the original fairing?

Thanks again,
Joe

[harley10]

It's fibreglass , not sure if it's original , I would be guessing , I have 4 or 5 fairings, 2 are plastic and rest are fibreglass.Brian

[Pedda]

Some early 1100 Kats had fibreglass fairings, as far as I know not limited to certain model years. Suzuki just changed to use plastic at some point. I'm not aware of any 7.5 Kats with fibreglass ones. You can interchange 7.5 and 11 fairings without issues. All models' silver code was 13L

[harley10]

I have a set of red 750 kat body work , it's fibreglass too, Brian

[GER144]

The silver color is the same for both years. The dark blue in '83 was painted on, and the other 2 blue colors are decals. A new tank or fairing for an '83 will now come all silver, no blue paint and no stripes. The stripes are available seperately.
Maybe at one time back in the 1980's the tanks and fairings for the '83's may have come painted blue/silver and striped, but order them now and they are all silver.
Not sure why there is a big cost difference between the '82 and '83 fairing? Originally the first year Katana's had fiberglass fairings and the '83's were plastic. I am betting if you order a 1982 fairing, the part number will supercede to the '83 number.

[jheurte]

My buddy bought an '82 when they were first released here in the US and it had a fiberglass fairing (I have the fairing now) and I bought an '83 which came with a plastic fairing. Not sure about the paint codes. I was told that they switched to plastic for durability.