In 1993, I purchased a 83 Katana 1100 for $400 complete. When I got it running, I found out the crank was bent from a crash. 3 years later, I traded a snowboard for a 84 1150 motor with the carbs. It ended up having a bad main bearing, so I sent the crank to Falicon for Super Crank work. It came back all polished and balanced, nice!
For the most part, I'm happy with the bike, I had few electrical corrosion issues, no biggie. In 2000 and 2001, I took it to 2 tracks schools for a total of 4 days at Seattle International Raceway. A total of 255 laps of thrashing. The bike actually handled the track quite well just a little flexy into the 130 mph plus turn 1. Much faster for the newer bikes, but not many people going much faster.
The second school proved it was time to freshen the top end, as I was blowing blue smoke decelerating into corners. I burned a quart and half in 125 laps (2.25 miles)
So I decided to send the head to Las Vegas for a freshening. The guy convinced me to buy a buddy of his 1230 block with MTC pistons. He said it would really wake the bike up along with the 90 36mm GSXR carbs I bought from him the year before.
So I slap everything back together, run it thru 4-5 heat cycles before actually riding it. He wasn't joking about waking the thing up. It pulls hard from 2 G's up.
I get about 600 miles on the bike and I start to hear this slurping scraping sound coming from the left side of the motor. I pull the cover off and discover that my rotor magnets have exploded. I dutifully clean every speck of magnet dust off the engine and remove the engine oil pan for good measure. A friend sells me a new rotor for $40 with a fresher looking starter clutch attached.
I slap everything together and go for a ride to cabin about 40 miles away. A nice rural road with two rolling hills on this straight away. I accelerate hard in first, second, hit the first crest, carry the front wheel for aways, hit third it comes down briefly, hit the second crest in third on the cams and the front tire lofts again for aways and comes down gently at about 95-100mph. I'm thinking to myself, that was pretty neat! I roll up to a stop sign all giddy. Curses, I hear this strange rattling noise coming from the left side of the motor. I say whatever, and try to laugh about it and continue on. Vibration, but the motor is still pulling. I park it at the cabin. When I return home the next day, I hit the starter button, nothing, just free wheeling. I try to laugh again and bump start it. Its rattling pretty good. I nurse it home, however taking the windy way because free time is limited with a new baby boy in our home.
I pull off the cover, and hey wadda ya know, I snapped 3 8mm 12-9 stregth factor screws off the starter clutch, great! I realize the starter clutch I bought from my friend did not have a dowel boss included in the copper plate. So I used my old copper plate with dowel hole, bore the recess a little because my dowel wasn't fitting his rotor.
I slap everything together and go for ride around town to get some gas. I exit off the freeway decelerate and down shift on the brakes. As I slow to about 25 mph, I'm using only the rear, but the bike isn't slowing down. I had just put new brake pads in, and bedded them properly. Turns out my oil cooler I just bought from a guy, oil line came in contact with the exhaust header.
This same thing happened to me 2 years ago when I was 250 miles from home. I passed this guy in a truck on a straightaway, I look in my rearview as I come back into the lane and big cloud of black smoke is engulfing the road. I pull over, the truck does too. Turns out he's a Harley guy, but stops for anyone in trouble on a bike. cool. He so happens to have 2 small hose clamps to fit over a rubber sleeve that was fitted over the hose to protect it from a bracket on the frame. We slide the sleeve over the leak hose clamp it and I nurse it to Ellensburg 15 miles away. It works!.
Back to the present, I try this same trick, but I don't have the clamps. I'm only 2 miles from home so I try to ride it. Oil is pumping out all over the back tire. The bike is spinning and squirming the tire at 25 mph. This lady yells at me from a mini van "hey there's something coming out of your bike" I nod and slip it in to neutral, hit the kill switch and coast down hill to the nearest motorcycle shop at the bottom of the hill. He has no hose clamp. Ouch!
I walk across the street to a marine surplus store. Tons of hose clamps all sizes. I buy 2 for a buck, 2 quarts of oil, as I chugged out a quart and half in 200 yards.
I get home put shorter hoses on, clamp everything together and go for 600 mile ride over North Cascades Highway. No problems, the bike runs like a champ.
I ride it daily after that, then one day I pull up to a stop sign, let the clutch out and I hear this ringing noise, great what now!
I decide it's coming from the clutch, so I pull my clutch out, put my wifes clutch out of her 1150ES and slap it in. Really pretty easy. I fire it up the clutch engages smoother , but the ringing is still there. Curses!
Could it be the starter clutch again? I pull off the cover, sure enough all three screws broken again. I try to laugh about it again, pull the rotor off, take the starter clutch and gears off slap everything back together again and go on another ride over North Cascades with a buddy on 85 900 Ninja. It runs great the only hassle being bump starting on flat ground. Thanks for reading if you got this far.
Carter Turk
For the most part, I'm happy with the bike, I had few electrical corrosion issues, no biggie. In 2000 and 2001, I took it to 2 tracks schools for a total of 4 days at Seattle International Raceway. A total of 255 laps of thrashing. The bike actually handled the track quite well just a little flexy into the 130 mph plus turn 1. Much faster for the newer bikes, but not many people going much faster.
The second school proved it was time to freshen the top end, as I was blowing blue smoke decelerating into corners. I burned a quart and half in 125 laps (2.25 miles)
So I decided to send the head to Las Vegas for a freshening. The guy convinced me to buy a buddy of his 1230 block with MTC pistons. He said it would really wake the bike up along with the 90 36mm GSXR carbs I bought from him the year before.
So I slap everything back together, run it thru 4-5 heat cycles before actually riding it. He wasn't joking about waking the thing up. It pulls hard from 2 G's up.
I get about 600 miles on the bike and I start to hear this slurping scraping sound coming from the left side of the motor. I pull the cover off and discover that my rotor magnets have exploded. I dutifully clean every speck of magnet dust off the engine and remove the engine oil pan for good measure. A friend sells me a new rotor for $40 with a fresher looking starter clutch attached.
I slap everything together and go for a ride to cabin about 40 miles away. A nice rural road with two rolling hills on this straight away. I accelerate hard in first, second, hit the first crest, carry the front wheel for aways, hit third it comes down briefly, hit the second crest in third on the cams and the front tire lofts again for aways and comes down gently at about 95-100mph. I'm thinking to myself, that was pretty neat! I roll up to a stop sign all giddy. Curses, I hear this strange rattling noise coming from the left side of the motor. I say whatever, and try to laugh about it and continue on. Vibration, but the motor is still pulling. I park it at the cabin. When I return home the next day, I hit the starter button, nothing, just free wheeling. I try to laugh again and bump start it. Its rattling pretty good. I nurse it home, however taking the windy way because free time is limited with a new baby boy in our home.
I pull off the cover, and hey wadda ya know, I snapped 3 8mm 12-9 stregth factor screws off the starter clutch, great! I realize the starter clutch I bought from my friend did not have a dowel boss included in the copper plate. So I used my old copper plate with dowel hole, bore the recess a little because my dowel wasn't fitting his rotor.
I slap everything together and go for ride around town to get some gas. I exit off the freeway decelerate and down shift on the brakes. As I slow to about 25 mph, I'm using only the rear, but the bike isn't slowing down. I had just put new brake pads in, and bedded them properly. Turns out my oil cooler I just bought from a guy, oil line came in contact with the exhaust header.
This same thing happened to me 2 years ago when I was 250 miles from home. I passed this guy in a truck on a straightaway, I look in my rearview as I come back into the lane and big cloud of black smoke is engulfing the road. I pull over, the truck does too. Turns out he's a Harley guy, but stops for anyone in trouble on a bike. cool. He so happens to have 2 small hose clamps to fit over a rubber sleeve that was fitted over the hose to protect it from a bracket on the frame. We slide the sleeve over the leak hose clamp it and I nurse it to Ellensburg 15 miles away. It works!.
Back to the present, I try this same trick, but I don't have the clamps. I'm only 2 miles from home so I try to ride it. Oil is pumping out all over the back tire. The bike is spinning and squirming the tire at 25 mph. This lady yells at me from a mini van "hey there's something coming out of your bike" I nod and slip it in to neutral, hit the kill switch and coast down hill to the nearest motorcycle shop at the bottom of the hill. He has no hose clamp. Ouch!
I walk across the street to a marine surplus store. Tons of hose clamps all sizes. I buy 2 for a buck, 2 quarts of oil, as I chugged out a quart and half in 200 yards.
I get home put shorter hoses on, clamp everything together and go for 600 mile ride over North Cascades Highway. No problems, the bike runs like a champ.
I ride it daily after that, then one day I pull up to a stop sign, let the clutch out and I hear this ringing noise, great what now!
I decide it's coming from the clutch, so I pull my clutch out, put my wifes clutch out of her 1150ES and slap it in. Really pretty easy. I fire it up the clutch engages smoother , but the ringing is still there. Curses!
Could it be the starter clutch again? I pull off the cover, sure enough all three screws broken again. I try to laugh about it again, pull the rotor off, take the starter clutch and gears off slap everything back together again and go on another ride over North Cascades with a buddy on 85 900 Ninja. It runs great the only hassle being bump starting on flat ground. Thanks for reading if you got this far.
Carter Turk
. I took this thing for a ride and what a bucking bronco my Suzi was. Ya he put the sprocket on 
He said he wanted to see me again and not in a casket.
