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1981 GSX1100 Katana Based Project

Swing-arm and caliper bracket paint has cured and time to add some parts for the week. Front sprocket, 520 chain, swing-arm, rear brake and rear wheel. Combined all these parts came in at:

23,404 grams.

Running Tally = 124,389 grams.


GSXR 750 rear wheel installed.

DW rear wheel 1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


GSXR1000 rear caliper installed.

DW rear wheel 2 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr

520 chain and aluminium sprocket.

DW rear wheel 3 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


DW rear caliper adjustment plate.

DW rear caliper adjuster by Max Mutarn, on Flickr
 
Rear shocks should arrive in two weeks. Have ordered a set of Nitron R1 basic shocks for the build. Being much lighter than a stock Kat the spring rate and valving need to match the lower weight for the suspension to work effectively. Also as a bonus the R1 shocks are lighter than piggyback shocks, win,win.
 
Found a used carbon chain guard for the project, much lighter than the steel original, 118 grams without bolts. The lesson for me on this project was some carbon parts can be made at home and in some cases the end product can be presentable for a daily rider bike like this one. However, the fit and finish on the aftermarket chain guard compared to my effort on the parts I have made is night and day different. Thankfully the carbon chain guard is a used part so not expensive to buy, this time.

DW carbon chain guard 1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr

DW carbon chain guard 2 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr
 
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The seat/bodywork shell was not supplied with a seat pad and although it would be very light without it I think my body would appreciate having something there to provide a level of comfort. Wanting to keep the weight down I glued some low density foam sheets together with a 6mm EVA foam on top and then shaped them to fit the seat shell. If it works that is all that matters, not concerned if it needs replacing every year or so, it is light weight and that gets the tick. Of course if it is to painful then something else will need to be done.

seat pad 1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


seat pad 2 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


DW 180 seat bodywork by Max Mutarn, on Flickr
 
Time to sort out the forks, these are a used set and I don't know their history so before installing them it is a good time to clean, inspect and replace the oil, seals, seal clips and dust covers. Will also be swapping the OEM pre-load adjusters for aftermarket all aluminium adjusters as well as swapping the OEM fork springs for new light weight TNK custom Katana fork springs.

DW forks 1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


DW fork parts by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


DW fork springs 1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr
 
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Shin-Ken 1074 said:
85 ml of sludge from the right fork, less than half of what should be there and it should be fork oil not this goo!
Click to expand...
Have a sniff of it. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's the original fork oil from the factory, and they were fond of fish oil back then.
Stinks to high heaven after a few years.
 
Grimly said:
Have a sniff of it. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's the original fork oil from the factory, and they were fond of fish oil back then.
Stinks to high heaven after a few years.
Click to expand...

No fish oil today Grimly. These are re-manufactured Suzuki forks by a company in Japan so the original oil is long gone, thankfully. A nice feature is they remove the OEM anti-dive top module and replace it with a reliable manual adjustable damper unit. No need for anti-dive hoses and brackets, much lighter now.

Damper adjust by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


The sludge is the usual result of not changing the fork oil at 10,000km. I have seen worse looking oil from forks from the many sets I have worked on so not a surprise really.
 
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Fork internals are in good shape, the wave washers have almost no wear and the friction bushes are almost mint as expected. When PMC (Performance Motorcycle Creative) in Japan re-manufacture these forks they replace all the internal parts including friction bushes so the forks leave their workshop as "New" forks. The forks were painted black and the "KYB" decals had been applied when I bought them, not original finish for a 1981 SZ but this build is not a restoration to original spec so no drama leaving them as is. In fact I think the black finish will go well with the build as only the battery cradle is in aluminium finish with everything else being silver or black.

My guess is this is the first time the forks have been worked on since they were re-manufactured which is why all the internal parts are minty, just tired fork oil that has been there for to long. A clean up and install the new consumables and they will be ready to go.

Fork assembly 1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr
 
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My socket set are thick walled and will crush the raised rib section of the fork seal if I used them to install the new seal. Lucky for me I don't throw out steel or pipe off cuts and just pile them up in a drum waiting for a job. Ratting through the drum I found a pipe that is a perfect fit for the new fork seal, clears the seal rib and just fits inside the fork leg. Made a cedar strike plate for the top of the pipe and taped it in place with the ever reliable silver duct tape.

Fork seal drift 1 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


Fork seal drift 2 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


Fork seal drift 4 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


Fork seal drift 5 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr




Fork seal drift 6 by Max Mutarn, on Flickr
 
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Change of plan, the aluminium preload unit threads wont engage the fork threads. Can't see any damage to the threads on the aftermarket preload. The OEM preload unit spins on without any problem so for now the OEM preload will be used and I'll sort out the problem another day, at least that can be done with the forks fitted.

The problem preload.

aftermarket preload by Max Mutarn, on Flickr
 
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I came across that fork preload thread problem - two sets of forks from Zuk, both the same diameter, different threads. That's why I ended up using the air caps but cut them down and turned them into mechanical pre-loaders.
 
Grimly said:
I came across that fork preload thread problem - two sets of forks from Zuk, both the same diameter, different threads. That's why I ended up using the air caps but cut them down and turned them into mechanical pre-loaders.
Click to expand...

Hi Grimly, good work around on your pre-load thread problem.
 
The OEM steel fork brace that sits inside the front guard is a not so light 780 gram part. Replacing it with a Daytona aluminium fork brace however, the Daytona is old and the plastic fork dust seal retainer is brittle and flimsy, not good. Had an aluminium retainer made to replace the plastic item and it should
do the job for many years to come.


OEM steel fork brace.
OEM fork brace by Max Mutarn, on Flickr

Plastic retainer.
Plastic retainer by Max Mutarn, on Flickr


Aluminium retainer
Aluminium retainer by Max Mutarn, on Flickr
 
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