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Raising the rear of the 1100 Katana without changing the shocks
- Thread starter John Kat
- Start date
Good news, the EMC shocks on my 1100 Katana have now been extended by 1 inch.
This was made possible through "a little help from my friends" in this case Norm (@storm64) who did a fantastic job in fabricating the extensions in stainless steel.
They came fully polished as you will see on the picture!
Many thanks Norm.
The top of the shock is now exactly at the same height as my OEM Kat despite the low profile 160/60*17 tire.
This will not only help keep my Kerker 4 into 1 from grounding when going on the elevator but also help reduce the trail and thus quicken the steering.
I'll have to wait for dry roads to give it a test.
This was made possible through "a little help from my friends" in this case Norm (@storm64) who did a fantastic job in fabricating the extensions in stainless steel.
They came fully polished as you will see on the picture!
Many thanks Norm.
The top of the shock is now exactly at the same height as my OEM Kat despite the low profile 160/60*17 tire.
This will not only help keep my Kerker 4 into 1 from grounding when going on the elevator but also help reduce the trail and thus quicken the steering.
I'll have to wait for dry roads to give it a test.
I finally managed to test the bike yesterday as the roads were dry and the temperature at 9?C.
It's difficult to compare the bike before and after fitting the shock extenders as almost a month passed between the rides but in any case I'm very glad with the result.
The bike is still very stable but feels almost like a 600 cc bike given the ease to flick it over in the S bends.
Quite amazing given the weight of the monster.
The front end feels very planted and requires very little effort to negociate the roundabouts despite the narrow bars.
The 17" wheels are of course of great help in this respect.
Here's a picture that shows the bike's stance.
It's difficult to compare the bike before and after fitting the shock extenders as almost a month passed between the rides but in any case I'm very glad with the result.
The bike is still very stable but feels almost like a 600 cc bike given the ease to flick it over in the S bends.
Quite amazing given the weight of the monster.
The front end feels very planted and requires very little effort to negociate the roundabouts despite the narrow bars.
The 17" wheels are of course of great help in this respect.
Here's a picture that shows the bike's stance.
Great news. There was a discussion on here about raising beyond 1" as if there was some type of hard limit on stability if you go any further than 1".
The Ohlins I had were 35mm extensions (1.38") and I ran them there as standard and never felt any instability.
2" is probably too far, but I saw no issues with 18" wheels 110/170 radial tires and 35mm rear extension.
The Ohlins I had were 35mm extensions (1.38") and I ran them there as standard and never felt any instability.
2" is probably too far, but I saw no issues with 18" wheels 110/170 radial tires and 35mm rear extension.
Looking good John. Another cool Kat!
To be honest with you, I was never a big fan of the Katana. But after seeing John's and what Pete is doing to his and a few others on the forum. Them things are really starting to grow on me. Some real beautiful motorcycles they are.
To be honest with you, I was never a big fan of the Katana. But after seeing John's and what Pete is doing to his and a few others on the forum. Them things are really starting to grow on me. Some real beautiful motorcycles they are.I'm planning to measure the rake and trail of my various bikes to determine if there is some "magic" setting for these.
Apparently the common modern standard for 17" wheels is around 25? and 100 mm.
Honda's latest CB 1000 R is one example that I've tried personally.
The tires play of course a very important role as I witnessed lately with a 18" rear wheel fitted with a touring tire ( Bridgestone T31) while the front had a sporting tire.
The bike felt like I had a passenger leaning in the opposite direction of the turn...
I believe it's due to the large rounded profile used for these types of tires.
You are right about the Katana, it's kind of an acquired taste.
They sold very few of these here in France as the riding position was very ackward and the weight really prohibitive.
Strange to know that Suzuki was developping the first GSXR's in those days to become the lightest bikes of their era.
I'm lucky to have both a 99% OEM Kat and a modified version with 17" wheels and dragbars mounted on a Vstrom triple.
The bike has really moved into the 21st century (except the weight!) and I wouldn't mind going on a trip with it.
BTW the local Suzuki dealer has asked me to let him display my OEM Kat when he gets the 2019 Katana in his shop.
I'll surely get to ride the 2019 model then!
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