katana, not just a run of the mill gsx1100 katana but the gsx 1000s model, homologation rules stated that cubic capacity was limited to 1000cc, the katana packed 998cc, slide carbs, [compared to the cv items on the 1100] and hotter cams, four-valves per cylinder compared to the old two valvers of the gs range, 108bhp, not massive compared to current bikes but this 1981 remember, no elvis, beatles or the rolling stones, no mobile phones and no internet, just striking miners, power-cuts and austin allegro's, i saw the advert in mcn and phoned the number, two miles away from my house, went and had a butchers, rough as fuck bog standard bike, £900 changed hands, sold my gs 1000 same day to a local admirer, back in the shed and ripped down to component parts, frame in for powder, black instead of silver, the ratty two-tone seat in blue suede was re-covered in black vinyl by a mate at mercian cycles, [pushbike manufacturers[ for a tenner, rg 500 mudguard, aeroquip hosing, [including the mechanical anti-dive that didn't work], sprayed the engine matt black, [25bhp gain = result!], top yoke off a gsx 1100 to accomodate eddie lawson superbike bars, no indicators or mirrors, harris works pipe, looking back on this bike i realise how good it was, i compromised by keeping the dual seat and footpegs so the girl i lived with at the time could ride pillion, should have got rid of her sooner and shortened everything back and lost the pegs in hindsight.......... life would have been easier and my bike would have looked better...............[the photo's were taken by my old next door neighbour who was a bit of a photo buff and had all the top gear]
katana, not just a run of the mill gsx1100 katana but the gsx 1000s model, homologation rules stated that cubic capacity was limited to 1000cc, the katana packed 998cc, slide carbs, [compared to the cv items on the 1100] and hotter cams, four-valves per cylinder compared to the old two valvers of the gs range, 108bhp, not massive compared to current bikes but this 1981 remember, no elvis, beatles or the rolling stones, no mobile phones and no internet, just striking miners, power-cuts and austin allegro's, i saw the advert in mcn and phoned the number, two miles away from my house, went and had a butchers, rough as fuck bog standard bike, £900 changed hands, sold my gs 1000 same day to a local admirer, back in the shed and ripped down to component parts, frame in for powder, black instead of silver, the ratty two-tone seat in blue suede was re-covered in black vinyl by a mate at mercian cycles, [pushbike manufacturers[ for a tenner, rg 500 mudguard, aeroquip hosing, [including the mechanical anti-dive that didn't work], sprayed the engine matt black, [25bhp gain = result!], top yoke off a gsx 1100 to accomodate eddie lawson superbike bars, no indicators or mirrors, harris works pipe, looking back on this bike i realise how good it was, i compromised by keeping the dual seat and footpegs so the girl i lived with at the time could ride pillion, should have got rid of her sooner and shortened everything back and lost the pegs in hindsight.......... life would have been easier and my bike would have looked better...............[the photo's were taken by my old next door neighbour who was a bit of a photo buff and had all the top gear]
love the katana it was all the thousand one over here maybe coz so many were races ,my mate Philip got one after the racers were finished with it and called to me to have a run on it ,i took it out my testing road for a rip hit a dog killed the dog but not before it broke the antidive on the front of the fork which ment when i went for the brakes all i got was a shot of fluid squirting out so it was all back brake to get stopped,had to go back and report the bad news he took it well and we made a blanking plate so we could keep driving.poor Philip died of a gs 850 and his brother still has the bike .
ReplyDeletethink the katana was a bike you either loved or hated ed, soon as i saw one i wanted one, the styling, apart from the 'wraparound' front mudguard was great, they just stood out amongst the ujm's of the time, like to get hold of another one that's for sure.
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