New commuter bike

[James Deuce]

Kept to budget and managed to combine two secret passions of mine: Suzuki Katanas and 400cc 4 cylinder engines. I was really tempted to buy Mrs Nudemetalz' RF400, but the stars weren't aligned correctly.

It's done 14000kms and it looks genuine. It isn't full of munt, the crevices aren't full of dust and old grease, bits aren't scratched and the only things I could find wrong with it were leaking fork seal (already discussed a fix with my maintenance mentor), a half worn rear tyre and the tank needs a repaint (crazefox - maaaaaaaate!). It was quite startling to start up a bike that old and NOT hear any cam chain rattles, have it wheeze a bit, or have to turn over more than a couple of times.

The VIR checked out as all good too.

I'm stoked! I've been sitting on my hands about this bike, desperately trying not to let on about its existence.

True, it isn't a small capacity, shaft driven twin, but at least I won't have to keep running out of the building and shooing people away from the Zed. There was a dude sitting on it today and it was everything I could do to smile and politely ask him to get off. If someone knocks the Katana over I'll be less gutted than if someone knocked the Zed over.

I'll keep the kays on the Zed down to fun and touring miles, and the Katana can deal with the commute and short haul stuff.

<img src=http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/529/Kat_400.JPG>

I'm hoping to get out on her this weekend.

Woohoo!

[Chisanga]

To my uneducated eye it looks like a stealth fighter :) Enjoy.

[Shadows]

I like the look of that, very tidy.

[xwhatsit]

Eh, nice purchase. Still a stunning looking bike, amazing you could find one in such good nick here in NZ. All you grown-up bikers need to purchase more small capacity bikes, they're loads of fun. Of course it's got far too many cylinders but you'll learn someday.

Extraordinary.

[Devil]

Brings new meaning to the word 'ugly'. But if it goes from A to B, sometimes via C and D then thats all good.

[Pwalo]

Well at least it's a Suzuki. The 400 Katanas have gotten some good write ups in the Pommie mags, and they sure look pretty in the stealth charcoal.

[James Deuce]

Brings new meaning to the word 'ugly'. But if it goes from A to B, sometimes via C and D then thats all good.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, O bloke whose TT600 fairing has fallen off.

[Kickaha]

Brings new meaning to the word 'ugly'. But if it goes from A to B, sometimes via C and D then thats all good.

Wash your mouthout with soap, the Katana was "The bike" from the eighties

you just need this hand beaten alloy fuel tank from Yoshimura to set it off
(I think they're about $3K US)

Nice choice Jim

[Swoop]

Excellent!!! A very sexy looking bike!

What year is it Jim?

[bistard]

Well done young man!!,as discussed yesterday,the mighty Katana will do everything required of it & more!!

[James Deuce]

Excellent!!! A very sexy looking bike!

What year is it Jim?

1992. GSX400S. Tres Happy!

[Joni]

Very very nice Jim!

At first I thought they were quite ugly... but they have grown on me!:yes:

[Devil]

Very very nice Jim!

At first I thought they were quite ugly... but they have grown on me!:yes:

Grown on you or forced on you?
:dodge:

[Devil]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, O bloke whose TT600 fairing has fallen off.

"You must spread some reputation around before giving it to Jim2 again" etc etc.

[Paul in NZ]

Nice bike mate! VERY nice!!!

[Hitcher]

A Suzuki, eh. Planetary alignment and all that. Well done that man.

[skelstar]

Looks cool J2. Enjoy!

[breakaway]

Nice bike - Looks like a missile :niceone:

[Storm]

I will have to agree with others here- it does have a stealth fightery look to it. Pity you couldnt quite get into the single cylinder club, but oh well, shes a nice set of wheels nonetheless. Might see you around on it one of these days

[F5 Dave]

Ahh a replica of the real Katana, unlike the silly pop-up fiasco that was slower & not as cool.

Now if we can just shoe-horn a 750 or 11 motor in there:yes: .

[nudemetalz]

Well done Jim mate !!!!!!

Katanas are the bees-knees (even the littlies). Me old man used to race the 1100SXZ (only Katana-buffs will know what that means), and I had many a ride on the back off it too (being 12 years old and all at the time).

Agree that the charcoal silver is nicer than the light silver.
Good on you. Look forward to seeing it in the flesh.

And Kickaha, that Yoshi Tank looks wicked !!!!


NDMz

[Kickaha]

Now if we can just shoe-horn a 750 or 11 motor in there:yes: .

not sure that they'd fit, they are smaller in the dimensions than the 750/1100 Katana

http://www.suzukicycles.org/GSX-series/GSX400S-Katana.shtml
http://www.suzukicycles.org/GSX-series/GSX750S_Katana.shtml
http://www.suzukicycles.org/GSX-series/GSX1100S_Katana_a.shtml

[avgas]

Nice one. To me the katana is still the sexiest bike ever made - pop-up being the creme of the crop in my eyes.
Its the nicest cross between nekkid and sport.
Luchy bastard......

[Kickaha]

Nice one. To me the katana is still the sexiest bike ever made - pop-up being the creme of the crop in my eyes.


The pop up is not a real Katana:p it doesn't have the lines or "look" of the earlier shape

[Roj]

Nice looking bike, I had fogotten they made the little ones, don't worry about the bigger engine, just get the bores resleeved for a bigger piston, fold out wings and it should really fly,:dodge:

[badlieutenant]

awesome bike jim!! did you say how much you got it for ?

[riffer]

You know Jim, when I was coming back to biking four years ago I very nearly bought one of those 400 Katanas.

I seem to recall from my test ride that they are the easiest bikes in the world to ride, and not too slow either.

Good stuff. :yes:

[sels1]

At first I thought they were quite ugly... but they have grown on me!:yes:

I agree....except for the 2nd bit...... ha

Have fun Jim

[James Deuce]

You know Jim, when I was coming back to biking four years ago I very nearly bought one of those 400 Katanas.

I seem to recall from my test ride that they are the easiest bikes in the world to ride, and not too slow either.

Good stuff. :yes:

TSS had one a couple of years ago when I was looking at a 2nd bike and I bought IL4's CB400 instead (Shoulda kept it! Gahh. F U Hindsight). I took it for a test ride and was immediately smitten by the Katana's easy handling and relatively good mid range. Nice brakes too.

[Clivoris]

That's just the berries Jimmayrua. Haven't seen one of those in F3 yet. Go on ya trendsetter!

[MSTRS]

That'll be quite nice, once you get her all fixed up.:innocent:
Thought you were having me on. You will have a heap of fun with that little beastie....

[SPman]

Bound to have more go than the 250 I was lent a while ago.....mind you, that was fun as well...redlining everywhere to keep up the appearance....

[vifferman]

Good stuff. Mr Jim2! :niceone:
To be honest, I think it's a much better buy/bike than any of the other options you asked about, like the VF500 or that other 400.

[yungatart]

Cool! Are you planning a trip up here then, just to "break it in". so to speak...

[BarBender]

Great choice of bike.
Grew up on GPZs and Katanas.
Rode a 1984 GS 650GZ for a short time and used to be fasinated by the local bike hero back then (a guy by the name of Paul 'Magoo' Hay) who used to tear up the town on his GSX 1100SZ.

Enjoy.

[avgas]

The pop up is not a real Katana:p it doesn't have the lines or "look" of the earlier shape
Exactly - side shocks only look good with round headlights. Mono was way better.....Oh and dont get me started on those sexy integrated indicators and how sleek it looked with the light down.........fapfapfapfap

[MacD]

A very cool bike there Jim2!

(even if it has 3 more cylinders than a 400 needs)

You'll have fun swapping in either direction between bikes.

[James Deuce]

Picked it up today. Sounds like a 1960s F1 car.

Needs a decent Jim2 clean and groom and the front end rebuild.

Looking for tyres now.

It's fun to have a rideable project.

[et al]

Very nice Jim, this bike has the "et al" seal of approval, am impressed with the original condition - I imagine one would be very hard pressed to find a similar example. As for the styling: well it is different - at least you won't have to worry about too many people wanting to have sex with it!

[James Deuce]

The brakes are bloody good, the clutch is lighter than a light thing, and the engine can actually pull from as low 3000rpm. Sounds wicked on the cam and it is sooooo smooth going down through the box.

Cosmetically challenged but thanks to crazefox the big things will be fixed in a couple of weeks (I really, really, really wish I hadn't tried to peel that sticker off the guard:shutup:). May have to get the forks re-chromed - anyone know who does that in Wellington?

New Pirelli Sport Demon going on the back on Saturday. Sprockets OK, but I don't think the chain had EVER been lubed, let alone cleaned.

I will be pulling the rear of the bike to bits and painting the sub frames soonish too.

Do Cycleworks still rebuild shocks? I'm thinking of getting the rear shocks re-sprung and new oil. Interesting looking piggyback Showas with a valve on the bottom of the remote reservoir - anyone know what that's for?

I'd like an opinion on something now; the tank respray means new decals. Shall I redo it with two inch high letter spelling Suzuki (Red on one side White on the other - those crazy Japanese!), or shall I just get a two inch Katana symbol for each side? The white bit from the image below, minus the sword and the word Katana.

Incidentally one of the photos shows up the bubbled clear coat really well and makes it look worse than it is, thanks to the flash and long exposure.

<img src=http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/529/medium/DSC03574.JPG>
<img src=http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/529/medium/DSC03571.JPG>
<img src=http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/photopost/data/529/medium/DSC03570.JPG>

[White trash]

Love the way they made a water cooled engine look air cooled.

Why the fuck can't Suzuki make a GSXR1000 powered on?

[elle-f]

Man, i remember in the 80s when I was looking at buying a Katana and for some reason.......who knows what I was thinking then - i bought a bloody XZ 400 - i still shake my head about that one!

totally enjoy your bike - bikes from the 80s :Punk:

[avgas]

at least you won't have to worry about too many people wanting to have sex with it!
.........................

[James Deuce]

What's up Avgas? Wit and creativity deserted you?

[Kickaha]

Love the way they made a water cooled engine look air cooled.

Why the fuck can't Suzuki make a GSXR1000 powered on?

I'm sure they could if they wanted

They made the Katana 1100 right through to 1994 and then in 2001 made a run of 1100 (in number) bikes

I've also seen Katana 1200/1400 based on the Bandits?

http://www.katanacentral.co.uk/history/katanatimeline.asp
http://www.advantage-net.co.jp/KATANAEVOLUTION2.html

[nudemetalz]

The motor in that is very similar to the RF-400 one, just not with VVC.
Now THAT did not pull from 3000rpm!!!

I believe the valve on the resevoir is there to regas the shocks.
I wouldn't touch it if I were you.

Finding someone in NZ to get your forks rechromed is like watching pigs fly alongside 747's !!

You have to get the sword through the Katana symbol. You do !!!
It ain't the same without.

Looking forward to seeing her Saturday :)

[Kickaha]

Finding someone in NZ to get your forks rechromed is like watching pigs fly alongside 747's !!

it's not that hard to get done
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=26418&highlight=Hard+chroming
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=28780&highlight=rechroming


You have to get the sword through the Katana symbol. You do !!!
It ain't the same without.

http://www.reproductiondecals.com/default_frameset.html?moreinfo_assist.html~main

[nudemetalz]

Granted in what you say about the electroplaters but I rang around and got it down to only one person who still does it and it was going cost $1K plus !!

[Kickaha]

Because Jim2 is my Idol and I want to be like him I had to buy this, 83 Jap Import 750 version

Dangerous owned it so I know it hasn't been thrashed :lol:

[Joni]

Stunning!
Congrats...

I know you have always wanted one... so next is the 1100 upgrade eh? :spudwhat:

[James Deuce]

Nice! That would be about the nicest bike you've ever owned, wouldn't it Kickaha?

My Katana Kommuter is being ripped to bits this weekend. Tank, nose cone (it is a stealth fighter after all), and front guard to be painted, fork stanchions to be rechromed, rear shocks to be recharged and re-sprung. New rear tyre on Saturday too.

[Hitcher]

Is there a Katana Kommuter Klub in the offing then?

[James Deuce]

Kichaha's Katana Kommuter Klub to be precise.

The KKKK for short. Neither Zip nor Racist.

[Kickaha]

Nice! That would be about the nicest bike you've ever owned, wouldn't it Kickaha?

My Katana Kommuter is being ripped to bits this weekend. Tank, nose cone (it is a stealth fighter after all), and front guard to be painted, fork stanchions to be rechromed, rear shocks to be recharged and re-sprung. New rear tyre on Saturday too.




No it's not, the nicest bike I owned was a fairly mint 1982 SD900 Ducati
don't judge me by the condition of my XJ550 :lol:

It needs a bit of tidying up, but chances are it wont get it, the rear shocks are cheap crap so that'll be first on the list, along with the GSXR750 front end conversion and wire wheels

[Paul in NZ]

Kichaha's Katana Kommuter Klub to be precise.

The KKKK for short. Neither Zip nor Racist.


ForK.........

[Hitcher]

Kichaha's Katana Kommuter Klub to be precise.

The KKKK for short. Neither Zip nor Racist.


One ridge closer to town, and you could get Korokoro into the mix as well...

[Swoop]

I'd like an opinion on something now; the tank respray means new decals. Shall I redo it with two inch high letter spelling Suzuki (Red on one side White on the other - those crazy Japanese!), or shall I just get a two inch Katana symbol for each side? The white bit from the image below, minus the sword and the word Katana.
Hmm. Not keen on the red/white "suzuki" tank lettering, BUT the logo looks damn cool!!!
Keep it as is, perhaps incorporating a "Suzuki" in it somewhere... (above?)?

[James Deuce]

Cheers Swoop.

Going to go with a white Suzuki on both sides of the tank and leave the logo on the side covers alone.

[Fatjim]

So what colour are you going to paint the plastic? Hi vis orange or yellow?

[James Deuce]

Oooooo, you can't do that to a Kat!

The same dark, sparkly grey.

[MVnut]

Well I'm not the biggest Suzuki fan but that sure is a nice bike:yes:

[James Deuce]

Sounds like a '60s MV with those pipes too. Not much baffle left in there, I can tell you.

Bwaaaaaah, bmm, bwaaaaaaaah, bmm, bwaaaaaaaah

It'll be nicer when I'm finished with the initial cleanup.

[riffer]

Needs some wire wheels too Jim...

I look forward to seeing the final result.

[James Deuce]

No wire wheels!

I'm commuting on it!

Tell you what, I'll get wire wheels and YOU can clean them mate. Every week.

[Kickaha]

No wire wheels!

I'm commuting on it!

Tell you what, I'll get wire wheels and YOU can clean them mate. Every week.


you're meant to clean them?

[xwhatsit]

I sure as hell don't. Which is fine, until there's some tard with a shiny brand-new Harley in Kawhia outside the fish and chip shop, with the most gleaming spokes you could ever imagine... GiJoe didn't pull punches either :D

[Zuki Bandit]

Very nice bike dude:yeah:

[James Deuce]

Pirelli Sport Demon on the rear today. Goes round corners without that sickening lurch and drop as you leave the flat spot on the rear tyre.

Much more flickable and predictable, but still getting used to the Supertanker steering. One "commits" to a line and promises not to deviate.

Tightened the steering head bearings up, but they need replacing for sure. They're notchy as. No grease one would suspect. Schroederco here we come.

Blew the bottoms out of the mufflers today. Ahem. Visit to Cycleworks coming up.

[nudemetalz]

Good stuff, matey.
Looking forward to seeing the mighty beast (I meant the Kat, not you)...

Mufflers blown out now?
Sheez, this "cheap" 400 is starting to escalate in spendings, ain't it?

[James Deuce]

Sheez, this "cheap" 400 is starting to escalate in spendings, ain't it? Not at all. I always spend at least 50% of the purchase price on a project I buy because I won't put up with stuff that other people will ride for years.

Eyes wide open. I could tell the mufflers were dodgy when I bought it. If you bought it off a forecourt you would have started at $3500 and then had to do all the stuff I've started doing. So far, even with the mufflers I'm still under budget. I'd like to keep it looking stock, but if I have to go to a 4 into 1 then so be it.

The Tyre is a consumable too so that doesn't actually count toward the spend.

[nudemetalz]

Fair comment, Schultz.

The prob with the exhausts is that they would most likely not be shared with any other Suzi model, what with their critical design concept to make it like the "classic" Katanas.
I reckon you should keep with the stock look, I'm sure it could be.

We'll look at the bearings first. Don't rush out just yet and get some.

NDMz

[Sniper]

Well done Master Jim. Looks fantastic

[James Deuce]

Fair comment, Schultz.

The prob with the exhausts is that they would most likely not be shared with any other Suzi model, what with their critical design concept to make it like the "classic" Katanas.
I reckon you should keep with the stock look, I'm sure it could be.

NDMz

That all depends on whether or not Cycleworks can repair the stock ones. If not there are plenty of other after market systems for Katana 400's available over the Interweb thingy.