More of Dad's racing pics (1982)

[White trash]

Funny that the "Wire wheel" Katanas are considered to be such a collectors item here. I remeber some stroker telling me about one he'd sold for some astronomical sum in Japan. Which everyone knows is a load of shit. There was no such bike in Japan.

They're very similar machines to the KR1S SP that were homologated here. Built by Boyle Kawasaki, re-crated then uncrated for an MNZ official for homologation. Ah yeas, the good old cheating days of NZ road racing. Still goes on too.

[Bonez]

Funny that the "Wire wheel" Katanas are considered to be such a collectors item here. I remeber some stroker telling me about one he'd sold for some astronomical sum in Japan. Which everyone knows is a load of shit. There was no such bike in Japan.

A lot of of 70/80s 1000,1100 were exported to Japan, because of the 750 limit over there at the time on new sales IIRC, from NZ and Australia. There was even a GS750G made for the Jap market. So he may have just been telling the truth, Remember fact is stranger than fiction.

[LB]

If I remember correctly the black piper was a wire wheel GSX1100 not a Katana, wire wheels,black pipes and different carbs, supposedly built overseas and homologated but a lot of people seem to think they came out of local Suzuki workshop

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Ah, that's right....the "Wanganui Specials"....it's all coming back to me now.
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[Sniper]

Those are neat mate

[nudemetalz]

I'm glad I posted these.
Once again, the old memories from people get triggered and some really interesting info gets posted.

Excellent !! (As Monty Burns would say)


Cheers
Chris

[gav]

Nice stuff Chris, yeah your recollection of the wire wheel Katana's is pretty much right. As Kickaha posted the "black piper" was the special GSX1100EX models, the big ungainly unfaired beasts. The "wire wheeler" refers to the Katana's like your Dads, these were pretty much manily for the NZ and South Africa market. Dave and Neville Hiscock and a South African Robbie Pederson were the main Suzuki "guns" racing them in both countries. Think Neville was sadly killed in a race in South Africa. Dont think they were ever sold elsewhere, but some did end up getting bought up and sent to Japan along with CB1100R etc.
PS the early "black pipers" were same shape as this.

[onearmedbandit]

WT - The wire wheel Kat's are worth big dollars in Japan.

[FROSTY:Me]

Its turned into a pretty lucrative buisness.Old Z1 kwakkas and suzuki gsx's in origonal condition being sent to Japan and the states.
Heres my prediction for the future ---Anyone with a clean tidy origonal low milage GSXR750H and GSXR1100h should hide it away somewhere --I think theyre gonne become the collectors item of 2010 or later. That and possibly the Gpz900 ninja

Sorry my mistake re black piper --yep its old age setting in--the old gixxers were the first to be called black pipers
But Im sure (as in I think I recall corectly) there were some very hot kats with black pipes ,wire wheels and flat slide carbs

[Bonez]

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My understanding also is that we got big tanks on the GSX1100's because we did long distance touring a lot here.

We tended to get Australian models here Linda which needed big tanks. The GSX750ex I've got still has it's Aust compliance plate fitted. While we're on the subject, it's a good idea to fit the 750 oil pump to the 1100 as it has a higher output capacity.

[gav]

Hey Frosty, heres another prediction, just between you and me, petrol will hit $1.50 a litre
Those bikes mentioned are already collectable, esp in Japan because the bigger cc bikes werent aviable for a long time, but saying that if you go to some of the Yahoo Japan auction sites, there is a hell alot of them over there now!

[Bonez]

Great old pics Nudemetalz. Thanks for posting them. The WW Katana vs CB1100R battles at the Castrol 6 Hour were great racing.

Only when the CBs engines were intact The GSX engine was unbustable in comparison.

[gav]

Sadly not all them are "unburstable" http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...n-37326266.htm

[nudemetalz]

Looks rather weird with the modern forks and wheels, like it's sitting too low at the front. Never mind, each to their own.

[Bonez]

Sadly not all them are "unburstable" http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...n-37326266.htm

Probably would have been ok it he hadn't fiddled with it Fitting gsx 750 oil pump may have helped also.

[nudemetalz]

Back when the Katanas first came out, the styling made quite an impact. Some (most) liked it, but some didn't.

I remember one of the disrespectful nicknames that was bandied around Auckland at the time was "Sultana Banana".....

hmmm,...