Suzuki Katana custom

Suzuki Katana custom

A couple of weeks ago, there was a Suzuki Katana in my local motorcycle workshop. And it was a magnet for everyone passing by, despite the presence of some very high-end modern machinery. This was the first time I’d seen the legendary Katana up close, and I thought it looked better in the metal than in pictures. Steve Adams’ Katana, however, looks fantastic in pictures, and shows the enduring power of the Fellstrom/Kasten/Muth design.

Englishman Adams tells us he started riding bikes in 1980, when he was just 16. He started off with Vespas and Lambrettas, but by the time he was 19, he’d progressed to a mighty Katana 1100. “Although I only owned it for a year or so before moving on, it left a big impression,” he says. (Personally, I’m surprised he’s still alive.) “About three years ago I started to question what I really wanted in a bike, and came to the conclusion that a Katana would fit the bill.” Adams was under no illusion about thirty-year-old running gear, though, knowing it would “turn my rose-tinted glasses a crappy brown color”. So he started searching for a donor Kat, something he could butcher mercilessly without feeling guilty. “I bought a non-running ’82 750, transported it home and just ripped it apart. My initial thinking was to use the engine and running gear from a 1200 Bandit, so I bought a donor Bandit as well.” But Adams soon realized that the Katana’s big air-cooled engine was part of the bike’s character, as well as the bodywork—so he sold the Bandit.

“The whole build took about 18 months and got out of control—what was going to be a quick update became a full reworking; my interpretation of a modern Katana,” says Adams. (If you check the build sheet below, you’ll see some serious kit.) His Katana isn’t a checkbook special though: in total, the bike owes Adams about £6,000 (US$9,200), including the original purchase price. “Ebay became my best friend. Although there are many top-flight parts on the bike, my goal whenever I build a bike is to make it look like a factory bike. And in fact that’s what most people say about it, that it’s so subtle until you really start looking.”

Adams’ Katana has had a huge amount of positive feedback from all over the world, and although he built the bike for himself, he’s gratified to know that others appreciate what he’s done. “Off the back of this bike I’m now building bikes for paying customers. Imagine that: building bikes and getting paid for it! I’m living the dream.” Adams can now supply other Katana owners with some of the parts he had made: contact him via email if you’re interested. [More images after the build sheet below. All by Paul Bryant.]

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II | 1/200s | f/8 | ISO 400 | Focal length 60mm

PS: This feature-length post is compensation for the fact that there won’t be a post tomorrow. Apologies, but the day job is just too hectic at the moment!

Chassis
* Braced frame inc headstock and all weak areas, rear shock mounts moved, left hand side frame reworked to accommodate 6″ rear wheel.
* Magnesium Dymag wheels 6″ rear 3.5″ front
* Bandit 1200 Swinging arm
* Bandit 1200 rear caliper and disc
* GP Tech thumb brake
* Titanium rear brake torque arm
* Ohlins rear shocks with hydraulic preload adjusters
* All electrics relocated into custom fabricated tray under seat
* Recovered seat
* Custom fabricated rear sets with titanium shift linkage
* CBR954 Yokes (triple clamps)
* TL1000 Clip ons
* GSXR750 k4 forks and mudguard
* Yamaha R1 calipers
* TL1000 discs
* Brembo radial master cylinder
* SPA Tacho/speedo
* Titanium bolts throughout

Engine
* 1170 Wiseco piston kit
* Gasflowed head
* Dyna coils relocated to inside the fairing
* Dyna S ignition
* Electrex generator
* Electrex rec/reg
* EFE 1100 cams
* Adjustable cam sprockets
* H/Duty cam guides
* Manual cam chain adjuster
* Keihin 37mm CRs with stacks and Q/A throttle
* Custom fabricated titanium exhaust
* Custom fabricated catch tank
* Earls oil cooler with Yoshimura take off
* Earls hose throughout
* Titanium Bolts throughout