Introduced in 1981, the GSX1100S “Katana” was styled by Hans Muth, formerly of BMW and appeared to have been sculpted by someone wielding its namesake. So much for “conservative German design”!
The new bike was powered by Suzuki’s 1074cc, air/oil-cooled four-cylinder hung in a relatively conventional twin-shock frame. While the technology under the skin was far from cutting-edge [pun!], the look certainly was, with a slippery design shaped by wind tunnel testing, a relative rarity for motorcycles at the time. And in spite of it’s almost shockingly edgy style, it did sell well, and helped set the stage for every modern sport bike that followed.
That fairing was designed for piercing the air, instead of protecting the rider, allowing for higher speeds. Even the gauges are compact, with dials that virtually overlap to save space in the dash that needed to tuck in behind the small screen.
From the original eBay listing: 1982 Suzuki Katana for Sale
I purchased this Katana in 2008 in a very sorry state. The bike had sat outside for a long time, but it was mostly complete and only had 4535 miles. The bike received a full frame up restoration starting in 2009. The bike was disassembled completely, the frame was powder coated silver and the bike was reassembled – the fairing frame, side stand, fuse holder and other black parts were powder coated black. The reassembly included numerous new OEM fasteners, and many new OEM parts including pegs, mirrors, grips, cables etc. The engine was in excellent condition which was to be expected given the low miles – it received a valve adjustment, new external gaskets and carb insulators. Oil and filter have been changed every season while I have owned the bike. A ‘Big Crank’ AGM battery in the stock size was fitted. The ignition and charging system is stock. The bike always starts easily and runs very well. No nasty noises, smoke or leaks – it pulls strongly from low revs and is smooth at all speeds. I would not hesitate to ride it any distance. The bike has never failed to start for me or ever left me stranded in the 7 years I have owned it.
Take a look at that original eBay listing: the seller describes the bike in plenty of detail, and includes a video of the bike running. I happen to really like the wire wheels on this bike, and the seller is correct that there is a historical precedent: the factory GSX1100SXZ race bikes and road machines sent to New Zealand and Australia featured wire, instead of cast wheels.
Early Katanas are still available for very reasonable prices, but I can’t imagine that this will continue for much longer. While overshadowed by the later GSX-R, the Katana was a serious high-performance machine with a truly distinctive style that has stood the test of time. Even better than a time-capsule, all-original example, this ground-up restoration was built to be ridden, but still manages to stay true to the spirit of the bike.
-tad
beautiful restoration of one of my all-time favorites !
am I the only one who thinks the wire/spoked wheels look a bit oddball?
Love older Sukook Katanas . However the wire wheels make it look like the space shuttle with WW1 bi-plane wings ! Same goes for GSXRs with wire wheels ……..yeeeeesh ! But hey just my personal opinion too . The rest of the bike looks quite decent though on a positive note .
Gorgeous, even with the wire wheels. Sigh…another dream bike slips through my fingers. I love to hate this site sometimes.
Reminds me of the ’86 LTD from Germany with wire wheels.
This is a GS1000SZ, not a GSX1100S. Suzuki made a 1000cc version to homologate the Katana for racing purposes. By decreasing the bore by 2,6 mm the cylinder displacement was decreased to 998 cc, just below the one-liter mark imposed by most racing bodies at the time (AMA included). Lots of the engine parts (cylinder, rods etc.) are specific to the GS1000SZ model. The power was increased to offset the reduction in CC’s through different cam timing, smaller charging rotor etc.
For those that don’t like the wire wheels (I think they look great) I see in the Q&A section at the bottom of the auction that the seller is offering the stock wheels and tires to the winning bidder.
Peter I am fairly sure that the bikes that came to New Zeakand with the wire wheels were 1100cc.
I think that the rear wheel on the wire spoked bikes was a different size (done to get a better selection if race rubber)?