1982 Suzuki Katana 1100 Restomod
Miles: 850
Clean Title
Asking Price: $37,500
Listing Ends: October 8th, 2024
We generally try to stay away from restomods like this Suzuki Katana 1100 here on RSBFS, but some are just too tasty to pass up, especially when they manage to update the entire package, but still maintain the original spirit of the bike. Purists avert your eyes… Introduced in 1981, Suzuki’s Katana featured styling by Hans Muth that was considered shockingly radical at the time, although the bones were very conventional. Suzuki’s familiar 1074cc DOHC 16-valve inline four and five-speed gearbox were suspended from a twin shock, steel cradle frame, with a 19″ wheel at the front and a 17″ wheel at the back. 111 claimed horses and effective aerodynamics meant a 147 mph top speed, an impressive figure at the time, although handling at those speeds was somewhat suspect. Ultimately though, it was those wild, futuristic looks that cemented the bike’s place in history, and this restomoded example is yet another attempt to modernize the performance to match the looks.
This restomod Katana was built by Darren Begg of dB Customs in Canada.
Over $42K invested.
The engine is a GSX-R 1127 punched to 1216cc with Megacycle cams, Wiseco Powersports pistons and Hayabusa connecting rods.
Xtreme Motorsports worked the heads.
APE racing clutch.
Fed by Yoshimura Research & Development of America, Inc. TMR-MJN carbs.
Flowing through a Racefit titanium pipe.
Cooling is handled by a Sebtrab cooler and custom fit lines and fittings.
All suspension is by Öhlins USA: fronts are BMW S1000RR USD and rears KA149/KA249 with custom aluminum billet triple clamps.
All brake components by Brembo including radial mount calipers, rotors, brake and clutch master.
There’s much, much more over at the original eBay listing for this Suzuki Katana. The build sheet goes on and on and on, and reads like a wish list or high-end parts catalog. The nearly $40,000 being asked is a ton of money for a 1980s Suzuki and, with this many changes made to the original bike, it’s impossible to know whether or not it all actually works in harmony: throwing parts at a build doesn’t always make for a bike that’s more than a glorified parts hanger so, with all of the work that’s been put into it, I hope this Katana rides as good as it looks. It certainly appears as though the requisite work has been put into it.
-tad
Why do you stay away from Resto mods? Sometimes I find it interesting the bikes you are willing to feature and those you reject. Personally for me, your site would be much more interesting if you just featured cool motorcycles no matter what the genre. This doesn’t have to be cycle trader online, but there are tons of cool motorcycles that don’t fit within the very narrow parameters that seem to limit what is shown here.
@Luke Thanks for commenting on this subject. We agree that there are some really cool bikes out there on the market, and they deserve to be shared. Everything is driven by the audience feedback. When something is not considered rare by production numbers or age, we tend to get a lot of negative feedback. That said, we are always listening to the readers. Based on your comment, we’ll try pushing the boundaries more and see what happens. If you have a particular bike in mind, shoot us a message: riding@rare-ones.com And thanks for the feedback! We love this community.
Agree with Luke. The more tastefully done restomods would be great to see on here as well. Many would disagree that that This is a gorgeous bike, but is certainly a rare and motorcycle and a quality build.
Authentic Dyno Sheets don’t lie. This shows none for the eye-popping price asked. If there’s a trophy for best looking old-school bike that’s supposed to be a streetbike that’s easily trounceable by most modern-day literbikes around any race circuit, we may have a winner. Near 600lb. bikes of this era don’t dance, even though its chassis is superior to the Kawis of the era.
You think it would take a literbike to beat this thing on a racetrack? I bet a 600 would be plenty…