Snapey
20th May 2019, 07:24 AM
I bought the Kat from a mate a couple of years ago with the intention of a ground up original restoration but for certain reasons originality didn't eventuate. This is the bike as purchased. 379439379440
The most important thing to me was to source a new original exhaust system which at the time was impossible and anything second hand was garbage. The Italians make a great looking pair of mufflers at a price but not header pipes to suit. I could make them but getting them black chromed meant a cost I wasn't prepared to pay, besides, I have a few sets of new GSX1400 mufflers that might look OK. I fitted them on the original Katana mounts ... not too bad. 379444379445
So the decision was made that totally original is now not happening because the mufflers are bright chrome instead of black & if I modify an exhaust I have then the only cost will be for bright chrome & less if I polish them myself.
Time for a strip down. An original Katana has a silver frame (this one is black) but I thought silver with the chrome exhaust would be too much so I decided to do it black again. One Katana frame ready for blasting.379446 After blasting there's a surprise although I'm told it's common on these frames ... rust.379447 Such is life so I welded the rust & prepared the frame for paint. What's the easiest way to paint a frame? A rotisserie of course.379448 A couple of rattle cans later I have a black frame.379449379450
I was happy with the way the frame turned out and I know the engine internals are good so all that needed doing was an external clean up & polish here & there. I made a rough cradle then got to work cleaning.
379470379471
The engine looked OK but I'm also partial to a bit of bling so the rocker cover & oil filter got a coating of orange that matched the Suzuki logo on the tank. I also bought a couple of lengths of high tensile allthread then using that and stainless acorn nuts I made bolts to replaced every one in the engine. 379473379472 The wheels got the same treatment of polish & paint but the rotors had seen better days so they all got a clean up grind.379475
More later.
The most important thing to me was to source a new original exhaust system which at the time was impossible and anything second hand was garbage. The Italians make a great looking pair of mufflers at a price but not header pipes to suit. I could make them but getting them black chromed meant a cost I wasn't prepared to pay, besides, I have a few sets of new GSX1400 mufflers that might look OK. I fitted them on the original Katana mounts ... not too bad. 379444379445
So the decision was made that totally original is now not happening because the mufflers are bright chrome instead of black & if I modify an exhaust I have then the only cost will be for bright chrome & less if I polish them myself.
Time for a strip down. An original Katana has a silver frame (this one is black) but I thought silver with the chrome exhaust would be too much so I decided to do it black again. One Katana frame ready for blasting.379446 After blasting there's a surprise although I'm told it's common on these frames ... rust.379447 Such is life so I welded the rust & prepared the frame for paint. What's the easiest way to paint a frame? A rotisserie of course.379448 A couple of rattle cans later I have a black frame.379449379450
I was happy with the way the frame turned out and I know the engine internals are good so all that needed doing was an external clean up & polish here & there. I made a rough cradle then got to work cleaning.
379470379471
The engine looked OK but I'm also partial to a bit of bling so the rocker cover & oil filter got a coating of orange that matched the Suzuki logo on the tank. I also bought a couple of lengths of high tensile allthread then using that and stainless acorn nuts I made bolts to replaced every one in the engine. 379473379472 The wheels got the same treatment of polish & paint but the rotors had seen better days so they all got a clean up grind.379475
More later.