The frame was the same double cradle as seen on the GS1100E, with a few minor modifications for the new bracketry. The original intent had been to create a racy-looking motorcycle, and then the developers decided to add suspension that was more at home on a smooth racetrack than a poorly maintained public road. The engine was one thing, the chassis quite another. Granted, the parts and labor for such an exercise almost equaled the original $4,500 cost of a Katana, but as the hot-rodders like to say, more power is a direct product of more money.
Suzuki katana 1980 mods#
A few other mods and the original 90 horsepower could be upped by 25 percent. Yoshimura sold a big-bore cylinder kit which upped the capacity to 1,140cc, as well as higher performance camshafts.
Performance shops quickly seized on the possibility of making the fast Katana go even faster. A drop in 76cc costing only two ponies…impressive engineering. When the Katana was dyno tested it produced just over 90 ponies, while the GS1100E came up with only two more. Carburetion was through EPA-friendly constant-velocity 34mm carbs, and the fuel was compressed to a heady 9.5:1…like the 1100. A pair of chain-driven overhead camshafts operated the 16 valves, and it redlined at 9,000 rpm, using Suzuki’s much-advertised Twin Swirl Combustion Chamber system. The 1100 (1,074cc in reality) had a bore of 72mm, stroke of 66mm on the 1000 the bore had been reduced by 2.6mm, with the stroke remaining the same for a total of 998cc. The advertised price was a reasonable $4,500, $500 more than the GS1100E, but a lot cheaper than a $6,000 Jota or $7,000 R100RS.
Suzuki katana 1980 code#
Suzuki took a second look and said, “Let’s try it.” The GS1000SZ (Z was Suzuki’s alpha code for 1982 models) could prove its mettle on the racetrack, since AMA rules limited superbikes to under 1,000cc. Late in ’81, a second Katana appeared with a cylinder displacement reduced to just under 1,000cc, qualifying for liter-bike competition. The Katana sold well in Europe, and won races. the American distributor apparently was a little unsettled by the radical style. But it was not to be imported into the U.S. Viewers exulted over the idea that design had become as important as road-worthy protection (big fairings) or narrowly defined racetrack aerodynamics. Late in 1980 at the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, the world’s biggest motorcycle show, the GS1100 Katana was presented-to rave reviews.
That’s OK it could be a somewhat limited edition.
Suzuki katana 1980 free#
The marketing gurus felt that while the concept could get a good deal of free ink in the motorcycle magazines, it probably would not sell as well as the standard version. Their GS1100E, with the new 16-valve engine, was a pretty darned good motorcycle both in power and handling, but it lacked that creative concept, the sparkle that would definitely set it apart and make it distinctive. Suzuki’s suits liked what they saw and decided to go along with the idea. The café-racer look had been around for a long time, but this was a real-racer look for a bike meant to be competitive on a track. Not only was the look important, but also the ability to split the air at high speeds. And while a traditional front fender merely curved over the wheel, an abbreviated piece with filled-in sides could not help but catch the eye of the viewer. He came up with a blended look, with a small wedge-style fairing curving into the gas tank and then into a very scooped two-tone saddle. Target’s primary engineer was Hans Muth, who had worked with BMW to create the R90S and R100RS. The importer took to the idea and hired Target to come up with some designs. Advertisement 1982 Suzuki GS1000SZ Katana.Īs the story goes, a newly formed Bavarian company, Target Design, was looking for business and convinced Germany’s Suzuki importer that something should be done to improve the look of a Euro-only 650/4.
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