Suzuki Katana 1100

HORRIBLE.

UGLY.

AWFUL-LOOKING.

Posted: 22/09/2009 at 16:06

Posted: 22/09/2009 at 22:57

Posted: 27/09/2009 at 23:25

Posted: 18/10/2009 at 16:25

A typical 80's superbike. A missile in a straight line, but rubbish handling. Back in the day, I borrowed a 1000 Katana from a friend, and almost crashed it. Modern bikes handle so much better, and are more forgiving if you do something stupid mid - corner....

Katanas are like all old bikes (with no offence intended). They are quaint, nice to look at and think about your "good old days"....but compared to the latest stuff, they're dinosaurs!!

Posted: 21/10/2009 at 07:36

The handling wasn't all that good in their day; they were the same era as a GPZ900R. They were big heavy monsters, think full touring BMW.

But!!! they were just gorgeous, I still lust after them today.  The engines were awesome; the gsx1100 was a favourite for drag bikes 20 years after Katana's where a memory

Park one up next to a GPZ1100 twin shock, CB1000R and an XS1100 1.1 and you'll see why it was just streets ahead.

There's no going back (especially on the handling) but you have to admire them, they were a mans bike.  Any pillock can ride an R1 and live to tell the tail

Posted: 27/10/2009 at 21:33

Handling was very good actually hence why they were privateered such a lot, I have an SD model Katana even now and find it a much more satisfying ride than my Hayabusa, these bikes just require more rider input both physically and mentally, anyone who thinks this bike doesn't handle have obviously gotten soft on modern machinery that does it all for you.

Without doubt one of the finest bikes I've owned both in looks and performance

Posted: 05/11/2009 at 13:07

This bike changes design in the eighties. Not only the whole new line of Suzuki, but everybody changes to the 'sitting -in' position (higher tank, lower seat) to mention one thing.

Even then you liked it or hated it. Still so. That alone proves a classsic! This was adn stiill is a head turner.

Riding is eighties, but it set the level of steering at that moent. BTW: ever tried to throw an earlier Duc in a curve?

Posted: 05/11/2009 at 22:39

Posted: 10/11/2009 at 16:44

I was working at a Suzuki/Kawasaki dealership in New Mexico in 1980 when the 1000cc Katana came out.  As I remember, the 1000cc was to get it into some racing sanction which only allowed 1000cc.  The design was from a German named Muth.  I loved the look of it, compared to what else was available at the time.

After taking it out for a ride, the dealership owner asked me how it was.  I said it made me feel like a gunfighter to drive it.  I was looking to race anything I could find with it.  For its day, it ripped!

In 1985 I got to drive the new radically different GSXR 750, the one with the dry clutch.  It blew my mind.

In those days I'd say "how can motorcycles get any faster?" each year.  Yet, each year they would.  I don't say that any more. 

Posted: 11/11/2009 at 17:08

Ugly..

But then again, people will probably be saying that about todays top bikes in 20+ years time.

Damn ugly though.. seriously.  I'm glad todays 'retro' bikes aren't quite so faithfull to the originals.

Posted: 17/11/2009 at 13:44

Posted: 19/11/2009 at 15:14

Posted: 09/12/2009 at 12:28

Here's a snippet of what testers from the era thought of the Katana

http://www.katanacentral.co.uk/reallife/reviews/bike/jan82/p18_gsx1100s.asp

Posted: 10/12/2009 at 18:47

The big Kats were stunning machines and i loved the one i owned a few yrs ago.

However, whilst they may have been advanced in terms of styling (done by Target Design of Germany) they had alot more in common with bikes of the seventies.

They were all based upon Suzukis GS/GSX range of the time.

From memory, the 1100 was first, with a virtually identical 1000cc also launched for racing (with different carbs)

Then there was the 550 and 650, both unfaired and less radical, very smart for their time but were really only dressed up GS550/650 middleweights. (themselves consider worthy but bland at the time)

Subsequently a number of imports made it into the uk, the 750 which was visually identical to the 1000/1100 (same frame etc), and the 400 which looked the same but obviously smaller all round.

There was also the late 80s 750 Kat with the flip up headlight, based upon the monoshock ES range of the time, again, very distinctive but quite a differnt animal to the earlier range of Kats.

At the end of the day you just cannot compare the Kats to GPZ9s etc, the kats were all aircooled twin shocks more akin to CB900s or the Z1000J. The GPZ introduced a new world of superbikes which eveolved very quickly in the eighties.

Come to think of it, in 1980 we had the CB900/GSX1100 as the top bikes of the day, by 1990 we had GSXR1100 and Exups, fully faired sports bikes with ally frames etc. Cant say we can see such a change in the last 10 yrs, the bikes have just got uglier.........

Posted: 22/12/2009 at 13:45

snip>Cant say we can see such a change in the last 10 yrs, the bikes have just got uglier.........<snip

Agreed...I reckon the look of the 'bikes "peaked" around 2005.

Posted: 05/01/2010 at 11:01

Posted: 16/01/2010 at 02:57

Posted: 19/01/2010 at 08:33

in what way? cos there aint sqaut the same on them.... unless you're referring the the US model "katana" which has absolutely zero to do with the original ... you'll be telling us the AY50 "Katana" is related next too!  

[\quote]

Posted: 26/01/2010 at 13:41

in what way is it the same "pin head"? cos there aint squat the same on them.... unless you're referring the the US model "katana" which has absolutely zero to do with the original ... you'll be telling us the AY50 "Katana" is related next too!  

Posted: 26/01/2010 at 13:42

Posted: 22/05/2011 at 23:39