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Getting there...........

  • Thread starter Thread starter Escobarclan
  • Start date Start date
E

Escobarclan

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Ok, trying to finish my Kat without the fairing, I think she'll look good (and hopefully not freaky)

Got the headlight on today, gonna mount the guages on polished aluminum brackets where the old fairing frame was bolted to, what do you guys think of that idea? I'm thinking it'll add to its profile in a low and mean, but classic GS look.

PIC-0075.jpg


Soon the frame will be powdercoated gloss black. To be polished: forks, m/c, calipers, triple tree head bracket, swing arm.

PIC-0074.jpg
 
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more polishing, more powdercoating :confused:
isnt she a star already???


seriously, looks sweet :-D



btw, hows your cornering clearance with that pipe?
(i scraped my engine guard the other day :shock:, hence my interest...)

.
 
hey psy.

haven't had any problems turning yet, but then i always go easy around turns and don't really have to lay her over much. love the mtc 4 into 1 pipe, has a nice rumble to it.
 
Escobarclan said:
Ok, trying to finish my Kat without the fairing, I think she'll look good (and hopefully not freaky)
Click to expand...

Freaky? Only if that's a good thing. :-D

Got the headlight on today, gonna mount the guages on polished aluminum brackets where the old fairing frame was bolted to, what do you guys think of that idea? I'm thinking it'll add to its profile in a low and mean, but classic GS look.
Click to expand...

Honestly, if it's flowing with the lines of the bike, I think it'll look great. Be sure to post a pic when you get to mounting them. I'm curious to see exactly where they're going.
 
Why don't you blast and paint (instead of powder coat )your frame and bits?I looked at both for my 'S and went with paint.More durable,easier to repair,less prep,cheaper and looks just as good.Cheers,Simon.\\:D/
 
Frankly i LIKE the silver frame. Think it helps set off the polish job on the bike since your body work is a lil dark. Just my opinion tho.
 
Appreciate the comments guys.

As far as the type of paint finish, it's not written in stone.

The aftermarket LED guages are gonna be mounted on polished alum brackets I made, right where you see the bolt holes that the fairing frame mounted on (see above), behind the forks on the frame right above the exh. pipes but below the gas tank. I think it'll give her a kinda wide and low sweep that'll only compliment the already big & wide sweep the 1000 tscc's have.

Since I'm 5"6, I have to really lean into the bars to drive her, It'll be kind of a natural thing to glance down and see how bad I'm breaking the law.

As for the frame, it HAS to be black. I have seen an old CSR1000 around town that's got low bars, a black frame, a black engine with polished fin tips, and all the engine covers and dressing polished up, and it looks BADASS. I wish I had a pic to show you guys, talk about impressive.

I know I've got a classic, and she's gonna look drag-like, but I've been conscious of her originality, and I can make her that way virtually over night (sans paint).
 
simon kuether said:
Why don't you blast and paint (instead of powder coat )your frame and bits?I looked at both for my 'S and went with paint.More durable,easier to repair,less prep,cheaper and looks just as good.Cheers,Simon.\\:D/
Click to expand...

easier, cheaper, less prep AND more durable - thats not often how it goes :-s
powdercoating is more durable than any paint (although it can be compared in strenght to baked enamel with good prep)
 
Escobarclan said:
The aftermarket LED guages are gonna be mounted on polished alum brackets I made, right where you see the bolt holes that the fairing frame mounted on (see above), behind the forks on the frame right above the exh. pipes but below the gas tank. I think it'll give her a kinda wide and low sweep that'll only compliment the already big & wide sweep the 1000 tscc's have.

Since I'm 5"6, I have to really lean into the bars to drive her, It'll be kind of a natural thing to glance down and see how bad I'm breaking the law.
Click to expand...

Ah! I see them now. Sorry....I didn't notice them when I was looking the bike over yesterday. Honestly, not sure how I could have missed them other than the fact that they blend in with all that silver.

I think that'll look pretty cool. Definitely different. Let us know how it works. With me being 6'3", it's not even an option (plus, I like the stock position)....but if it works for you, that's cool.

This bike is going to be awesome, dude.
 
Man...I keep looking at that slick looking Kat...that frame looks damn good the color it is. Black would look good but I really think it would look good the same color as your tank.
Do the sharpie test. Print a few decent sized pics out 11x17 ...good profile, etc. and color in the frame with a pen. Try different colors...like that pretty blue... Let the pics hang near the bike for a few days so you can look back and forth between them.
 
If we're being completely honest - I think your bike is beautiful but without the fairing it's a GS, with the fairing it's a Katana. It's the fairing and bodywork that makes these bikes different from the rest and so incredibly desirable. Without the bodywork I would give it 9/10, bodywork would make it 10/10.


Just my opinion, as I said I think it is a sweet bike.
 
Kats are one of those rare bikes that are pretty hard to 'dork up'. That being said, you've got an unusual approach to the Kat...different, but still it's a Kat, so it's almost gotta be cool; and your bike is cool. I'm a huge fan of the Kat fairing and the Kat side plates, also. Whereas I'm not a fan of the silver frame, it is sort of a Kat trade-mark and looks 'correct' on this beast. All-in-all it's your ride...keep us posted as you continue to develop it.

-KR
 
Escobarclan said:
Appreciate the comments guys.

The aftermarket LED guages are gonna be mounted on polished alum brackets I made, right where you see the bolt holes that the fairing frame mounted on (see above), behind the forks on the frame right above the exh. pipes but below the gas tank. I think it'll give her a kinda wide and low sweep that'll only compliment the already big & wide sweep the 1000 tscc's have................
Click to expand...
What type of aluminum (what thickness, etc) are you planning on for the brackets? Where can you get whatever you're gonna use?
 
Thanks for the input and compliments guys.

I have get flat aluminum stock from a couple buddies at the airport maint. hangers, them polish them up.

I live in Mena, Arkansas where tens of thousands of CMA (christian motorcyclists' association) come each year. Alot of em' walk up to me when I'm in town with my Kat and ask about her. I've gotten alot of good feedback and some smirks and head wagging (mostly at the MTC open header sound). The kind of people who don't like her ride around in these huge goldwings (that probably have autopilot anyway, lol) that got here on the back of a half million $ RV.

These smirkers and head waggers riding around posing on their store bought mini starship enterprises just don't and may never understand the busted knuckles, sweating, freezing, love, dedication, and time we give our old classics.

We keep the faith. Our bikes set the precedents for the new generation. And after their big plastic cruisers get a few miles and a little miss in a cylinder and get traded off, who will still be riding past their houses?

An old GS chugging along with its' loving rider.

ahem.........ahem.............

Well, I'll be honest. If I see em turn their nose up at me, i blow their freakin' eardrums out.
 
We have a plant in Mena, Arkansas. I work for Emerson Motor Company (engineering). Our Mena plant builds some pretty big motors. They might go by US Motors, though.

There's a certain passion we have with our bikes that others just may not understand. Because many shops simply won't work on bikes as old as ours, we're kind of forced to do it ourselves. Sure, they may be bikers, but I wonder how many of them break them down and work on them themselves....or how many just take them in to be worked on for them. I'd put money on the fact that most of those smirkers and head waggers have the work done for them.

Therefore, your statment about them not understanding is probably right on the money.

I'm extremely proud to own and ride a classic. She turns heads for two reasons, she sounds wonderful and looks great!
 
Cool Craiger!

Small world, i used to work at U.S. Motors until 4 yeas ago. i worked there for 8 years, I built alot of prototypes (NEMAs and Titans) that came down from you guys.

Now I drive trains cross country for Kansas City Southern R.R and own/operate Escobar Polishing Co.

Kind of ironic, i depend on diesel generated traction motors to get my trains moving.
 
Yeah, some of the guys in my group work on the Titan line. You might know Todd Middleton, Ron Schmidt, Mike Cullen (my boss' boss), and some others. I've been here for 19 years, but just joined this group last October. I work in Product Development for the Fluids Division.
 
I really can't remember them, but it's been a while too.

You ever come down this way give me a holler, got some nice mountains to ride here in the Ozarks, good places to stop & eat.
 
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