Smokin's 82 Kat Restorification project

[Smokinapankake]

Here we go; yet another restorification thread!

A few months ago I posted debating whether to part out the ol' Kat in favor of a 93-ish GSX 1100G. The decision I came to was to put the 82 back together (its been in pieces in the garage for a few years) and re-evaluate in a year or so. Well, I couldn't rightly put it back together without fixin' a few things so....

Here's the plan: Put 'er together using what I got (no mods like forks and wheels, engine mods, etc...) but repairing/refinishing to a high state of refinement. New color, new bolts as deemed necessary, new o-rings/rubber, and a complete overhaul of the electrical system.

The goal: A bulletproof, reliable, and very attractive (shall we say distinctive?) Kan-o-Tuna.

So the first question: What color?

 

[duaneage]

I would sand off the flat parts of the spokes for a nice contrast between the red and silver. is the bike bodywork going to be red or silver or ?

 

[Smokinapankake]

How about the fork, swingarm, etc?

Don't know exactly what the red was, but I liked it. The black is a semi-gloss, both powdercoated.

Gotta love PC! I was considering POR-15 but didn't think I had the patience to do the prep necessary to do a decent job. I got a pretty good price (?) on the PC as they were slow and looking for work. Very pleased with how it came out!

I'm a little pinched for time and always pinched for dollars but I wanted to get the running gear PC'd for its durability. I don't ever want to redo any of this so PC seemed the best idea, short of never riding the bike again (like that's going to happen!).

Updates will probably be few and far between, but now that I've started this thread (and spent some dough on powdercoating), I figure I'm committed. Wish me luck in the months ahead!

 

[Smokinapankake]

Duaneage,

The bodywork will be a dark grey metallic. I considered sanding the spokes and outer edge of the rim, but decided I don't want to polish ever again. May mask and paint them, though.

 

[jwhelan65]

Keep the pics coming, the black swingarm should look good. Anxious to see it come together.

 

[mriddle]

OK .. I'm hooked

 

[Nessism]

Looks like a killer project. Keep going and thanks for sharing.

 

[posplayr]

Duaneage,

The bodywork will be a dark grey metallic. I considered sanding the spokes and outer edge of the rim, but decided I don't want to polish ever again. May mask and paint them, though.

After polishing the machined part, I masked that part off and painted them black, then pulled off the masking and cleared over the whole wheel. I Por 15 Glisten PC is a very good clear.

Looks good regardless of how you go. The red and black will be a nice contrast.

 

[spyug]

Well that is looking like the start of a very nice project. This must be the season for Kat restorations. I've got mine well underway but I must confess I'm not big on picture taking and I feel like I'm letting down the team with nothing to offer.

My frame is powdercoated silver and I am planning on white bodywork with silver lettering. I think the white and silver combo makes the bike look lighter.

At this point, I have the engine in and the electrics half on. With a bit of luck I will fire it up in the next day or so. Once I know I have a working engine, I'll get stuck in to all the other little bits and ****s. so far I'm on target for a spring unveiling.

Good luck with your resto and keep the pics coming.

cheers,
spyug

 

[Smokinapankake]

Thanks for the encouragement fellas, your various builds were the inspiration for mine. I came to the conclusion that I wanted a GS, only about 10 years old. Since there was nothing like it available, and I would have spent a pile o money on something that wasn't as sexy as a Kat, well, it all adds up to a fun(?) project.

Have decided not to contrast color the spokes in the name of time and effort savings; durability is a key issue as well.

Engine is black, original, in pieces. Can get photos if anyone is interested....

 

[ukilme]

Great start. I am looking forward to reading this as i do mine as well.

 

[Smokinapankake]

So I couldn't wait to screw around with it. Reinstalled bearings (they were still smooth, but I DID flush and repack with fresh grease) and brake rotors, etc.. I used new bolts with split lockwashers and a little blue loc-tite just for fun:

The powdercoaters masked this lip (sort of anyway) so it didn't get painted. I hit it with a magic marker rather than trying to paint it by hand (which I may still do): Any thoughts on what would be the best brush paint for this?

My kickstand bolt was trashed, as were the threads inside the back lip of the kickstand. I drilled them out and used a 1/2" X 1" shoulder bolt. Worked good:

 

[Smokinapankake]

More kickstand fun:

A lil' grease should I ever want to remove the kickstand (I did lube up the shaft as well):

All done:

Moving on to the swinger, I needed to press in the needle bearings so drawing on my bicycle mechanic history, I lube EVERYTHING! Because, you know, it may have to come apart sometime in the future:

I could push these in approx. 2/3rd the way by hand:

White lithium grease. These are low speed bearings with only about 30 degrees rotation. The long piece in the middle is a spacer. I think they'll be fine.

 

[Smokinapankake]

All pressed up and nowhere to go:

Bearing end caps/seals. These sport a machined washer inside that had a bit of a groove worn in from the swinger. I flipped tham around so the smooth side rode against the bearings. They look like azz but come from England (Metmachex swingarm) so I doubt they're even available anymore. Besides, they're virtually hidden inside.

Same story for these:

They don't look great but cleaned up pretty nicely.

Thats it for tonight folks. Nighty-night!

 

[Shin-Ken 1074]

Hi Smokin' your work is looking good and thanks for the pics and your time putting this thread together. For me there can never be too many Katana projects so keep them coming I say!!!! What finish is your black PC? I think PC is the way to go for calipers and running gear in black and at this stage Iam looking at the black satin finish. Keep up the great work on the project Iam looking forward to your future posts and pics on this one, cheers.

 

[Smokinapankake]

Shin,

Thanks for the encouragement! The black was labeled semi-gloss; I think it turned out pretty good.

 

[Smokinapankake]

Some progress: swinger installed

Does the kickstand look like it sits way far out from the frame or is it just me? Yeah, yeah - the lower triple is the original painted color. In the interest of money, it stays that color because it is hidden under the bodywork anyway.

Rear master cylinder installed:

 

[Smokinapankake]

Rear reservoir disassembled; just need to find some glass to refill the sight glass hole:

I know the shocks look terrible and they are probably in worse shape inside. They will either get replaced or shipped out for refurb/overhaul. Anybody know what they are?

I'm guessing they are period correct (mid 80's) and would like to keep them rather than replace. Where should I send them when the time and $ comes?

 

[pontiacstogo]

I know the shocks look terrible and they are probably in worse shape inside. They will either get replaced or shipped out for refurb/overhaul. Anybody know what they are?

I'm guessing they are period correct (mid 80's) and would like to keep them rather than replace. Where should I send them when the time and $ comes?

Can't tell if they are early Fox or Works . Definitely plenty of people out there that can rebuild them for you (or you could do it yourself). The shafts look to be in good shape, and everything else can be cleaned up/restored.

 

[Guest]

I know the shocks look terrible and they are probably in worse shape inside. They will either get replaced or shipped out for refurb/overhaul. Anybody know what they are?

I'm guessing they are period correct (mid 80's) and would like to keep them rather than replace. Where should I send them when the time and $ comes?

Fox....you had asked earlier.
http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=137611&highlight=fox+street+shocks

Thor Lawson is the guy for Fox parts/rebuilds....comes highly recommended even by the Fox factory, though they have no affiliation. By all accounts, he does top-top notch work, and I can tell you personally, he is a super-nice guy.
Tony.