My GS Project bike

[Guest]

I found this one leaned up against a trailer in South Louisiana. A scrapper had told me about it and I knocked on the door and bought me a bike. She was pretty rough as you can watch stuff rust down here if left in the elements. After a few years of scrounging parts I have something that resembles a motorcycle and it has been a blast to take may time and refurbish each and every component and I am getting close now. Not finished by any stretch but here are a few pics from beginning to now.

I am self employed doing network and security system installation and maintenance. Next in line behind bikes is falconry.

Lots of great information and good folks here from what I have experienced so far. Looks like I can only put one pic, so here is a later one.

[branumhawk]

Here is an early pic.

[BADJACKSON]

I'd say that's an improvement...

[BigD_83]

Love me the Kats. Great resto.

[steve murdoch]

Nice work on saving that Kat from a bin.

[Vmass]

That's how you do it! Nice work and a bike worthy of bringing it up a couple notches. Congratulations.

[suzuki_dog]

I found this one leaned up against a trailer in South Louisiana. A scrapper had told me about it and I knocked on the door and bought me a bike. She was pretty rough as you can watch stuff rust down here if left in the elements. After a few years of scrounging parts I have something that resembles a motorcycle and it has been a blast to take may time and refurbish each and every component and I am getting close now. Not finished by any stretch but here are a few pics from beginning to now.

I am self employed doing network and security system installation and maintenance. Next in line behind bikes is falconry.

Lots of great information and good folks here from what I have experienced so far. Looks like I can only put one pic, so here is a later one.

As I've said, before, nice job on the Kat. You need to post up some of the progress pics, I'm sure there are others who love to see an old favorite brought back from extinction. Keep up the good work.

[branumhawk]

This bike has a story behind it as well. Turns out I bought it from the original owner. Besides the original title he had all the paperwork and receipts for works shocks, carb gaskets and a polaroid of the bike when he first bought in front of his house. This is the picture of original title and polaroid of bike when new.

[branumhawk]

Bike had Works road racer shocks on the rear. I thought about finding some original units, then checked into availability of parts for the these. Works shocks were pretty pricey at the time and it would be period correct and cool even if not OEM. As I can only post one pic I will split it into four posts. These are not hard to rebuild and the parts were readily available. This is one shock as taken off the bike and apart on table. A vise, a few wrenches and a screwdriver and snap ring tool is all it takes to get this far. Not shown taken apart is the nitrogen bladder that is in the gold reservoir part.

[branumhawk]

As I looked over the parts, it was obvious I would need more than just seals. Each shaft had wear through the chrome and the bladders were crumbled to pieces. These are a better look at the worn parts on work table before I bead blasted and ordered all the replacement parts.

[branumhawk]

With everything cleaned up and ready to go, shafts in the plastic wrap and only waiting on the bladders at this point. Springs and body parts painted prior to putting it together and on the bike.

During assembly the reverse the take apart order and with these shock you fill to 1 3/8" from top of body with oil and reassemble. Try and keep the valve assembly together so the parts don't get mixed up. The nitrogen bladders take 250 psi per specs after you have put in the oil and ready to mount on the bike. My stepson is an aircraft mechanic and assisted me with the nitrogen charge, he has access to all that at work.

The mounted shocks are on the bike pics.

[branumhawk]

Here is the motor being massaged back into frame after blasting and painting.

[Steve]

Looks like I can only put one pic, so here is a later one.

As I can only post one pic I will split it into four posts.

If you upload your pictures to a hosting site (Photobucket, Picassa, Image Shack, etc.), you can post up to TEN per post.

Click HERE for detailed instructions.

Here is how they would have looked:















.

[posplayr]

Very nice work. Is it an 82 GS1000S?

[branumhawk]

Thanks, and yes, GS1000SZ Katana. Because I needed to source a complete front end and lots of other parts too far gone to restore, it has taken me awhile to treasure hunt them to get to this point. It's a blast, and this is about 4 to 5 years into this project. I would try to take one small item, no matter how insignificant and restore or replace that part and put it up until I was ready to assemble a roller. This is a seat I picked up after a little custom leather cleaner from a shoe repair shop.