A youtube vid about the Katana

[roeme]

While this one might not contain anything new to our Forum oldtimers – but other youngsters like me might enjoy this one like I did (~18mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqXG9q_GkEY

[trent]

Long time ago a well known independent motorcycle repair shop had a silver 82? Katana for sale.

They wanted $1500 bucks for it.

One of the employees of that shop came out and gave my the details and started it, i also remember it had a aftermarket exhaust.

At the time I didn't know much about suzuki, Yamaha, kawasaki , it wasn't until years afterwards I found out through a landlord about the suzuki GS model

But I always rememberd the name and look of "Katana"

I didn't have the desire at the time to use any savings to buy it , because I had some other things going on

Few month later a friend told me he met the guy that bought it.
and supposedly when new owner changed the oil the engine started making noise.

Supposedly took it to a suzuki shop and piston skirt had busted up and was clanging around.

So maybe it's a good thing I passed on it??

[earlfor]

I remember when the new Katana hit the dealer showrooms.. I also remember that it was more money than I had in those days. lol

[steve murdoch]

Thanks for posting that, roeme.
Owned an '83 1100 Kat for a couple years. Another one of those "wish i'd hung on to it" bikes.

[KiwiAlfa156]

Definitely one of the better videos on the Target design Katanas. Mostly factually correct and balanced. They are actually very nice to ride. I rode mine to work this morning. You wouldn't want to long distance on one. That being said, I did just that back in the 80s on my 1100. Nice that they acknowledge Jan Fellstrom and Hans-Georg Kasten, not just Hans Muth. Most, if not all, of the design sketches bear the late Fellstrom's signature, so a lot of the imagining of the Katana design language was Fellstrom's work.

One of the Katana's parents, however, isn't mentioned. The man is Etsuo Yokouchi. Yokouchi designed the X-6 Hustler, the GT750, and the GT250, and was manager of the Suzuki racing department in 1974 and 1975. The GS750, GS1100, Katana, GSX-R750 and 1100 were all Yokouchi bikes. The Suzuka 8 Hours-winning Yoshimura Suzuki GS1000s ridden by Wes Cooley and Graeme Crosby were the product of a collaboration between Yokouchi and Pops Yoshimura. It was Yokouchi that took the Target Design prototype to production motorcycles. He should really be considered the father of the Suzuki GS motorcycle line, and by way of the GSX-R750, the father of modern sportbikes.

https://www.rideapart.com/news/545069/suzuki-engineer-etsuo-yokouchi-obituary/

[Chris in TN]

Thanks for posting the link to the video. I enjoyed it very much and think it an interesting analysis of the Katana design and particularly a good job of putting the design in the context of it's cultural time and technological era.

You're post is also quite timely on a personal level as I just bought a '82 Kat yesterday.

Thanks again for sharing the video.

Chris

[rphillips]

Enjoyed the link, saw interesting parts of their history I'd never known... In the end as I'd thought back when they came out, Very futuristic for the day and not very comfortable for long rides.

[oldGSfan]

Hmm, I had an '82 GS1000SZ, got for cheap (1500) as the owner was in jail haha. Kerker header, pods, and Fox reservoir shocks, 12K miles. I powdercoated the frame, rebuilt the shocks, and polished the swingarm, cases, etc, Pulled engine and painted it, did the usual replacements of chain, tires, seals. That thing was punishing to ride, and I'm 6'3" tall. Rock hard seat. But fun. Still, I rode my '82 GPz1100 far more. I got it for $500. Ah the good old days. Both of them ended up back in Japan.

I didn't know that the 1100 was first. He has good info, I thought he was wrong till I researched it.

[rphillips]

Didn't Suzuki address the rock hard seat, before it was released. I's thinking they used a velour seat cover to make the seat "look" softer?... Didn't that work?

[oldGSfan]

Didn't Suzuki address the rock hard seat, before it was released. I's thinking they used a velour seat cover to make the seat "look" softer?... Didn't that work?

Could be it was already 22 years old in '94 when I got it, foam ages out. I put a replica cover on it, all vinyl. Regardless, between that hard seat and the long reach, it was a nut-squasher.

[rphillips]

Well, I never thought the velour helped much anyway. and they got pretty nasty pretty quick.