making my katana look more sporty?

[zacheriaj]

trying to find a front fairing that would fit my 82 550 katana to make it look more sporty. one with a windscreen as well. Also looking for a possible bolt-on muffler. The sport style muffler like most crotch rockets have. I like the sound of my V&H muffler but i think it looks ugly. If you have any ideas on what to look for(interchangeable bikes or parts), or just anything, i would appreciate it.

[rapidray]

PLEASE sell your bike & look for something that isn't as rare & worth as much as yours is stock. If you want a sport bike go buy one. If you want to modify a 550 go find an E model but PLEASE don't cut up a 550 Kat! If you can modify yours without keeping it from being able to be put back to stock I say go for it. If not, please get a different bike to modify. If you aren't aware, you have a pretty rare bike! Thanks, Ray.

[Johno]

Well said Ray!

Well said Ray. Katana's are a part of motorcycling history and were the birth of the current sports bike.

They lead the change for mass produced motorcycles from sit up and beg handle bars to a more sports oriented machine.

The forms of Katana were drawn by a West-German design team Target Design; Hans A. Muth, Hans Georg Kasten and Jan Olof Fellström. Wind tunnel was used in forming the lines of the new Suzuki sport bike so that the combination of rider and machine would make a complete aerodynamic package, comfortable and capable for high speeds.

[zacheriaj]

PLEASE sell your bike & look for something that isn't as rare & worth as much as yours is stock. If you want a sport bike go buy one. If you want to modify a 550 go find an E model but PLEASE don't cut up a 550 Kat! If you can modify yours without keeping it from being able to be put back to stock I say go for it. If not, please get a different bike to modify. If you aren't aware, you have a pretty rare bike! Thanks, Ray.

Oh believe me, i know! I am very lucky to have found this one and rebuilt it up to stock standards. I'm just looking for a fairing to be able to redirect the wind from my face lol. Nothing that i have to refab my bike for. I wouldnt think of it! And the muffler deal, just something that will slip onto the 4-1 header at the bottom without having to do any modifications. Of course i will keep the stock....well its aftermarket but the origional VnH muffler.

[detorn]

If you do a google image search you'll find others who have put on front fairings. IMO they all look kinda lame, like this:

or this


I think they are using a fairing for the 500L

I also think that enough has already been changed on the bike to not care about more modding. I know this would not be the popular opinion. However if you're going to add a front fairing, and you already have a 4 into 1 and a seat that is not original to the bike, there really isn't much there that makes it stock as far as appearance. So why not make it what you want?

[detorn]

having said that you should never, ever do something like this....

[Nessism]

550 Katana's are not valuable and may even be worth less than a nice 550E, which arguably looks nicer. I don't see any problems with adding a fairing and modding an aftermarket exhaust.

There are tons of small aftermarket fairings you could add on. You might want to do a search, both Google and here, to get some ideas. Regarding the muffler, you are pretty much on your own. Lots of people add canister mufflers to their bikes so you just need to figure out what you want and get busy modding.

[UncleMike]

trying to find a front fairing that would fit my 82 550 katana to make it look more sporty. one with a windscreen as well. Also looking for a possible bolt-on muffler. The sport style muffler like most crotch rockets have. I like the sound of my V&H muffler but i think it looks ugly. If you have any ideas on what to look for(interchangeable bikes or parts), or just anything, i would appreciate it.

Glad to hear your financial situation has improved.

[zacheriaj]

Glad to hear your financial situation has improved.

its actually gotten worse. Can't hurt to look though can it? Something to keep my spirits up as some day i may be able to do some work to this damn thing. although it doesnt need any.