1100 Katana restomod with 1230 engine

[John Kat]

I have an issue with my OEM cams on my 1150 engine.
The camshafts came with separate cam gears and I'm concerned that they are the right type?
The intake gear is marked #451 and the exhaust #470.
Is that correct?

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I believe it's OK as I found the diagram to set the cams in a french technical manual.
Here it is for anyone interested:

[John Kat]

With the help of 2 friends, we got the engine out and the frame is now bare, ready for sandblasting.
The cylinder block should be rebored by tomorrow...

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[John Kat]

I bumped into a new issue: the ECU on the bike is a GS 1100 unit that provides a fixed ignition timing while the 1150 engine requires an ECU with variable timing advance...
The PO obviously just banged the 1100 and 1150 pieces together without further thought!
Of course the OEM 1150 ECU appears to be unavailable?
I suppose I'll have to buy a Dyna 2000 ECU...

[steve murdoch]

With the help of 2 friends, we got the engine out and the frame is now bare, ready for sandblasting.
The cylinder block should be rebored by tomorrow...

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Superhawk in the background?

[limeex2]

I'm well aware of these modifications but have decided to keep the frame stock.
Two reasons for this: first I can get the bike back to OEM if required and second at my level of riding they are not required.
A few racers over here believe there is no improvement to be had?
I remember an article many years ago when a Honda HRC engineer stated that they had decreased the rigidity of the frame in some areas to make it easier to control the bike.
I also remember that I sold my Z 900 when the GS 750 came out as the roadholding was like night and day...
The question on my mind today is : should I go with the stock cams or use the Webcams #223 with .340 lift and 266° duration?

I did the D & E modifications with no "X" braces with noticeable results. With a little fore thought it would be very easy to make side cover stays/mnts. I understand wanting to be able to go back to stock. As mentioned, every up grade to the bike will pronounce the "hinge in middle" effect. Emulators and high quaility rears help immensely in this issue and not having the bracing is a liitle more forgiving on our bodies. (good frame flex!) In Minnesota, as our roads are potholed filled junk, premium suspension is almost a must due my back and wrist issues. Modern Triumph's are good at this. This is a great/timely post for me as my health gets better.

[John Kat]

Superhawk in the background?

Indeed, it's a 1965 Superhawk that's like new following a bare frame restoration.
It's so nice, I'm scared to take it on the road!
In fact it's on an identical machine that I started my biking career a long time ago...

[John Kat]

I did the D & E modifications with no "X" braces with noticeable results. With a little fore thought it would be very easy to make side cover stays/mnts. I understand wanting to be able to go back to stock. As mentioned, every up grade to the bike will pronounce the "hinge in middle" effect. Emulators and high quaility rears help immensely in this issue and not having the bracing is a liitle more forgiving on our bodies. (good frame flex!) In Minnesota, as our roads are potholed filled junk, premium suspension is almost a must due my back and wrist issues. Modern Triumph's are good at this. This is a great/timely post for me as my health gets better.

In my view, the bikes moved to the modern age when the suspensions moved to "cartridge type" forks and shocks.
I've used emulators on my GS 1000 S with a 1st gen GSXR 1100 front end but it's still quite short of the performance of today's bikes.
BTW, I have absolutely no "hinge in the middle" feeling on my Kat with the Vstrom DL 1000 fork and modern rear shocks...

[John Kat]

Coming back to the "hinge in the middle" issue with some GS 1000/1100's, I can report that a standard GS 1000 Frame with modern suspension and tires has no issue whatsoever.
I went for a long ride yesterday on my GS 1000 with an R6 front end and a GSXR 2nd gen rear end with an Ohlins shock and the bike is a delight in the twisties, utterly stable while very flippable.
Tires are the latest Bridgestone S22 that I really love.
The frame is also put to maximum strain with it's GSXR 1052 engine that delivers incredible power.
Every GS 1000/1100 owner should once in his life test this combination!
Here's a picture:

[steve murdoch]

I imagine you have surprised a few riders on "modern" bikes with your "vintage" hardware.
What are the front brakes?

[John Kat]

I imagine you have surprised a few riders on "modern" bikes with your "vintage" hardware.
What are the front brakes?

The front brakes are the OEM Yamaha R6 4 pistons, not the level of the Brembo Stylema's of course but not a problem on the road.
Most of the time, I ride with my wife who owns a Triumph Street Triple RS 765.
She's a very capable rider ( I call her "Valentinetto") and she was amazed by the performance of my "old" bike in the twisties.

[bobgroger]

I did the D & E modifications with no "X" braces with noticeable results. With a little fore thought it would be very easy to make side cover stays/mnts. I understand wanting to be able to go back to stock. As mentioned, every up grade to the bike will pronounce the "hinge in middle" effect. Emulators and high quaility rears help immensely in this issue and not having the bracing is a liitle more forgiving on our bodies. (good frame flex!) In Minnesota, as our roads are potholed filled junk, premium suspension is almost a must due my back and wrist issues. Modern Triumph's are good at this. This is a great/timely post for me as my health gets better.

I remember the KZ900 wobble in high speed corners. Still trying to sort a high speed (120 mph) wobble through the traps on my 1100e dragbike with Bandit forks and swingarm through the traps. A bit of rear brake calms it but maybe a damper will help, or tightening the head bearings.

[John Kat]

I remember the KZ900 wobble in high speed corners. Still trying to sort a high speed (120 mph) wobble through the traps on my 1100e dragbike with Bandit forks and swingarm through the traps. A bit of rear brake calms it but maybe a damper will help, or tightening the head bearings.

I owned a KZ 900 when it came out and I remember it would go in a wobble as soon as you tried going fast around corners...
I have no experience of drag racing but I believe one must not hold the handlebar too firmly?
Easy to say behind one's PC!

[GSX1100 dreamn]

As mentionned elsewhere the bike came with an 1100 Cylinder head on a 1150 bottom end.
Luckily, I found a matching 1150 cylinder head that has been ported.
I noticed that the cams are different between the two models (R2 vs R1)
Luckily the design of the head puts the intakes at exactly the same place so there should be no problem to fit the air filter in the Katana frame.
That's cost conscious R&D at work!
Here's a picture of them both side by side:

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Hi John Kat,

1100 head on a 1150 bottom end was done to improve low/mid intake velocity/acceleration (street use).
I run a standard valve 1100 head on my 1260 with a slight intake clean up and dialed in cams, 4into1 exhaust and it is very tractable down low even when I had the GSXR CV 38's.
Cheers Andrew.

[Rob S.]

I remember the KZ900 wobble in high speed corners.

I owned a KZ 900 when it came out and I remember it would go in a wobble as soon as you tried going fast around corners...

I owned the original Kawasaki 903cc, 1973's "Z1" (it wasn't called a "KZ900" until 1976). And it didn't need any corners to experience the notorious high speed wobble.

[John Kat]

Hi John Kat,

1100 head on a 1150 bottom end was done to improve low/mid intake velocity/acceleration (street use).
I run a standard valve 1100 head on my 1260 with a slight intake clean up and dialed in cams, 4into1 exhaust and it is very tractable down low even when I had the GSXR CV 38's.
Cheers Andrew.

Thanks Andrew,
Looks like a good reason to do so but in my case, I believe the PO just assembled the parts available to get the bike to run...
He forgot BTW to use the specific variable advance CDI for the 1135 bottom end!