Text & images © The Flying Banana.

Site last updated 4th June 2009.
Warwick's lively account of the
2009 Trip to Hamelin Bay!

HERE IT IS... the HTML rabbit-warren I've whipped-up for my 1982 Suzuki Katana 1100 -- aka 'The Flying Banana'. So-called because, obviously enough, it's yellow, it flies, and -- at some stage in its murky past -- it's been bent. But nothing some professional straightening wasn't able to fix.

To navigate, you can either use the floating menu at left (for which you may need to allow 'blocked content' in your browser), or simply click on the in-text links. Or if all else fails, just use the site map.

The old bike pulls like a train. There is simply gob-loads of torque for tooling around town or touring two-up; but if you want to get the front-end all light and hairy, well that's OK too. And for this era of machine, the handling is excellent, with neutral steering and a degree of frame-rigidity that won't do anything scary.

The cosmetics and most of the engine work had been done before I bought the bike. However, in many ways the Katana was mechanically neglected (eg. stock-standard jetting on a very modified engine) so there have been plenty of things to put right. Not the least of which was the top-end rebuild.

What's so crash-hot about the GS and GSX series Suzukis? Well, a heap of things. But most of all, it's THAT ENGINE. Bullet-proof, reliable, robust, powerful, and brilliantly designed.

And what's so great about Suzuki Katanas in particular? Well, THAT ENGINE combined with THAT STYLING. It's an absolute classic design that lives on with the Katana 250 and 400 models. And the designers responsible? Hans Muth & Jan Fellstrom of Target Design.

On the mechanical side, the Achilles' Heel of the Katana (and indeed any GS- or GSX-engined machine) is the charging system.

A few specs...

• Wiseco 1170cc piston kit ... which is a nice step up from 1075cc ;-)
• Ported head because there's no point in having big lungs if you have a strangled wind-pipe
• Camshafts with a Yoshimura ST-1 grind. You just have to love the luscious lumpy idle, too
• Welded crank so that when the throttle is twisted, the crank isn't
• 'Lawson' 4-into-1 exhaust system with a throaty carbon-fibre muffler. Last I heard, Peter Lawson runs an outfit called 'Legends Exhausts' over here in Beechboro, Perth. All I can say is that he did a very good job on this exhaust system. It's easily removable thanks to the springs that hold the headers up to the engine, and that carbon fibre end-can is a light and rorty affair indeed
• 36mm '89/'90 GSX-R 'Slingshot' carburettors with K&N dual-pod filters and size 140 main jets. The difference over the standard carburettors is absolutely STUNNING... the power increase just blew me away
• Barnett kevlar clutch plates and heavy-duty clutch springs. I've also 'upgraded' the clutch from 9 friction + 9 driven plates (which is the SZ setup) to 10 friction + 11 driven plates (the later SD setup)
• Falicon clutch basket rebuild kit. This upgrade is essential if you've hotted up your engine, because the original clutch backing plates are very thin, and prone to bend, buckle and BREAK. The consequences don't bear thinking about...
• IKON rear shock absorbers (same as the old KONI 'dial-a-rides'). Being fully rebuildable means you can try different viscosities of oil. In fact to get enough rebound damping on the open road, I've put in 15W oil instead of the standard 10W. A great improvement
• 'Micron' fork brace. The thing is a work of art
• Earl's full-width 10-row oil cooler, mate she just squeezes in there. Oil cooler page here
• Front brake master cylinder is Kawasaki GPz; beats the standard master cylinder with its stone-age brake light switch. Also braided lines at the front. It all adds up to brakes with bite
• Paintwork is Ducati yellow, courtesy of the previous owner
• Napoleon/Baren bar-end mirrors. Look way better than anything top-mounted on the handlebars, in my opinion... and you don't get to see your elbows, for a change
• Front indicators are Kawasaki KR250, rear indicators are Oxford Mini Indicators.
• Solo seat is a 1-off item made by the previous owner. But I've also got a conventional dual seat with an added grabrail, so I can take the wife for a spin without her getting unduly panicky

So, want to give me some feedback, or pass on some comments or tips?
.

Cheers,
Mike.