Katman's Katana

[katman]

Hi all, I was directed here from Des by email. He told me there are some "heavy Kats" here and he was right. A ton of killer bikes on this site

I am known on a few boards as katman cuz I love and build the old katana 1100s. NIce to be here.

[suxukifreak]

Welcome mate, enjoy the ride. ;)


Good to see you made it over from bikepics.

[katman]

Cheers,

Love those 1400s!!

[Dagenham Dave]

Hello and welcome mate.
I love those GSX 14's too, dunno why they won't let them into the states but I believe you can get them in Canada.

[rock hard]

Welcome Katman,it took me a while but the gsx14 bug has bitten hard,glad you have joined this crazy mob.

[Large]

Na na na na na na na na

na na na na na na na na

Na na na na na na na na

Katman!

Hi and welcome

[scotty]

G'Day Katman. Where abooooots are ya mateie.... spent a bit a time in the north meself. just aooooout an aboooooout

[Harry]

Hi katman, where's the pic'c of the kat man :D

[Harry]

quote:Originally posted by Large

Na na na na na na na na

na na na na na na na na

Na na na na na na na na

Katman!

Hi and welcome
FUNNY SHIT :D

[STELF]

Welcome Katman;)

[Gix11]

Welcome aboard mate. Stick a photo of your bike up mate. Anyone with that user name and passion must have a nice example.

[BillyWhizz888]

Welcome [8D]

[Bob]

Welcome mate,

[Yamie]

Hello and welcome:D

[80s freak]

Welcome, like they said pic's please.

[katman]

sorry all, got lost..

here are some pics of the bikes I have built. http://s856.photobucket.com/albums/ab127/katman1260/

and you can see my website www.robwilton.com

Here is my ride..

http://thumb18.webshots.net/t/74/174/3/58/64/2716358640105355938oYegnZ_th.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2716358640105355938oYegnZ)

[Gix11]

Mate, there's some beautiful examples there!:

http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1248674317.jpg

[80s freak]

Here puss, got to love 'em.

[KATO ZX7]

Welcome back then katman

glad your on the correct path now :D

[katman]

Thanks all. Just picked up a '77 kz1000 last week too. Can't wait to start that beast. Thats my exteded bandit 1200 swingarm from my katana on there. its getting an r1 swing this yr. Lucky I found something to put it on eh!!

This '77 is in store for an extreem makeover. I have always loved these BEASTS...look kool, sound great

If your wondering.... behind it is a '72 cr750 cafe racer I am building for a local dude.

http://www.robwilton.com/forum/kz1start.jpg

[wackyrider]

welcome mate

[Gix11]

Love the Z's even more than the kats mate. Do it proud.

[jakelive]

welcome dude
jake

[Watto]

welcome mate - have dropped in your site a couple of times - you do some nice work

Cheers
Watto

[thekompany]

Saw you were from Canada eh... so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents worth and say hi. I Slept with a couple of Canadian girls from BC a bunch of times... and in the words of the infamous Pete I have to say.... "not bad.....not bad" :D

[Fizzgigg]

Yeh Katanaz r sik mate, welcome Katman, scibba dubba deeee dup dup dadem bop IM THE KATMAN! he he this has heaps of songs that go wit his name, thats some funny shit :D

[Large]

quote:Originally posted by katman

Thanks all. Just picked up a '77 kz1000 last week too. Can't wait to start that beast. Thats my exteded bandit 1200 swingarm from my katana on there. its getting an r1 swing this yr. Lucky I found something to put it on eh!!

This '77 is in store for an extreem makeover. I have always loved these BEASTS...look kool, sound great

If your wondering.... behind it is a '72 cr750 cafe racer I am building for a local dude.

http://www.robwilton.com/forum/kz1start.jpg


We need more pics of the CR750 project A.S.A.P[:p]

[katman]

sorry the CR project is on hold until I do buddy's kz1000. anyone know how this fits on? I don't think the hardware that came with it is for it.

I have been working on my new katana build trying to sort out a fuel injection and turbo system.

[oldskool]

welcome abort.

[katman]

Anyone want some spaggetti?
Doing some moch up this week and figurin' bracing, mounts and stuff. Decided to rip out the under seat pan and make another one. Didn't like the last one
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/spaggetti.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/spaggetti2.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/newpan.jpg

[ALBI]

welcome mate at least ur not a yank!!

[katman]

Cheers,
I just got back on this project. It pissed me off for a while so I have just been riding my other katana but I am hot on the trail again.

[katman]

Here is what I am playing with.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/efi/turb.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/efi/plen.jpg

[MAD]

Hi that Turbo should make it get up and go looks Evil. Spent a few weeks in Vancouver my self stayed at the collage place in New Westminster spent a good few hours at Mugs & Jugs getting eye strain perving on the Strippers. Got rotten at Ivanhoe's on many a night (cheap grog). Got a tattoo from the Dutch Man. We just run a muck it was Great.

MAD

[kev@vcm]

hey rob its bigkev from the kat forum mate glad you have found this place and was wondering when you were goin to up pics of the animal up on here , look foward to seeing the bike finished mate

cheers

[fimpBIKES]

your more than welcome here!!!!
great bikes

[katman]

I'm not a full member so I didn't really think I had any place to post.

[katman]

Well, it's been a long time but I am back at her. The turbo won't materialize this season due to budget contraints. Since I spent a fortune on normally asperated parts I decided not to risk them in a turbo engine this year. The Efi is a go though.

Today I mounted a waterproof USB port on the beast cuz I hate running out of power on a ride.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/iphoneusb2.jpg

Behind the iphone is a rack of led's so I have some light under the seat if need be.

[Fight_fan]

Both awesome ideas! That usb port would most definately come in handy!

[katman]

There is always a snag....

As you can see in the pics, I can charge my extra iphone battery and power an led light for seeing in the dark, but, what I can't do.... YET!!, is charge the 3GS. This phone has a different charging parameter that Apple changed with this phone. Needs more than power/ground wires. Needs low voltage to the data wires of the usb as well or it will not accept the charge.

I have it figured out, just have to work out how to put it together.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/usblight400.jpghttp://www.robwilton.com/gsr/phonebat400.jpg

[katman]

OOOhhhh baby!!

I love it when something actually works on only the 10th or 12th try.....

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/3gsusb400.jpg

[Redmohawk]

welcome enjoy

[katman]

Surge tank is done. Didn't really need one but thought I would throw one in anyway. The kat tanks are big and roomy so low fuel situations could be sketty..
What a pain plumbing, looks pretty straight forward but it wasn't. Running AN6 all round being fed by pingel 5/16 valve with 80micron screen.
The pump is a Mallory 160 litres/hr low amp draw since kats don't have many amps.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/surgedone800.jpg

[K6Thou]

Welcome along mate.

[katman]

fabbed up a cooler mounting bracket out of 2" x 1" angle alum and mounted the front and rear signals. I removed the old rear signal mounts and moved the signals forward.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/cooler_signal.jpghttp://www.robwilton.com/gsr/rearsignal.jpg

[katman]

Drilled and tapped the fuel rail. By using end fittings I would have to carve up the side covers so I am using plugs there. Keeps things cleaner. Installed the vac lines, a vacuum block and the map sensor. Getting busy under there. Still have fuel feed line, return line and air bleed line from the fuel pump.

Also have to fab a fuel return to the tank along with a thermistor low fuel warning system.


http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/rail6001.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/rail6002.jpg

[katman]

Today I worked on the mock up tank. Located the return line and low fuel warning.
I am using a thermistor unit out of an SV650. For those who don't know what they are since gs1100 and katana don't have them, they work on resistance. When submerged in fuel they are cold and have a high resistance. When they become exposed to the air as the fuel leve drops, they heat up and that decreases their resistance allowing current to flow. When this happens, the low fuel light comes on.
This unit has two, so I have low fuel and critically low fuel lights. My plan is to use on solid burning low light and for critical level, I will use a flashing light.

The conductivity is for the ground wire, not the hot so there is not chance of shorting in the fuel which would ruin your day.

I am fabbing the return out of a 3/8" npt 90 degree fitting with a 7" hollow tube.
The thermistor unit I chose because the first low fuel indicator is very close to where the stock katana level is when you need to turn to reserve. The second thermistor is the kick in the pants warning.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/lowfuel1.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/lowfuel2.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/return1.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/tankbottom.jpg

[Large]

Cool cool

[katman]

Well, the last of the frame work is done and ready for powder.

Since grounding is so important and I have lots of electrics on the beast I thought it might be prudent to make sure there were some sound ground points on the bike.
I used stainless steel that will not be getting powdered. I have them taped off so grounding will not be an issue with this bike. There is a tab in the tail, under the seat, by the tank (for the wiring harness ground point) and up front under the fairing. WHy? my clocks need a ground, EFI, and on and on.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/gnd1.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/gnd2.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/gnd3.jpg

Next I had to reposition the rear brake return spring location

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/brake_return.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/brake_return2.jpg

Lastly, since there are no more katana headers to be had, I thought it may be a good idea to have a mounting point for the 1100e headers that are still available. I machined and tapped a rod and welded it into the peg stay. That way I can bolt up any kind of braket between it and the rear exhaust mounting hole for any number of configurations.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/headermount.jpg

One more final check for frame true and rear wheel alignment while I am at it.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/wc1.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/wc2.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/rwcenter.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/rwcenter2.jpg

[katman]

Thought the frame was ready for powder but decided to weld in some new front coil mounts to better fit the dyna coils. Done now, all stripped and theads protected. Off to powder she goes in the next day or two.

On to other things.
Here is the swingarm. I buried my oil catch can in the shock hole. Welded a plate over the hole and sandwiched the plate with the upper and lower pieces of the catch can. Now, its out of the way and clears the fuel pump on susupension compression.
Those aren't the fittings I will be using in final build. I am using one for crank case vent (valve cover) and the other for crank breather coming from clutch cover. Center top will hose into a filter. I will be safety wiring the can on for precausion.
Decided to weld on the extensions as well. Don't like the idea of my life depending on 4 screws.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/catchcan1.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/catchcan2.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/extensions.jpg

[katman]

I have never loved the gas cap on these bikes and I hate digging for keys at the pump. Especially when I don't have an ignition key. So, the only thing I have to do now is get rid of seat key....HHmmmmnnmmm??? next season maybe.
Looked at different options, So I went with a pop up cap. Gloss black to match the black the tank will be on top. Nice and flush, low profile and sleek. It will be an excellent match for my paint scheme.

May not be everyones cup of tea, but I like it.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/flushcap1.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/flushcap2.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/flushcap3.jpg

[ozzy1100]

mate what can i say i love the way u think and build top job there should be more people spending the time to
build than just bolt together very nice and welcome
btw is that injection like the megasquirt ?

[katman]

The frame and swing arm went off to take a powder so today I pulled the top end off my '82 7/1166. I road it last season. The left one..

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/suzuki_katana.jpg

She was oil hungry last season. I had bought it back off a dude who I had built it for several years ago. (I didn't build the engine on this one)
cylinders look like glass. Checked the clearances and the piston/cylinder numbers are bad. .004". for all four. Compresson was 155 across but was drinking oil. The machine shop that did the boring messed up cuz there are very few miles on the bike.

So, since I am selling it, I am going to send out another block for boring and check it when it gets back that it is no more than .0018"-.002". That should freshin her up some. Dyno numbers were 132 rwhp last season but she was a little toooooo loose.

The motor has less than 6,000 miles on it so I was none too please with it smokin. Brake in will be a little different than she saw last time I would expect. "hard and fast". My motto is break it in like your gunna ride it.

The cost will be around 300.00 without my labor so I am hoping to get 3,300.00 for it when all is done. The Ohlins and bandit arm are gone of course. She now sports koni's, stock carbs and stock swingarm.
Braced and powder coated frame
brand new wiring harness
gsxr wheels, forks brakes
6 piston brakes, steel braid lines
new gsxr controls
good paint and seat
new wind screen
Vance and Hines pipe
fresh engine and if I get my asking I'll install a digital keyless ignition

Oops, this turned into a sales pitch, sorry everyone.

I am hoping the frame will be back Monday. The swinger will be a while longer as dude isn't blasting gloss black for a week or so. So, may be a few days before my next post.

[katman]

quote:Originally posted by ozzy1100

mate what can i say i love the way u think and build top job there should be more people spending the time to
build than just bolt together very nice and welcome
btw is that injection like the megasquirt ?


Thanks M8, I really appreciate the sentiments. Although we do this for ourselves its always cool when others are diggin what y'ur doin.

Cheers,

[katman]

Frame and swing arm are back.... Now it starts getting fun..

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/framesback2.jpg

[katman]

For those who have never powder coated a frame here is the run down.

It is always a good idea to protect all the threads in the frame with bolts. Bolts you won't want to be using later. That way when the frame is media blasted, the threads are not blasted too as well as, they don't fill up with media. If media gets into holes with threads in them it is a bit of a deal digging it out.

If you thread a bolt into said hole there is a good chance it will cease and brake off while you are trying to tighten it up. If some threads are blasted you can "chase" them with a tap. That will clean them up and they will be good to go.

Next, Powder is thick. Some things may not fit after powder. For a katana guy things like the rear brake pedal pivot bolt. IF powder gets into the boss, the shaft may not fit anymore. Same goes for the shifter pivot on the frame and the kick stand mount. Things like peg pins or bolts may no longer fit. Just ask the powder dude to tape off the shifter pivot and the inside of the brake pivot, or you may be doing a little sanding later.

leave the old steering stem races in place and replace them after the frame is done. If you do wheels, for goodness sake take out the bearings before. Sounds stupid but I know of guys who mounted wheels with media filled bearings because they were too lazy or too cheap to replace them. Bearings and grit do not play well together.

IF you are thinking of doubling down and doing some bolts with the frame, after all they are there anyway remember this. Allen head (socket head) bolts may be hard to get out with the allen key as the hole will be much smaller with powder in there. Hex bolts will not longer fit your wrench. Did I mention powder is thick?

I had all my stainless steel gound points taped off so they would be clean after powder. Powder dude saw fit to remove all the tape and powdered all of them but one for some reason so, I spent some time filing off the powder.

See you tomorrow.

[katman]

Today was spent preping and painting parts. Not much polish or bare alum on this project.
GLOSS BLACK: pegs, wheels, brake pedal, shifter, brake pivot, gsxr rear master, brake hanger, hub, Semi Gloss Black, under seat pan, bat box, surge tank, on and on. Took some pics tonight but they don't look 1/2 as good as the bike looks. Need some daylight. Also need some blacker black. NOt sure if I am happy with the T1 Plasticoat gloss black. Looks a little brown to me compared to the swingarm.

Cust some stainless steel spacers for the rear wheel and polished them for some contrast in the sea of black back there. I think I am going to change the color of the under seat pan as well. Pegs took some time to take apart clean, sand, paint, sand, paint, polish the pins, paint again.

I have to start the wheels shortly so I can get the tires mounted, as well as the forks. Painting them gloss black too. Basically everything south of the cosmetics will be a mixture of gloss, semi gloss black with touches of polish and alum.

[katman]

Today was spent taking inventory of fasteners. Didn't realize how many and how many different sizes I need for all the extra bits.
Been having trouble with adhesion to my under-seat pan. I think it is anodized on one side. The stuff is like teflon. Nothing is sticking to the one side. Of course its the up side.

Was looking for a good place for the keyless digital ignition module, things are pretty tight for space since most of it is hidden.

The katana has chrome or plated acorn bolts and nuts for dress. After playing around with them I think its off to media blasing for them. Nothing is sticking to them either. Have to take a step backwards to get the under pan done now. will hold things up for a bit while that gets sorted out.

[katman]

Right!
today was work on the rear seat panel. I had made one out of tin but was time to make a real one out of 1/8" alum. She is just about done, just need a little tweaking and fine tunign the lines to match the rear seat support/lock mount, then paint. Maybe, I may leave it natural with some clear.

The bits on it are, usb iphone power outlet, led button switch to power it as it used power while not in use and finally a volt meter to keep tabs on the consuption and state of the battery for various things. It and the usb will be connected to the switch so they won't be on all the time.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_rear_panel4.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_rear_panel3.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_rear_panel2.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_rear_panel.jpg

[katman]

This is proving to be a challenge. Nothing seems to be sticking to the aluminum very well. My finger nail will scrape it off so nicks will be a problem. After days of trying different methods nothing has worked. I tried paint that does not need primer. I have tried primer and etching primer with no luck.

Then there are the bolts I am painting. On a katana the motor mount and pivot bolts are chrome or nickel plated. I have sanded and filed but no luck with paint sticking.

I found out that the aluminum I used for the under pan is anodized on one side. Some on the internet say that the anodize makes the alum perfect for painting, well, it doesn't. I took everything over today to the media blaster. Motor mount bolts, pivot bolt, nut and washer, as well as the under seat pans that hold all the electrics.

I am done messing around with them. I was thinking of trying to get away with it but once everything is in place it would be a job to remove it all to paint every season. I did not get them powder coated just media blasted. The bolts will be a special color, but the under seat pans will be semi gloss black. The pics below show the first couple of coats of etching primer. If the paint doesn't stick now (and I can't see why it would not) then off to powder they will go.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/underseat1.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/bolts1.jpg

[xa-mont]

Surely with them blasted and etch primed it will stick?

[katman]

Much better....

panels came out great. Just like I had hoped. With the new lithium battery I am getting I have enough room in my battery box for the RFID keyless ignition module. The battery is 10 lbs lighter and 2" narrower than the stock gs battery. My favorite feature is no more trickle charging over winter. These bad boys can hold their charge for up to a year and can last up to 8 years and has 60 more cold cranking amps than stock.

and before you ask, the RFID unit in the bike is a mock up. The real one is sealed up with epoxy and the mount won't stay raw alum like in the pic. Still working on all the detail work.

Here are a couple shots of them done.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_seat_a1.jpg

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_keyless_ignition.jpg

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_seat_a1.jpg


http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/usb_volt.jpg

[xa-mont]

looks very clean.

[katman]

Started the assembly process after powder coating, priming and painting. The rear wheel is not the wheel I will be using, infact it is for sale if someone needs one. Rubber is good on it.
The wheels will be the next task. They will be gloss black as will the front forks.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_bandit_rear.jpg

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_bandit_wheel.jpg

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_battery_box_rightside.jpg

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_frame_a2.jpg

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_right_peg.jpg

IF you haven't guessed, the bike color is going to be ZO6 Vette Atomic Orange.

[katman]

Here are a couple more...

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_swingarm_extensions_a1.jpg


quote:Below is a sprocket of my own design. I have them made in Oregon by my sprocket guy. I put them together with a front 530 sprocket for a conversion kit for stock gs bikes. The front sprocket has the spacer built into it and the spline is wider than all the others so there is better spread of forces along your output shaft. This should help with les ware on the output shaft spline. I think I am going to do the rear sprockets in polish and blue anodize. Only the black is hard anodize.
The 530 conversion sprockets are available from my site. The red sprocket nuts are not staying. they are just what I had laying around. They will be replaced with black, stainless or orange.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_rear_sprocket_a1.jpg

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_right_peg_a2.jpg

[katman]

If you were wondering what swingarm I am using on this project, it is a bandit 1200 swing arm. When I first began modifying katanas I was told to use a gsxr swing arm. That is what everyone used. A dude over the pond sugested I use a bandit arm. So, I went down to the local bike wreckers and purchased a bandit 1200 swing arm. Dude was right.

I say this because I have had lots of bad advise over the years. Anyway, the nice thing about the bandit arm is you don't have to butcher the frame to get it installed. With the gsxr swing arms you have to remove the peg stays and use rear sets. I did not want to remove the peg stays. The 1200 bandit arm is a little narrower in the pivot than the GS suzuki so I make custom reducer bushings to take up the space. The bandit pivot is also larger in diameter than the GS suzuki so the bushings reduce the pivot size back to 16mm to enable use in the katana frame, or 1100e frame and 750 frame for that matter. If you are doing this kind of upgrade, you can purchase these bushings from www.parts.suzuki-katana.com.

For the katana enthusiast there are a couple other areas to modify for perfect fitment. First, the mono shock boss mount on the swing arm has to be removed. If it is not, it will hit the battery box and grenade your battery. Next, it gets a little tight in the rear brake pedel actuator area. Some modifying is needed for clearance there and the brake return spring tab needs to be relocated and the pedal stop pad needs a trim.

Ok, now what is left is some shock mounts. Be careful, think ahead, and make sure you have enough room for chain clearance past the shock springs. Not all shocks are created equal. Koni shocks have small diameter springs where as Fox shocks are large diameter and run all the way down to the bottom of the shock. Many instances of chain/spring contact have been recorded. Moving the left shock mount outboard a few mm will rectify this problem. (remember to space the top of the shock out as well to keep things parallel.

CNC shock mounts are also available at www.parts.suzuki-katana.com. Now that you have replaced that wet noodle of a swing arm that flexed badly with the bike tire the katana came with, you will have no worries with the new radial 180 tire you are mounting on now. You can mount a 5.5" rim with a 180 tire onto the stock swing arm but I don't know why you would want to.

I have added some swing arm extensions to my bandit arm to give the katana some much needed stretch. Since the bolt on extensions are not made so much for cornering but for straight line runs, I have welded them on for safety. I have also modified the mono shock area to hold my oil catch can that is being fed from the clutch cover and cam cover crank case vent. If you are wondering why, take your oil filler cap off while the bike is running and put your hand over the opening.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/mono_mount.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/bandit_pivot2.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/bandit_pivot.jpg

[katman]

I am a fan of clean lines and un-cluttered space. So, when it comes to the rear brake I prefer not to have a torque arm stablizing the caliper. I like to use the armless caliper/hanger set ups used on many Suzuki GSXR's.
In the top picture you can see the tongue and receiver that hold the caliper hanger in place. These were found on the early to mid 1990 GSXR's. The set up I am using is off a 2006 GSXR 1000. I machine up my own receivers to weld on the gsx1200 bandit swing arm. I think they work well and look very clean as you can see from previous pictures. The bottom picture is an inside look at my setup. It is important that you use the correct rotor and spacer as alignment is critical. The 2006 rotor is smaller than the 1999 GSXR. Also, you need to know what year wheel you are using as mixing and matching parts can be dangerous and a nightmare to put together. Visit my tech site www.suzuki-katana.com to see what does work and save yourself headaches, time and money. If you find the information helpful maybe buy something from the parts site www.parts.suzuki-katana.com and help support the site and keep it going.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/armless_hanger1.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/gsxr_hanger_katana.jpg

[Large]

I'm liking this thread

[Gix11]

It's just a shame it's in the introduction area. Would get read a lot more in the Your Ride area. I could move this or does Katman want to start a new one there?

[katman]

quote:Originally posted by Gix11

It's just a shame it's in the introduction area. Would get read a lot more in the Your Ride area. I could move this or does Katman want to start a new one there?


Yeh, move it on over. That is a much better area.

[mozza]

Love your bikes there mate, just visited your website and have sent you a message with a few questions.

[katman]

Got the tank back from Tigger today. Everything looks good. I added a fuel drain for winters to be able to completely drain and dry the tank. In the pictures you can see the drain, fuel tap, return line and the low fuel warning thermistors.

A thermistor is is an electrical component that has high resistance when cold. As it heats up, resistance drops allowing current to flow. As resistance drops and current flows a circuit is completed. This circuit is what turns on your low fuel light warning of low fuel level. I used one from an sv650 which has a double thermistor. Low and critical low level. This is important with fuel injection as you can't rely on the reserve switch when the bike starts to starve for fuel. Unlike the gs1100e suzuki models, the katana has no fuel gauge so I wanted to come up with some solution to determine fuel level. This was my solution.

The wires that pass through the thermistors are negative ground wires. It should be fairly obvious why you would not want to run live 12 positive wires into a gas tank fuel of fuel and fumes. The return line I made myself out of a 90 degree npt fitting. AN8 to 18mm metric thread. I was going to weld on an AN fitting but thought it may be better not to. If the an fitting got buggered up, I would have to cut it off and weld again. this way it can simply be replaced. An NPT fitting was an option too, but I decided on the 18mm standard weld bung. This is standard for the O2 sensors and is the same thread for the low fuel sensor as well.

The Pingel fuel tap has a round inlet so a little enlarging of the opening for it is in order. If not the inlet will not feed into the tank all the way and forcing it will result in a torn screen. I decided to use the Pingel because one, I had it, and two, I have the ability to shut the fuel off to remove the tank. The other shut off is needed on the return fitting. There I will be using a check valve (one way). If you look close you may be able to see the safety wire on the drain plug. I drilled it because it is in behind the plastic and I didn't want my first indication of a leak to be flames as raw fuel drips onto my cylinder head and exhaust header.

As you can see, the flush mount cap is on too, looks as good as I immagined it would. Very happy with it. The fuel cap is a Harley Sportster cap and trim ring. I may machine a new trim ring myself, but for now I will go with it. It attaches with an adhesive backing. If you do something like this, make sure you use a vented cap.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_flushmount_gas_cap2.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_flushmount_gas_cap.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_tank_fittings.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_tank_gas_cap.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_tank_fittings2.jpg

[ozzy1100]

im loveing this build mate

[katman]

quote:Originally posted by ozzy1100

im loveing this build mate



Thanks Ozzy, I sure am enjoyin building it.... most of the time...

[ozzy1100]

np mate ,its great to see not just a balanced use of old and new
but a well crafted, devoloped and good use of atainable workmanship
on a reasonable $ . im really enjoying the rise of these type bikes and
bulids ,there are more than a few over here that prob never see the public
and same goes for you over there and around the rest of the world but the ones we
get to see are gems
cheers lynton

[katman]

oH BOY!

Time to install my brand new wiring harness. Love new wires, they are so supple and no worries about connections. As you can see from the pics though, I have a real mess to contend with. As you know, I am not a fan of clutter, so something has to be done about this spagetti, and it will. All my new ground points will come in handy. The techs over at Simply Digital Systems tell me the the best way to ground the EFI system is all together away from any other grounds. That is one reason I added the ground points on the frame. Thinking ahead I used stainless steel so I could leave the metal bare/unpainted for the best connections possible.

There is a lot of wire related to the EFI that I don't need so considerable triming and crimping is in order. Good thing I just bought a brand new crimping tool for the job. I will be able to trim much of the clutter and confusion simply by getting rid of excess wire. I have located components together to minimize wire. I like my rides to look as good under the hood as they do sitting at the curb. This is going to be a bit of work...

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_wiring1.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_wiring2.jpg

[katman]

quote:Originally posted by ozzy1100

np mate ,its great to see not just a balanced use of old and new
but a well crafted, devoloped and good use of atainable workmanship
on a reasonable $ . im really enjoying the rise of these type bikes and
bulids ,there are more than a few over here that prob never see the public
and same goes for you over there and around the rest of the world but the ones we
get to see are gems
cheers lynton

Cheers M8, thanks much.

[katman]

I have added a couple pics due to emails wanting to see the return line into the tank. 90 degree fitting with a 7 inch 3/8 ID stainless steel tube that I machined to fit inside AN 8 fitting.

There sure is a lot of wire to sort out between the EFI, katana harness and the Dyna ignition wires. As usual with products you buy for your resto-mod, the wiring is not fitted to your application necessarily so changes have to be made. Many of those changes are sizing and fitting connectors to the wiring. The Dyna 2000 comes with about 4 feet more harness than you need. I have cut/sized most of the wiring now which includes soldering, crimping and shrink hose for all the turminals. When I could I used sheathing to cover multiple wires that you can get from your local or not so local vintage motorcycle shop.

I also suggest investing in quality electrical tape, and the quality crimper. When shortening wires I cut and solder back together then double shrink wrap before sheathing. Things aren't looking so cluttered now but more work is needed. As you can see in the pics I made a tin cover for the wiring to help clean up the look of things. I am not sure if it is working for me or not. If you are wondering what the polished plate is with the two gold resisters on it is, they are needed for the injectors. I could use the "SIMPLY DIGITAL SYSTEMS" controler for the ignition but I prefer to use the Dyna 2000 system.

The Dyna 2000 has a retard, safety switch, rev limiter and multiple advance curves. By keeping the ignition and fuel seperate, it is less complicated to trouble shoot and set up. I have yet to finish the wheels as there has been some reaction issues with the paint, combined with some chilly days in the shop. I am waiting for a milder day to finish them and get them off for tire mounting.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_fuel_injection1.jpg

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_fuel_injection2.jpg

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_fuel_injection3.jpg


http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/return1a.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/return2a.jpg

[katman]

I see this site is a streetfighers magazine supporter. I have been honored with recognition by them for one of my katanas.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/centerfoldkat600.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/sfcvr.jpg

[katman]

Bit of a setback today with the usb charger. I spent hrs last night de-soldering and re-soldering to get the iphone charging with this new board. Everything was working fine so I encapsulated it with epoxy.
Today I machined up a frame for the volt meter and wired up the usb, activation switch and the volt meter. I am using a switch so I can control when these items are active. The usb port uses power even when nothing is pluged in (I am told) as well as the volt meter. So, now, I can turn everything on only when I want to check volt status of the battery, or use the usb plug. The volt meter is to monitor battery status generally but also to keep track while charging is happening when the bike is parked and turned off. I don't anticipate any issues with the new Lithium Iron battery I will be using.

I wired everything up and guess what, no charge to the iPhone. There seems to be a problem with the data lines, because as you can see below, the usb is out putting power. For most usb applications this would be fine but the iPhone is a odd duck and needs active data wires. So, back at it again when I receive some more boards.

The surrounds for the push button switch, volt meter and usb plug will probably be painted gloss black and not left raw aluminum. The volt meter is reading high because it is on charge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyWztCHW8Ec


http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/iphone_katana_usb.jpg

[katman]

OK boys and girls. If you don't know already, the Suzuki charging system stinks. I recommend replacing the stator and the regulator / rectifier with aftermarket components before your harness melts and your battery boils over and explodes.
For the katana, there are two extra wires that are not needed. They are Green with White tracer, and White with Red tracer. The stator connects to one and the regulator / rectifier connects to the other. where do they go? They run through the harness upto the right hand control plug and loop around back. It is a very long way to connect the stator to the regulator / rectifier. A better idea is to just connect all three wires coming from the stator to the regulator.
The regulator will have two more wires. Black, which is ground and Red, which connects to the red wire on the harness which feeds the battery. The aftermarket stators and regulators all have the same color wires because it doesn't matter how you connect the three. Just plug them all into the regulator. In the picture below you can see the Red/white plugged into the Green/white. That is just a closed loop up to the right hand control plug and back down.
If you use another type of reg/rec it may have another wire which is probably the status wire that tells the reg/rec how the battery is. Connect that directly to the battery. If you don't, and connect it to a switched power wire, you run the risk of over charging the battery as the reg/rec may see less voltage due to resistance and corrosion in the wires.
A side note, there are only two types of reg/rec controlers. One for lower output stators and one for higher output stators. As far as the katana is concerned, any regulator / rectifier will work on our bikes. It is just some have more wires than others. They will all do the same job.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_charging_system_01.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_charging_system_02.jpg

[katman]

The katana comes stock with a 630 pitch chain and sprockets. These are very heavy and not needed for the street. When it is time for new hardware, convert to a 530 pitch setup. The 530 and 630 sprockets are the same width or thickness but the 630 chain has more distance between each link. When converting to a 530 chain and sprockets there are a couple things you need to know. This is also important to those of you who are updating to a 5.5" gsxr wheel out back to take advantage of the larger footprint, safety and comfort of a radial tire and lets face it, to add meaness to the bike.

Ok, the first issue is size. If you go ahead and buy the matching tooth size to your stock sprockets you will be in trouble. In the pictures below, you can see a stock GS countershaft sprocket and a 530 sprocket side by side. The 530 sprocket is a little smaller than the 630. If you count the teeth you will see the 530 is actually 2 teeth larger than the 630 but is still smaller in diameter. What does this mean? Well, combined with the much smaller diameter of the rear sprocket, you run the risk of chain sawing through your swing arm pivot. A GS1100 katana uses a 15/42 chain set. Would it surprise you to find out that the same size rear 530 sprocket is 50 teeth? YOu are starting to get the picture. Finding the correct gear ratio depends on the rear tire, wheel and preference of the rider.

With a 5.5" gsxr rim and 180/55-17 tire on your katana, you would want a 17 tooth front sprocket with a 47 tooth rear. This will get you to within 0.5 mph of the stock ratio @ 4000 rpm when cruzing on the highway. For another example, if you are running a 130/90-17 tire you will need a 17 tooth front and a 50 tooth rear to match the stock ratio. At 8,500 rpm you are within one tenth of a mph of stock.

Next issue to consider is, the stock front sprocket is sandwiched between two plates. The inside plate has a larger hole to allow the countershaft bushing to but up against the steel sprocket. The outside of the sprocket, has a smaller in the plate and the lock nut buts up against it. In the pictures below I have illustrated this so you can see that there is a 6mm spacer on the stock 630 sprocket. The sprocket you see beside it is a sprocket of my own design that has the 6mm spacer built into it for ease of installation. Remember, the spacer goes to the outside. I get many, many emails regarding this confusion. If you look on the stock sprocket you can see three philips screws. Take them off and you are left with a flat sprocket. If you try to bolt up a 530 sprocket without the spacer, you will not be able to tighten up the locking nut as it will hit the spline on the output shaft before it comes in contact with the sprocket.
Now for the 5.5" gsxr wheel conversion. These rims are much wider than the stock rim so, an offset sprocket must be used to align the sprockets and chain. Generally speaking, a 5.5" wheel with a 180 tire will need a 5/8" offset sprocket to align the chain. This is in regard to installing this rim on a stock gs1100 katana swing arm. IF you are using a bandit swing arm then you need a custom offset sprocket, not the common 5/8' offset.
For those who are new and are confused about gearing and ratios, there is a rule of thumb you can follow. For every tooth on the front sprocket that you add or subtract, you add or subtract three from the rear sprocket. So, add one tooth up front, add three in the rear to keep generally the same ratio. If you want a little more ummmph off the line and midrange liveliness, add a tooth or two, to the rear sprocket. Doing this will raise your highway cruzing rpm as you add teeth to the rear. So, the higher the number of teeth on the rear sprocket the higher your rpm at a given speed. A smaller sprocket on the rear will drop your rpm when cruzing at highway speed giving you better mileage, if that sort of thing interests you.

Couple things to note. When converting to 530 don't automatically think the chain will be much smaller and therefor you will have no clearance issues when moving to a larger rear wheel. You can actually buy a 530 chain that is wider than your stock 630 chain. For instance the DID 630v chain is 25.3mm wide (this is measured at the pin length) and their 530zvm chain is also 25.3mm wide. You can drop a few pounds of rotating mass by converting but you have to do your research so you don't end up with something you can't use. Don't be fooled by tensile strength either. There are some good articles regarding this myth and when you look at some of the rating vs cc size you may notice that some cheaper chains recommended for 400cc or 600cc bikes are the same tensile strength as your more expensive chain. Tensile strength is tensile strength. Makes for a good study.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_530_conversion_01a.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_530_conversion_02a.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_530_conversion_03a.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_530_conversion_04a.jpg

[Fight_fan]

Interesting read mate! Cheers for that. U wouldnt have a list of suzuki 5.5" rear wheels would you? Apart from the watercooled slingy's im not too sure what else ran them & I'l be needing one in the near future...

[Iceman]

PM sent

[katman]

I was unhappy with my last set of signal lights. Not very bright, not many leds and a little small. I have found a new set that I really like. I haven't seen this shape before but maybe I just don't get around very much. There has been much discussion about getting led lights to work properly on a bike. There are expensive solutions on the internet if you have too much money and want to stimulate the economy. You can go the cheap route like me two seasons ago. I hid the incondescent bulb signals under the katana plastic in a way that they would splash the engine and rear wheel when activated, while using the led signal lights in the usual signal location. A bit of bling for no bucks. I may do it again, or I may just go to my local automotive parts store and pick up a signal flasher unit for led lights (10.00) The reason the led lights won't flash is they don't draw enough current to activate the stock flasher. At least that is what I was told. A few years ago the solution was not as simple as today.

The old oval signals only have 8 led lights, where as the new ones have 18. The new leds also light up the tips for warning anyone to the side of the bike. They are a little larger than the old ones, brighter and a better design in my opinion. Another reason I like them is they match my new billet mirrors pretty good. I should have them in a couple weeks from Hong Kong.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_led_lights_10.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_led_lights_11.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_signal_lights_13.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_turn_signal_12.jpg

[Large]

Reading this thread is like reading an instruction manual.

Keep it up please.:)

[katman]

I got the wheels back today from powder. As usual, there is some clean up afterwards. The bike shop was very carefull not to mark the new rims. I don't know what you all pay for mounting and balancing wheels but I think $85.00 is a little excessive for two wheels.

The pictures do not do them justice. These rims are spectacular. They are powdered with "110% gloss black". That is what powder dude told my anyhow. All I know is, they sure are shiny. As usual all did not go as planned. I bought 4 "All Balls" bearings for the wheels from the local shop and they need to come out and be replaced. They are tight to turn and not smooth at all. Back to get some Japanese bearings.

Make sure if you powder or media blast wheels, you replace the bearings. I leave them in to protect the bearings surfaces and knock them out when the wheels are blasted. You can't leave them in for powder and 400 degree baking.

I protected all the rotor threads with rotor bolts because I thought may as well instead of painting them myself. As you can see in the pic that I had to refit the socket head to the rotor bolt. Remember, powder is thick. There are a million and one things to do on this bike, and if I was not already nuts, I sure would be by the end of this build. See pic, I had to turn down the locking nut on my lathe for the rear brake push rod. Its OD was a little large and to close to the swingarm. I turned it down until there was just a little flat surface left to get a wrench on it to tighten. There has been so many of these little details, sometimes it takes the fun out of doing it. I still have to do some more adjusting of the rear brake pivot as I don't want to scratch the new powder on the swingarm.

There are days when I feel light pushing it all to the curb and buying a brand new bike, but, I know it will all be worth it when I'm ridin her. Oh, yeh, the tires are Shinko Podiums ( I am sure some of you have comments about them), rotors are Galfer.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/powdered_bolts.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/tire.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_powder_coated_wheels.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/locknut.jpg

[katman]

Well, mounted the front forks today and re&re'd the wheel bearings. Bought 4 "All Balls" bearings and did not like they way they roll, so, bashed them out and replaced them with NSK bearings, that's how I roll. Also mounted a usd fork brace to ad some bling and some sting to the front end.

Mounted some plastic to check fitment and had to change the mounting bolts for the cooler due to contact with lower fairing pieces. then I couldn't get the signals in so, more adjusting. Very happy to have rubber on though and will have a roller in couple days. Couple more adjustements out back with the swing arm. Looking for the best thing to use for the chain slider. My nice new shiny gloss black swinger would not fair very well with chain contact.

Having a stretched swinger adds to the chain droop so I am running an 18/50 tooth setup. That equals the same size as the stock diameter sprockets so don't think that they will look huge on there.

The 2006 gsxr 1000 fender needs some fabbing as well to mount. In the pic there is a bolt missing in the brace cuz the fender was on the wrong side of the fork mount. Fits much better with it on the inside.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_signal_lefside.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/gsx_gsxr_fork_brace.jpg

[katman]

Here is another pic of the front end in better light. I had to make new brackets for the front mount of the fender. The stock inner bracket is gone as well. The tabs on the 2006 gsxr 1000 fender had to be shortened. It isn't quite perfect yet. I can see I need to tweak it a little but the fine tuning will come later.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/gsx_gsxr_fork_brace_103.jpg

[katman]

Well, not sure which way to go on this one. I like the digital tach/speedo but I have this nice updated stock set of clocks. ONe I bolt on the other will take all sorts of fabbing. Like I don't have enough to do.

I will have to make a decision pretty quick I think. I am leaning towards the digital clocks with shift lights, 1/4 mile time, 60 foot and all the other bells and whistles.

Which one do you guys like better?

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/Katana_tachometer_speedometer.jpg

[pav69]

keep the stockers bike looks good regardless off what clocks you go with.

[80s freak]

Gotta say I like the stock clocks mate. Great thread and very well written.
Just to let you know, the Green/white, White/red wire thing from your stator post, goes back to headlight switches and burning out of stators. Those wires originally powered up the headlight. Leaving only two phases to charge the battery and run the bike. This is what caused the Stators/regulators to burn out and fail so quickly. As you stated Katman, wire these in as you would normally wire up a stator to the reg/rec. Also leave you headlight on permanently as this will extend reg/rec life considerably. I have done nearly 80,000klms on the stator and reg/rec, only put one battery in mine in that distance over 4 years. Have been told this by the Motorcycle electrics gurus at City Auto elecrical services whom I have been using for twenty odd years. This isn't a shameless plug, they just know their shit

[katman]

On thing I need to address is chain droop. With my nice new (expensive) gloss black bandit 1200 swing arm all mounted up and looking so fine, the last thing I want to see is two train tracks from my chian contacting the top of the swing arm. Remember the post about 530 conversions? This is where it comes into play. The bandit 1200 swing arm is much wider at the pivot than the GS or GSX swing arm is, so sprocket diameter plays a big roll. Also, the bandit swing arm is at a greater angle than the stock GS or GSX arm. Add to that the extensions and we are getting dangerously close the the pivot.

I will be running larger sprockets front and rear. My front sprocket will be 18 teeth and the rear 51 teeth. Sounds HUUUUUGE!! doesn't it, but, they are the same diameter as the stock katana sprockets. Physically they are the same size just more teeth on them. As you can see in the pics I also installed the chain slider. As it comes with the bandit 1200 swing arm it is much too wide so I trimmed it down to fit. Another thing you can do is drill and tap the swing arm, then bolt a strip of "DELRIN" onto it. I decided just to go with the stock one for now.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_chain_slider_02.jpg

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_chain_slider_01.jpg

[BANDITROD]

Hey mate that's awesome just one question though what are those fittings on the swing arm for I'm to lazy to go back through the other pages

[katman]

Got some more work done today. Was working on wiring, fuel pump, surge tank and rear brake master and reservoir. I am using a Ducati rear brake reservoir. They are nice and small, so easy to hide behind the side cover. I will be replacing the Tygon F-4040 fuel line with Tygon 2075 clear brake line. Acording to many as the best tubing made for brake fluid. You can't use it for the presure side just from the res to the master cylinder. I just don't have any at the moment.

Mounting was pretty easy off the custom battery box. I cut an angular spacer to get better hose routing. Avid katana enthusiasts my notice that the master is not off a GS. It is a GSXR master cylinder. I used it because I wanted something smaller and less in the way. It required cutting fabbing and welding a new bracket for it as it does not have the same bolt pattern. Since I had to do that work anyway, I moved the master up so the bottom mounting hole is on the original top mounting hole of the frame. I added the top mounting hole further up to get the master more out of site and to clean up that area giving it a less cluttered look.

Of course that meant machining up a new brake rod out of stainless. The one side is flat for clearance as the bandit 1200 swing arm forces some adjustment of the rear brake pivot arm. Also missing from that area is the rear brake light switch and spring. I did away with that all together. On previous builds I moved it under the peg stay running parallel with it, but this time I used a hydrolic switch that is incorperated with the brake banjo bolt. My new brake lines are ordered and should be here next week. Stainless steel with translucent blue coating, red banjo fitting and blue anodized aluminum banjo bolts.

For those who don't know, it is not recommended to use aluminum fittings with stainless steel lines as the two metals react to each other and cause corrosion. Especially in a salt water environment, like in a coastal city. That being said I have used them without issue for a couple seasons at a time. These ones are all stainless accept for the banjo bolts which have copper crush washers between them and the stainless so I am not concerned. More on that when they arrive.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_rear_brake_01.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_rear_brake.jpg
http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_brake_switch.jpg

[ozzy1100]

fuck i love this build mate lol

[katman]

I got my first lithium motorcycle batteries today. I cannot believe how light they are. I bought the huge one with 270 cold cranking amps and 18amp/hrs.

It weighs 2.12 lbs and you can see the size difference between the stock sky scraper battery, a newer sport bike battery and the lithium in the middle.

You could say I like them so much I bought the company, but, I only became a dealer.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/motorcycle_lithium_battery.jpg

[katman]

Today I was working on the signal lights. Repositioning them left me short of lead wire so I had to lengthen them. When I went to the bin I realized that my connectors were too large. On these old beasts, there are two sizes of push together connectors. The signal lights are the small ones and I had none. So, I spliced into the existing wires, soldered and shrink tubed the connections, then covered the whole business with conduit from my friendly neibourhood vintage motorcycle shop. IF you want wiring to look factory this stuff is great.

Front and rear signals are now hooked up. That of course doesn't mean they work. For those new to LEDs, they won't work with the stock signal relay because they don't put enough load on it (heat it up) to activate it. Fortunately, LEDs have been out for some time now so you can get specific signal relays cheap from the automotive parts department for LEDs. With one of my first LED signal bikes I was real cheap. I used the original incondecent bulbs under the plastic firing down across the engine and rear wheel in conjunction with the LEDS. worked great and added more visability to boot.

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_front_signals.jpg

[katman]

Time to update the left control.

Picked up a GSXR 1000 (2008ish) control from ebay. Wow, it wasn't busted and actually worked. Anyways, I am no wiring geek so I blue a few brain cells sorting this out.

Decided to make up a diagram so any of you monkeys can do it too. First off, I used an existing (blue) left hand plug connector off an old busted control. This is only for a 1982 gs1100 katana. Don't know if the "E" or other models are the same. I do know that the '83 katana is different wiring so this diagram though could be used as a guide, may not work.

Now that I have it all working correctly, I will use a new plug and pins so there will be no spliced joints to become a pain later. I am using separate clutch safety wires that work with my clutch. The plug that comes with this control doesn't plug into my clutch assembly.

With this upgrade you get 4way hazards, passing headlight flash and a brand spanking new control that looks far better than that 30 year old platic your sporting now.

Cheers,

http://www.robwilton.com/gsr/katana_left_control_upgrade.jpg

[fimpBIKES]

i'd keep the original gauges, never would have put newer ones on mine if the originals were easy to get a hold of
loved watching those needles unwind

your built is top class katman
cheers for the diagram for the switches swap
i think the old style switches (particularly the pointy triangular indicator switch) really date the bike
newer ones are definitely on my list!

keep up the awesome updates