Project "I dont know what Im doing"

[casanovagdp]

So this is my first bike build. ( Admins if I'm in the wrong section please move). I worked in a motorcyle shop for 3 years after graduating from YTI for mechanics. Bought an R1 shortly after and got side swiped about 6 months after. Havent ridden in about 8 years. Was looking at bikes and was originally looking at a bandit 1200. Common sense ( and maybe a little bit more mature wisdom) took over and decided that maybe since its my first bike in a long time I should pick up something a little more user friendly. Enter my 2001 katana with 11k on the clock for 1650. The bike has a full Yoshi exhaust and thats probably about as much actual power add as Im gonna go with.

Plans for the bike.
- street fighter front
-03 tail with busa integrated light
-revalved forks
-nissin brake swap
-gsxr master cylinder
- complete tune up over winter ( plugs,wires, valve clearances )
-rear cowl
-newer style front fender
Anyone have any suggestions on what plugs these bikes like? I normally use ngk. Same question about wires.

This is what it looked like when I got it. P/O installed some tacky led turn signal strips and some other ghetto wiring and some chicken wire in the fairings.


Last night I did the tail light swap. Im gonna completely strip down for paint this winter when I do the street fighter front. Should have only taken me an hour. However most of the wiring was just wire nutted together so I took the time to solder and heat shrink the wires. Also the battery try/undertail area has been hacked up so Im gonna cut some sheet metal when I get a chance to cover the whole underside


Also got some new Conti motion tires to throw on this weekend.

[Kat Floyd]

Not a bad start!

[steves]

The chicken wire is commonly referred to as the "mesh mod"

[shpielers]

Btw, the forks on these bikes aren't re valveable because they aren't cartridge style forks. They're damper rods. Check out race tech gold valve emulators though, that'll get you in the neighborhood of what you're wanting.

[maniac1886]

^^ They. Are. AMAZING. You might as well pick up some racetech springs while your at it.

[casanovagdp]

Got all the plastics taken off. Got the headlight on and wired. Still waiting on new tires, mirrors and turn signals. Got the r6 throttle tube as well. When winter gets here I'll take the grinder and dremel and remove all the fairing mounting tabs and paint everything. Also gonna get a trail tech vapor wired up.

[kbotk89]

link to that light please!