How to: Streetfighter your old school Katana

[Farstryder]

Good Afternoon All,
Welcome to the official 'how to Streetfighter your Katana' thread. A streetfigher should be customized to fit the rider, but this thread will give you the premises needed to make a 'basic' streetfighter. So let's begin. Here is my 1989 Katana 600. Since I received it sans plastics, the option to go streetfighter was immediately apparent.


Step 1: Get rid of the front fairing.

[Farstryder]

Getting rid of that mess up front.

Step 2: Get rid of the headlight assembly and guage cluster

One of the items that I've most enjoyed about the streetfighters were the amazingly cool headlight assemblies. Very streamlined, very mean looking. We need that.

Getting rid of the headlight assembly/guage cluster is actually very straightforward. It's the removal of three bolts and disconnecting the wiring. I believe all three are 10mm. Here is what we look like now.

The speedo cable is dangling, but were going to remove the speedo and mount in on the handlebars by itself. In an effort to save costs, were going to use the old speedo instead of going with a smaller pricier unit. I'm probably going to leave off the gas guage and the tach, unless I can find a decent place to mount them.

[Farstryder]

Doing some Jenny Craig on the rear end

Step 3: Get rid of the tail fairings and back seat.

First, get rid of the tail fairings. You'll only need a philips head screwdriver. Three screws on each side, and two on the back under the tail light. Remove.

Next, unbolt the rear set, locking mechanism, and tailight. I am going to venture a guess that they are 7mm. After disconnecting the turnsignals and tail light, remove them all and tuck the wires back up under the front seat area for right now.

Third. There are five 7mm bolts on the underside fo the under tray to remove before it can fall out. You always here those stories about chopping the fender. This is a complete removal, much more streamlined

Finally, Pull out the under tray and discard.

The last picture there is where I intend to mount the tail light after chopping the subframe. That's enough work for the day, it's beer thirty.

Next step will be chopping the subframe and relocating the circuit box, removing the charcoal canister, and fabbing a mounting bracket for the tail light.

[Waltari]

hey your kat looks just like Sprinklerheads old katana

[Waltari]

my old project before I sold it off to a friend

[Farstryder]

Sprinklerhead's is almost the perfect look. Mine will have a few variations, but I'm getting stoked just looking at that.

And Waltari, damn, that is one clean start to a project. If I start digging on this Katana vibe, I'm gonna do a streetfighter from the ground up. Tomorrow is sawzalling the subframe off!

-Wil

[Black_peter]

Hmmm
A streetfighter how-to?
No offence but I think that's a little like
a how to on being cool...
Either you can or you can't..
I look forward to your progress..
It's cool to see a start to finish photo progression!!

[Waltari]

But you're kind of missing the whole point to a true streetfighter. Upgrade the power, make it stop better, upgrame the suspension. Like the look so far but would you consider this a streetfighter or another naked gsx600f?

[Black_peter]

Well,
Streetfighters don't always mean improved preformance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetfighter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fighter_%28motorcycle%29

I think since he bought the bike without
fairings and is making it look "complete"
without replacing the fairings he is on the right track.
However as I put it in the second discription:

In fact in the process of part replacement many owners have improved the performance.

I haven't touched my engine yet.

[Jpaul26]

Did this thread never get finished? Anyone else have SF tutorials? I just wanna know if it's possible to modify the bike like this without having to cut any of the frame off. I just want the Naked look... :/

[cintidude04]

Take a look at some build threads in the fighter section by people with more than 14 posts back in 2006 lol

[Black_peter]

[Nixon95]

Did you get a whole new exhaust system and how did u cut off the back frame. I'm trying to do this to my 97 now

[92xjunker]

The only issue I have with the KR member katana street fighters is damn near everyone looks exactly the same, no ingenuity at all. There are a couple that done right, a chopped up naked KAT isn't a street fighter, it's a chopped up naked KAT. I wish you fighters would have some creativity in your designs. Rant over.....

[Penalozamax]

If you guys want you can check my "streetfighter" build in the pics and flicks section. By all means its not a pretty bike though lol