Restoring my old Kat

[jollidude]

For the last couple of weeks I've been working on restoring my old 1988 Katana 1100. Starting to put it back together again now. Almost finished.

Cheers!

Jollidude

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[Mojoe]

looking good so far. if you need any parts, give me a shout.

[BIGKAT1100]

Very Nice .... what stage did your restoration start ? Was it a basket case or just in need of 'hardcore lovin' ?

[jollidude]

I bought the bike new in 1988. I sold it to my brother in 2005 when I bought my new Bandit 600. Bought it back from him last year. It was in pretty good mechanical shape to begin with, just needed a lot of TLC on the cosmetics. I stripped it to the frame, cleaning off rust and grime as I went. There was a lot of rust on nuts and bolts, and on the frame. I replaced the chain and sprockets, tires, and the windshield. The seat was re-uphostered, the front forks rebuilt (new bushings and seals), and the rear suspension linkages taken apart, cleaned and re-greased. I had bought the bike with the optional Krauser saddlebags and they were in pretty bad shape, but I was able to find a set in good condition on eBay last year. Mechanically the bike was in great shape, but not having a shed or garage to keep it in had taken it's toll on it. It certainly won't be show quality when it's done, but it will look a heck of a lot better and hopefully will last another 20 years. In 1990 I rode this bike across Canada from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Victoria, British Columbia and back through the United States. Six weeks on the road and 15,000 km. There's still a lot of life left in the old girl yet!

Cheers!

Jollidude

PS: Thanks Mojoe, I'll keep it in mind!

[BIGKAT1100]

See, when guys like you write stories like that, it encourages me to keep mine and drop "TLC/M" into it.