Help! Looking at a big Kat Sat,

[Brian B]

Sounds like a fair deal. Straight up trade for a Dodge Ram I want to part with. You can see the bike on Craigslist+St.Louis+Alton+Katana+1100+sportbike, wow, could have made that a bunch easier..
Anyway- 1990 model, 40k, owner says been down gently once, been repaired. (possibly by Bubba, although the pics look good)

What should I look for/at on this 21 yr old gem? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[jono68]

big kat

start the bike run for some time make shor the headers all heat up at same time look for oil leeks make shor disks do not have deep grooves on them take for ride make shor theres on strange noises from motor or box in all revs check fork seals are not leeking and that fork springs are still ferm checkrear suspension is ferm and not bottoming out put on mane stand turn steering from side to side make shor its not to slopy or that it dos not have bumps when its turnd from side to side check breaks are hard and not soft there the mane things id look for but weight for uther in put from uther members from kat riders the 1100 kat are a bit old but thay are a good bike the motors are bullet proof

[Brian B]

The clutch and the condition of the transmission are some of my major concerns- that is a torquey old mill- want to make sure none of the gears are ruined/ blown out. Do the carbs on these bikes have much longevity- should I expect to have to have them rebuilt and sync-ed? Are body parts for these old bikes non-existant? Should I just assume that the valves will need to be adjusted?- or is there a tell-tell sign that indicates that they are fine.. Is 40k too high mileage for this old mill?- (everything I have read says the mill can handle it if it has been cared for properly..)

This dodge I am trading only has a value of about $1250 at best IMO..

I had a 1991 Kat-600, it was an excellent machine.. Smooth all the way to top speed.. A great bike to learn on- my first. I had it a year and three or so months, was getting a little too confident on it towards the end as I recall.

[scottynoface]

For a $1250 trade? Yeah, I think thats a good deal.

As long as the rubber is good and it tracks straight. 40k miles is nothing for ANY bike as long as it hasnt been ragged out and not maintained.

Usually in perfectly good running shape the 1100s are worth about $2k FWIW.

[Brian B]

WOW, the owner just sent me four good close-ups, what a surprise, she is as clean as a whistle! If it was down the only thing I see is just barely a dimple on one of the mufflers.. Pinch me this can't be real..

[Wild-Bill]

I just checked out the CL listing. She looks bone stock and beautiful!

Things to watch for:
The Katanas in general are notorious for clogged carbs. Fixing that will run you $400-$600 at a shop or about $75-$100 in parts if you do it yourself. You know the carbs need to be rebuilt if it's hard to start cold, the rpms hang around 2k after revving and then start to settle or if the seller has the idle turned way up (should idle smooth when warm around 1100 rpm) to compensate for clogged idle jets. For $1,250 I wouldn't consider that a deal-killer.

1100 Kats have an electric windscreen with tracks that get gummed up. If the motor hasn't been burned out then you can free that up with WD-40. If the seller spent a lot of time trying to make the windscreen work after the tracks got gummed up then you may be looking at a new motor. Check ebay for prices.

As long as the motor runs and everything works, check to make sure she'll go into second gear and start subtracting from $2k everything that might need to be done to her. If the tires are worn or more than 3 years old figure about $300 for new ones. (They look too shiny in the ad. That's a sign they're old and dry but the seller Armor-all'd them.) If it turns out to need some parts then hit Bike Bandit for prices (for bargaining sake) but bodywork, seat, etc. check the for sale section here, ebay or PM some of the 1100 owners on here before buying new. I know I've got some spare parts I need to sell and Mojoe has a lot more than I do.

Having owned a Kat before, you know what an air-cooled inline-4 is supposed to sound like. My 1100 makes an authoritative clunk when I shift gears--louder than my old 750. The hydraulic clutch isn't adjustable other than by bleeding like brake lines. If the clutch slips under power it'll cost you about $100 plus an oil change (that you were going to do anyway, right?) to replace the friction disks. it's a pretty easy job. I'd go into it expecting to have to clean/rebuild the carbs, replace brake lines, probably rebuild calipers and master cylinders and replace tires. If you're going to ride the bike, $1,250 for a running bike in nice shape is a screaming deal.

The 1100 is a much heavier feeling bike than the 600. A big part of that is the 16 inch wheels. For about $400 in parts (provided you're fairly mechanically inclined) you can swap the wheels for 17 inch rims. With those, the bike handles much, much better. This winter would be a great time to do that. You won't regret it.

[Brian B]

Ok, thanks, will post pics after I get it home. I am 185, 5'11" in fair to good shape, no physical problems- when you say more top heavy than the 6 you are essentially just referring to being very deliberate when at very slow speeds like sharp/slow turns in lots etc, is that kind of what you are getting at? I don't have any intentions of road carving with her, I am quickly approaching all I think about is providing for the kiddos age. Poorly worded question, hopfully you understand what I am asking about the top-heavyness.

[Wild-Bill]

The 1100 is not particularly top-heavy feeling. In fact, she feels to me like she's got a lower CB than my old 750. The issue with the handling that the wheel swap takes care of is more of a heavy-steering thing. Stock, the 1100 needs very positive steering inputs and then you've got to keep pressing to keep her in the turn. Installing the bigger rims makes the steering feel much lighter. She starts into the turns with less force and you don't have to fight to maintain the lean. The overall feeling is that it's a much lighter bike even though I didn't actually reduce the scale weight.

[Brian B]

Ok, I understand..

[DayKat]

Fugitaboutit...Just brought it home with me. You snoozed too long Dude!

Well, maybe not but if I were within 100 miles of St Louis, the above would more than likely have been true!

[Brian B]

When my 91 600 needed tires iw ent to Dunlop Sportmax tires, the heaviness that you are describing was remedied by just that swap to a true sport tire.. What would a similar swap do for this bike- without the wheel change?

(I know you were describing the 1100, but the 600 was night and day with just the tire change..)

[Wild-Bill]

I don't know from personal experience. I bought my bike knowing the tires didn't have too many miles left in them although they were good quality tires from all I've read about them. They certainly weren't cheap to replace. Everything I had read on here about the 1100 convinced me that the wheel swap was a good idea. If nothing else, you get a better selection of tires. (It's hard to find good quality tires in 16 inch sizes.) Besides, the bike came with a 17 inch rear wheel, anyway so I figured I was halfway there.

Mojoe has a different view. He's still got the OEM wheels and is happy with them.

[Brian B]

The handling improvement on the 91 600 was really a big step up, I think the biggest imrovement was eliminating the tall sidewall tourer style tires the bike came with ans going to the near non existant sidewall of the sportmax tire. The tires were ultra-soft, that didn't hurt either, I do seem to remember the rubber integrity fading quickly though- not unsafe, just not as sticky after two or so months..

How much wider can you take the rear tire, and at what point do you start exceeding the correct shape for that tire to meet the road on turns... (Due to the narreow width of the wheel?)

[Wild-Bill]

On the stock rims I wouldn't go any wider than 160. The stock 120 on the front will do just fine. I haven't heard too many good things about the Dunlops. Avon Storms and Pirelli Sport Demons have a decent rep. The rear in a 150/80V16 is available at Motorcycle Superstore for $130 if you're going to stick with stock rims. I'm running Michelin Pilot TC2s and really like them. They don't appear to be available for a 16 inch rim.

[loudnlow7484]

When my 91 600 needed tires iw ent to Dunlop Sportmax tires, the heaviness that you are describing was remedied by just that swap to a true sport tire.. What would a similar swap do for this bike- without the wheel change?

(I know you were describing the 1100, but the 600 was night and day with just the tire change..)

There aren't modern sport tires made in those sizes that I'm aware of. That's probably the biggest benefit to handling with the 17 swap is the availability of good sport tires.