1988 Katana 1100 ready for a bigger garage

[TheHayabusa]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1988-Suzuki-Katana-1100-GSXF-/281161357960?_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&forcev4exp=true

I really really love this bike, but space and time are issues now.

[nismo]

Sweet ride!

[Mojoe]

too bad it's an 88. most people can't tell the difference, but i have owned enough of the 88-93 1100's to know that the 88 is the worst handling of them all, hence the frame redesign for 89.

[TheHayabusa]

Mojoe, what is different on the frame? I know the swing arm got longer and the front suspension became adjustable but I thought the frames were all the same. Anyway, with 17" wheels and brake upgrade this bike got, I guarantee this bike handles better than any stock Kat 1100.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-GSX-Katana-1988-suzuki-katana-gsx-1100-f-/221293677227?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3386218aab&item=221293677227&pt=US_motorcycles

This guys bike is nice. He should buy mine to use for parts.

[nismo]

Mojoe, what is different on the frame? I know the swing arm got longer and the front suspension became adjustable but I thought the frames were all the same. Anyway, with 17" wheels and brake upgrade this bike got, I guarantee this bike handles better than any stock Kat 1100.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-GSX-Katana-1988-suzuki-katana-gsx-1100-f-/221293677227?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3386218aab&item=221293677227&pt=US_motorcycles

This guys bike is nice. He should buy mine to use for parts.

What would you recomend to pep up the front of the '88?

[Mojoe]

Mojoe, what is different on the frame? I know the swing arm got longer and the front suspension became adjustable but I thought the frames were all the same. Anyway, with 17" wheels and brake upgrade this bike got, I guarantee this bike handles better than any stock Kat 1100.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-GSX-Katana-1988-suzuki-katana-gsx-1100-f-/221293677227?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3386218aab&item=221293677227&pt=US_motorcycles

This guys bike is nice. He should buy mine to use for parts.

the main difference was the rake of the front forks. it was redesigned to give it a longer wheel base, along with lengthening the swing arm. it also made better changes to the front and rear suspension. but honestly, the change I notice the most, and what I dislike the most about the 88 is the lack of rubber engine mounts. after long rides on my 88, my hands, feet and ass always felt a bit tingly from engine vibration. I didn't have that problem with any of the 89's and up.

[TheHayabusa]

What would you recomend to pep up the front of the '88?

Nismo, do a 17" wheel upgrade. Search this forum, detailed instructions are all over the place. Great tires are the most important item on any bike, and nobody ever made great tires for a Kat 1100.

Mojoe, so I did some digging around and you are correct that the frame got adjusted and the engine became rubber mounted and carbs grew to 36mm. I did not know that. I just thought the Kat got new front forks.
Way back in 1993 I bought a 1992 GSXR 1100 as my first bike. My buddy had a 1988 Kat 1100 and basically he taught me how to ride. Every so often we would swap bikes and I feel like this is one of the bikes I "grew up" on.
So fast forward to the spring of 2005 and right before my first kid was born, my last Hayabusa was stolen. By this point I knew what kind of hassle I was in for from the insurance company so I grabbed this bike off of eBay so I could keep riding. I did not need to test ride the bike, it was an '88 Kat 1100 in pristine shape, I knew what I was in for. So I did a bunch of old school mods and randomly rode the bike for 7 years without getting a ticket.

I now have three kids and a 2013 FLTRU that I ride like a Hayabusa which might grant me my next ticket, but I love my Kat. If I had $2,000 to waste, I would RACE this bike on a road course, (I just need a full set of leathers, a custom machined triple tree and forks from a Hayabusa or GSXR 1000).

I put a $3,000 tag on my bike because I did not want some putz to buy my bike and spray paint it. I can honestly say that I have never ridden an '89 or newer Kat 1100 and I might be missing something.., but I love my '88 Kat 1100.