Wahooooo!

[shpielers]

Just got home from a 5 hour trip - got me a new toy in the back of the truck - 1992 Kat 1100!!!!

25k on the odometer, needs new chain/sprockets, an air filter (currently has a K&N), new shoes (oooooooold tires on her now) and the forks seem to still have the original oil in them cause it handles like a pig in mud. So all in all, not bad for a now 22 year old bike for $500.
I'm stoked. I've already for a project that I need to finish up before I can work on this one, but she's a runner and came with a Corbin seat, 5•advancer and SS brake lines.

And yes...I know...this post is worthless without pics...I'll get those up tomorrow after I'm done at the DMV. It's dark now and raining so it's definitely going to have to wait.


EDIT: I'm going back and adding in pics and more details. I think I'm going to have to start over on the pics, they uploaded as raw files (like 1mb each) and don't really flow very well. But the ones that are up will stay for now.

[Engelskmannen]

Congrats !! fix her up and enjoy

Colin.

[Wild-Bill]

Wahoo, indeed! What a great deal. As long as you need new tires anyway, do the 17" wheel swap and be done with it.

[KatanaGSX92]

Pictures or it didn't happen!

[shpielers]

Wahoo, indeed! What a great deal. As long as you need new tires anyway, do the 17" wheel swap and be done with it.

Wanting to! I'll be using your how to on that for sure! I've read about the small choice of tires for 16" rims, and how the 17" just flat out handles better. It's on the to-do list! Have a few other priorities first...need to go through and do all regular maintenance stuff. I go by the practice if assuming nothing's been done ever. And seeing as how the date code for the tires is November 1991...I'm pretty sure not much ever really has. Brake fluid looks nasty, clutch fluid doesn't look bad but is low, forks probably need some love, valve job (only ever done tappet style so shins will be interesting...), plugs, new air filter, chain and sprockets, and rebuild kits for the petcock, carbs, calipers and master cylinders. Should be busy for a while!


Pics still to come - stuck in DMV hell. I got here when they opened only to find about 50-60 people already here and waiting.

[Slammer46]

Fantastic cannot wait to see the pics, have fun

[rothem]

17 inch wheels

I have a set off a 1993 gsxr 750 with good tires on them make a offer .

[shpielers]

Pics!!

So this is actually my first time posting images so hoping these turn out ok...
First up we have shots of the bike before unloading it this morning.



Then we have a few side by side with my 600.




And finally one with all 3 of my bikes

I have a set off a 1993 gsxr 750 with good tires on them make a offer .

Going to actually be a while before I can put any $ into this one. I need to finish working on my other project bike 1st, then I'll be alternating upgrades between this one and my 600.

(Yes, I'm still keeping the 600. Lighter, cheaper to insure, and I've put a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and beers into making and keeping it running well. I'm nostalgic like that. + I hit 50,000 miles Saturday, so it wouldn't sell for much anyways. I'd rather keep her, keep upgrading her, and when this engine dies, just swap it. But since I'll already have an 1100...she'd get the B12 )

And there's a few more pressing needs than the 17" swap...Gotta Por-15 the tank, chain/sprockets are about shot, get a shim kit for valve adjusting, rebuild kits for the brakes/clutch, oil/filter, fork seals/oil, air filter, plugs...She's a runner, but she needs some TLC to stay that way and keep me above ground. Thanks though rothem!

[Wild-Bill]

No shims needed. Check G&J for brake lines. (MUCH less expensive than anything else! No regrets there.) Since you need tires anyway, talk to rothem about those wheels. Those are the major expense in doing the wheel swap anyway and if they've got good tires you might actually come out looking pretty good, financially speaking, considering the price of tires. Plus, that way you'd only be spending money once on chain and sprockets.

[shpielers]

No shims needed. Check G&J for brake lines. (MUCH less expensive than anything else! No regrets there.) Since you need tires anyway, talk to rothem about those wheels. Those are the major expense in doing the wheel swap anyway and if they've got good tires you might actually come out looking pretty good, financially speaking, considering the price of tires. Plus, that way you'd only be spending money once on chain and sprockets.

I thought the 92s had shim style. Am I mistaken about that? Cause if so that's just awesome. I'd still like to learn to do those anyways eventually, but if I don't have to...

And thanks for the point about the chain/sprockets, I hadn't thought about that. With changing the wheel size, how's that affect tooth count? (Or would gear ing commander.com have that answer?) anyways, it's probably going to be a year or so before I have the spare cash/time to start buying rims rotors and calipers...I'm planning on this taking a while and starting with the cheap maintenance bits 1st. So worst comes to worse, I don't mind putting on new tires on the 16" and just waiting on the swap until those are worn out. Gets me on the road sooner and buys some time to save up so to say.
Even if rothem was willing to part with his wheels cheap, I'm more concerned about going over all the systems on the bike 1st and making sure nothing leaks/is damaged/needs replacing so she probably won't see much road time this year - probably just trips around the block to move some gas through the carbs so she'll still start up.
Hope that all makes sense. I'm still super excited about finding this bike at all so it's entirely possible I'm rambling and have priorities muddled up.

[Wild-Bill]

It's not about the gearing. Part of the research on my wheel swap was maintaining the same ride height through tire selection. Same total tire diameter means same circumference which means same gearing ratio.

All the 1100s have adjustable tappets. Life is good there.

[shpielers]

It's not about the gearing. Part of the research on my wheel swap was maintaining the same ride height through tire selection. Same total tire diameter means same circumference which means same gearing ratio.

All the 1100s have adjustable tappets. Life is good there.

Gotcha! Thanks for the info! Keeping ride height more or less the same would be a good thing, I hadn't really thought about how 17" would affect ride height/handling in that dimension. Makes sense though how the same circumference would keep gearing the same. I have much to learn!

Tomorrow morning I'll actually have a little free time before work and get to start work on her. Probably spend most of it figuring out how to get the fairings off. Gotta start somewhere!

[Wild-Bill]

Remove seat, side panels (one screw each), belly pan and then the upper fairing. To get the upper off you have to disconnect the turn signal wires and unbolt the mirrors. The black filler panels between the tank and upper fairing can stay put.

[shpielers]

Sounds pretty much like my 600, awesome. Figured it would be, but ya never know.
Thanks wild bill!

I have a feeling I'll be saying that a lot over the next year

[shpielers]

I was reading through the manual last night and now have a question. The chain is super tight, and the manual was stating to place the bike on its side stand then adjust for .8-1.0". Is measuring it on the sidestand really correct? Ive always done my 600 on the center stand. Seems like adjusting in the sidestand would be more difficult. Or do you have to measure on the sidestand, pop it up to the center, adjust, then put back on the sidestand?