dude, don't let the guys **** on you. they won't on this board.

e-bay is a great resource for parts, as are salvage yards.

i won't touch my carbs, too afraid of mucking it up. got my valves checked at the same time - cost me 240$CAD + beer.

doing plastic repairs isn't too hard. you can buy a tube of plastic epoxy at the hardware store for $5. pretty easy stuff to use.
prep and prime your fairings yourself - a little bondo goes a long way, and you'll save bunches if you decide to take your plastics in to get painted by a shop.
if you do the painting yourself, i learnt, use a good clear coat. you'll regret it, a lot, if you don't.

welcome to the boards =)
its always nice to have some more ladies that aren't afraid to take things on

Chandelle =)

Honestly, I would very strongly recommend that you learn how to do ALL of those tasks you have listed, yourself.

From a financial viewpoint, '93 katanas aren't worth a whole lot to begin with. given that you have already spent $600 on it, taking it to the shop for even ONE of those tasks would probably mean that you will spend more on it than it is worth. Just for reference, at a dealership, you are probably looking at---

carb clean and synch-$400 labor only
New exhaust and install-ebay only item, buying new exhaust from a shop would be CRAZY expensive
Valve adjustment-$400 labor only
Chain/sprocket-$200 parts, $100 labor
(some of this work might be cheaper from a shade-tree mechanic, but this is typically what we charged at the dealership I used to work at)


None of these really make much sense financially, as you could buy a VERY CLEAN katana for probably $2000, likely less. Luckily, these old oil cooled motors aren't rocket science to take apart. You can do most anything with normal tools.

Best place for parts in your case will probably be ebay. Remember that lots of parts are shared between bandits, GSXRs and other kats. There are salvage yards for bikes, but use these at your own risk. Some of them will try to take you for a ride, especially if you don't know what you're looking for.

I don't think anyone here will give you a hard time at all. You seem to know exactly where to start.

You can buy new fairings OR you can make it a fighter. Check out the streetfighter forums for ideas.
Welcome to the forum. This is probably the friendliest, most polite group I've found online. Let us know if you need help.

The katanas aret at all hard to work on. I didn't have any bike knowledge and all I had was a clymers and original manual and now I'm almost a pro. You alson need to make sure you have the right tools, this will make the job a lot easier for you. I have plastic folgers coffee cans with my small tools and a tool bag for the larger ones. Maybe some tie downs/ratchet straps and may a motorcycle jack. For oem parts ronayers and bikebandit.com are a good source as well as the WTS /WTB threads here on KR. Ebay would also be a great source to find something. We're always here to help, don't be afraid to ask us questions and good luck!

Welcome to KR!

Boy, have you come to the RIGHT place!

All of what you've listed can be handled without heading to the shop.
If you have any questions or get stuck there's probably someone doing the exact same
thing to their bike and would be happy to shoot you some pics.
Check the "HOW TO" threads... lots of stuff there, and NC is infested with KR members
And don't worry about anyone bagging on you for not using the correct terminology.
I frequently refer to "that black, round, squiggly, thingy that hangs from the cool silver bracket-like thingy"
and everybody still likes me... I think.

Big SoCal welcome!

First things first - Welcome to KR, Heather! Nice to see more women joining the ranks. You seem to have a solid footing to start with, and I concur with what has already been stated by my brethren. I would recommend giving her a good once over: plugs, oil & filter, valve adjustment, etc to "zero" her out. This way, you'll get a solid baseline to work from, as well as becoming familiar with the inner workings. They are pretty bulletproof bikes, and only require a modest amount of maintenance. You don't state whether you have access to tools. If not, perhaps a modest investment in some good quality sockets and a few wrenches will be enough to get you started.

Wooo hooo another lady !!!!

And like Tom said ... "thingy" is a popular word around here ... due to the simple mechanic on the Kat ,... it is a very popular bike for new riders, so you're not the first with those issues and won't be the last !

Good luck with fixing your bike and unfortunaly I myself won't be able to chime in with helpful stuff ... when my bike needs fixing .. I just yell "HUBBYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" 'm too lazy to learn bike stuff.

welcome to kr, if you dont have access to tools or just want a helping hand, you can ride up here and id be more than happy to help you. i have a full garage with ALOT of tools, or if its not rideable then maybe i could come down there your not too far from me.

Welcome!

Welcome to KR.

Thanks for the welcome

I appreciate the warm welcome! I am sneaking on while working, but will post some pics and more detailed questions once home this evening. Feelin much better about this undertaking; THANK YOU.

welcome to the forums