Fighters Article

A finish like a sharp sword and a lot of power was unreachable for the famous Granddad of all stock streetfighters but this Katana from England is pretty good! It' s conspicuous that the large two-person seat is still mounted `cause cutting it off is the first thing Germans would do. Not so in this case. You can still see the classic line of the original design which was the basis to build up this fine bike. The changes on engine and suspension are quite well done. This blade left Japan in '82 since then to be brandished in the Empire. This Japanese weapon has been in the hands of its owner, Dave, for quite a few years. What he did with his weapon shows many technical talents and possibilities.
      He started tuning the head (no, not his own). First of all he ported, flowed and skimmed the standard head and installed oversize valves with heavy duty springs. Apart from that there are now external oil lines. As a result of the other changes the compression ratio is now 10.5 to 1. By using Wiseco pistons the motor capacity has grown to 1134cc. The ignition has been changed to Dyna S components and the enlarged block has to breathe through Mikuni RS36 carbs with oval K&N filters. After burning the air-fuel mixture, the exhaust gas leaves the Eagle pipe with terrible war screams. The heavy duty clutch has a lock-up mechanism and the gearbox is fully renovated including changing second and fifth gears. The chain is now running on 15/44 gearing which is using a 160/60 rear wheel. It' s a modern technical solution that this wheel is rotating in a Honda NC30 monoswingarm. `Cause of the moderate wheel-width the classic design is not disturbed.
      For braking there's a Kawasaki ZZR master cylinder and Triumph Daytona calipers (with one-off spacers) brake ensemble between the Suzuki GSX-R1100L forks and the CBR600 front wheel which goes quite well with the rear wheel.
      Let's have a look at the classic shape. Although David wanted to maintain this old fashioned form he made some careful changes; the aircraft fuel filler for example, or the Setrab oilcooler and the caravan (!) front indicators. The latter gimmick is made in uncommonly high quality.
      For mounting a GSX 750 ET tailpiece including rear light he had to make a little modification at the rear frame. Perhaps there' s a big contrast to traditional minds but we think it' s a very successful result.
      By hiding ugly parts like the rear brake cylinder or the battery Dave' s action was almost David Copperfield like. Alltogether this Katana is a modern big bike without loosing it' s "ancient style" charm. It's like the famous Katana swinging Connor McCloud to his Heather: "I'm at the age of fourhundred and can't die". And that's it: true steel never dies and we hope this samurai blade will cut through British air for a long time.

SPECIFICATION	Engine:	1982 Suzuki GSX1000SZ Katana. Head: Standard head, Ported, flowed & skimmed, "D" shaped exhaust ports, combustion chambers re-profiled, 10.5:1 compression ratio, Kent Cams Race spec (.350"/.349" lift, 256 degree duration) with Orient Express slotted sprockets dialed into 108 degrees, Manley one piece stainless oversize valves (1.5mm inlet, 1mm exhaust), Orient Express heavy duty valve springs & bronze guides, Goodridge anodised external oil line conversion, head, block and covers vapour blasted, re-chromed cam end caps. Lower: Standard 998cc block, Wiseco liners with 1134cc high compression pistons, modified Orient Express heavy duty cylinder & lower case studs, crank fully reconditioned & welded, Orient Express straight cut primary gears, modified MRE lock-up clutch, Orient Express billet back plate and extender cover, new back plate springs, GSX750 clutch springs, new metal clutch plates, modified MRE clevis extender for clutch, alternator rewound, new oil pump, new starter clutch, gearbox fully renovated, new second and fifth gears, new seals & bearings throughout, original sprocket machined as a spacer and welded to a second sprocket to increase spline contact area, 530 chain conversion running 15/42 gearing, cases vapour blasted, damaged timing case built up with weld and re-profiled by hand, covers polished, stainless screw set, new TSCC badges. Auxiliary: Mikuni RS36 smooth bore slide carbs, inlet rubbers matched to intake ports, Pingel dual feed high flow fuel tap, Dyna-S ignition, Dyna coils, Taylor leads, Dyna rev limiter, modified Eagle stainless steel pipe with CNC machined race can, one-off intermediate pipe by MHP, K&N high flow oval filters with chrome ends, Setrab 10 row full width oil cooler with Goodridge anodised lines, Zebra un-slotted jubilee clips.
	Frame:	GSX1000SZ, new headstock raked in 2 degrees and braced, rear end monoshocked and braced, shortened subframe, rear master cylinder bracket modified, brake reservoir hidden behind side panel, all un-needed brackets removed, new battery mounts, frame blasted and powder coated, GSX1100EFE footrests, levers & hangers, side stand shortened, re-angled & raised.
	Front End:	GSX-R1100L forks, new sliders and fork tops, billet stepped yokes, CBR600FM wheel (polished) and modifiied speedo drive, modified GSX-R11 spindle, Triumph Daytona callipers with spacers, Pro-lite 310mm floating disks, one-off clip-ons, refurbished Katana clocks with TS125 needles, R1 switch gear, throttle assembly & cables, ZZR1100 brake master cylinder and clutch mechanism with adjustable levers, GSX-R1100M brace, one-off stainless bar end weights, Goodridge braided hose with stainless fittings, lengthened CBR600 speedo cable, Michelin Hi-Sport 120/70, new bearings bushes and seals throughout.
	Rear End:	NC30 swinging arm and wheel (polished), adjustable ride height, NC remote reservoir shock, one-off hollow swing arm spindle, one-off rear sprocket, ZZR1100 master cylinder (refurbished), Goodridge braided hose with stainless fittings, calliper blasted and refurbished, Michelin Hi-Sport 160/60, new bearings and seals throughout, fittings black plated.
	Bodywork:	Stock Katana tank modified with stainless lockable aircraft style fuel filler, alloy breather valve, brand new side panels, pods & choke knob, fairing indicator holes filled, one-off Acrybre smoked screen, GSX750ET tail piece & rear light modified to blend with seat, modified seat, GSX-R750WP front mudguard.
	Paint:	Dream Machine - based on the McLaren F1 Silver Arrows.
	Engineering:	Heavily modified & refurbished wiring loom, separate rear sub loom running through sub-frame, immobiliser, keyless ignition, CBR600 dry cell battery & under seat electrics hidden, alloy battery box, Kawasaki starter relay, mini alloy smoked rear indicators, caravan (!) front repeater indicators with high wattage bulb, one-off polished alloy splash guard, unbreakable polycarbonate registration plate, one-off stainless gear linkage, new bearings, seals, gaskets and stainless polished nuts & bolts throughout. Practically everything has been vapour/grit blasted, sprayed, polished or plated.

BRITISH SAMURAI

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