Bob Bischoff introduces himself every time he writes to me but with a name like that he needn't - I always remember him.  I also remember his Kat.  It was the first Katana I came to know of over the web when Bob sent me a couple of pictures way back in 1996.  Even now it's still one of the most striking I've ever seen.

It's interesting seeing bikes like Bob's as some how they manage to maintain a cultural stereo-type.  Like my own bike which the Germans call typically English Bob's Kat, in it's original guise (right), immediately says to me that it was build across the pond (Bob lives in the US) but it's not always clear why.  All I can put it down to is the use of parts that aren't readily available in Europe like the Calfab swing arm, Works Performance shocks and Muzzy exhaust or perhaps the paintjob or the quality of light in the photos.  Whatever, Bob's bike was gorgeous, so gorgeous in fact that Streetfighters featured it in issue 42 back in August '97.

Now I say "was" as the bike I was talking about above has moved on a little - well a lot in fact.  Deciding that the old air-cooled lump, although tuned, was getting a bit long in the tooth Bob has taken the next obvious step and slipped in an 1127cc oil cooled GSX-R item along with a GSX-R swing arm and Micron pipe and carbon end can.   Suddenly Bob's bike has taken on a more European feel - but wait, also lurking in there are a new pair of 17" alloy wheels - there's no mistaking them, definitely US...

The one problem everyone who tries inserting a GSX-R motor encounters is that the damn thing is just so small, well at least front to back, which leaves us with the problem of where to mount the motor - towards the back or towards the front.  Forward looks better and gives a better weight distribution but leaves a long chain run and a big gap between the front sprocket and the swing arm spindle.  Setting the engine backwards avoids the chain tension problems but can look rather odd.  Bob has decided that he doesn't like either of the options and, eschewing the alternative of an off the shelf Spondon hybrid frame, has commissioned a completely new frame that has been designed to take both the GSX-R motor and the Katana bodywork, along with a new shorter aluminium (aluminum for our State side friends) tank, in perfect harmony.  Be sure we will be bringing you updates on this as soon as we get them.

Once that lot is back together Bob has a set of 5-spoke Marchesini wheels ready to slot in each end which should just about hide it's point of origin - but then again there is that rather nice quality of light you get over in the States...

And what happened to the old motor? - take a look at this: