Suzuki employed four massive 32mm Mikuni slide carbs that really gave the 1000 Kat instant throttle response that left the bigger version for dead from a standing start. The smaller model wasn’t perfect, however, because when the clutch is pulled in it rattles like a tin of nails and the tickover is never as smooth as that obtained from the larger bike’s CV carbs - in fact the GSX1000 motor can quit without warning at tickover in traffic, The latter is especially true if the carbs are not perfectly in balance.
With carbs out of balance and that noisy clutch the motor sounds like it’s about to expire. But these are minor points, when you consider the massive power of the motor a few inconveniences have to be allowed for - when you wind the throttle open you'll soon become a blot on someone else’s horizon.
The immediate impression of the Katana is that it feels as strange to sit on as it does to look at. The seat is rock hard but relatively low off the ground (30"). you have to throw yourself forward to grab the bars, and the footpegs are high and quite far back, leaving you in the classic racer crouch, arse up, head down.
On the road, the Kat takes quite a time to get used to. Even with the suspension set on its softest settings, hitting a bump at low speeds will tend to bounce the rider off the bike. It’s not until you burst through the 70mph speed limit that the bike begins to make sense, the suspension starts soaking up the lumps, bumps and anything else that comes its way, totally predictable if not 100% precise high speed handling.
In traffic, the Kat is a hefty lump to shift around. If you don’t have strong arms and legs, by the time you’ve ridden the Kat for a year you'll either have developed them or ended up in hospital; that said, once the bike gets a little speed under its belt it’s not as uncivilised and nasty as its appearance might suggest.
As well as cruising all day at 100mph, if you can find the space and spons for the petrol, it makes, believe it or not, an excellent high speed tourer. Naturally, I didn’t buy the Kat primarily for such purposes - I wanted something that was fast with a capital F. Here the Kat doesn’t disappoint. The needle approaches 140mph with a mere nine grand on the rev counter, although the redline, surprisingly, is 500rpm below there But the power doesn’t end there, it'll still pull out a bit more speed.
If the engine sounds frantic and afterall it is only an old tech, air cooled four - the chassis still copes with flat out riding, as long as you don’t have to do anything silly like take your paws off the bars or brake when slightly banked over. Perhaps the most surprising thing about balls out riding (sounds rather indecent, what?) is that the tiny screen and fairing, that the uniniated merely dismiss as a cosmetic aberration, actually produces a degree of protection - sure you have to be on the slim side and your chin has to be on the tank, but when you're really getting down to it the screen blows the air right over your head.
Really crazy headcases wheelie big Katanas. With a zero to sixty time in around four seconds and 108hp this isn’t a difficult feat - the only problem occurs when you get it slightly wrong and 520lbs tries to do a wobbly. This kind of behaviour can really impress bored officers of the law. Even the headlamp ain’t so bad for the Japs. The 60/55W unit throws out a bright, broad beam of light. The single pod instruments are plain and their simplicity is fully appreciated, and the switchgear would gain full marks were it not for the fiddly indicator switch
that made hand signals seem an attractive proposition.
The brakes I really dug. Talk about squealing tyres. The only problem was that the front was as spongy as a civil servant on the New Years Honours List. If you're not used to these kind of brakes, then it’d be very easy to fall off. As with most things, time and experience solves all problems, although the back disc is such a violent number that I still lock the wheel up; nothing like a bit of early morning tail wagging to wake up the system.
The anti-dive, although non-adjustable, does work and its especially noticeable in the corners where it’s possible to stuff the Kat in at dangerous speeds, whack on the brake and survive without undue nastiness - FZ and GSXR owners have been surprised with the speed that the Kat can be hustled around bends - but you do need muscles, this is no twitchy sixteen inch wheel plaything.
When the Kat does become nasty it’s usually down to well worn or incorrect (which usually equates to cheap) tyres. Any long lasting, hard compound will end up with the Kat doing impressive back wheel spins in the wet. Metzeler Sports are typical of the near racer tyres that the Kat likes and eats (4000 rear, 5000 miles front). It goes through rear chains in about 5000 miles unless they are treated to much loving care.
The handling is not perfect at high speeds, but not dangerous, no full tilt speed wobbles have yet been experienced. The Kat gets into a bit of a fish-tail type weave on long, fast curves and the high speed weave in a straight line is nothing more than a bit of nervousness to my mind maybe if I spent less time riding the thing and played around with tyre pressures and suspension settings I would clear these minor irritants up.
Of all the Jap manufacturers, Suzuki know how to make tough fours (who mentioned electrics?). And such is the power of the bigger engines that you’d probably break some bones before you blew the engine apart. In the 9000 miles I covered (a mere five grand on the clock when I acquired her) all I’ve done is change the oil and filter every 3000 miles, check the tappets (two were adjusted), balanced the carbs, bunged in a set of pads and fitted new tyres and chains. That’s all that’s been needed to keep the Kat in the very fast lane.
The electrics - rectifier, regulator and alternator - are not the most reliable aspect of Suzuki fours, but I’ve been very careful to keep a check on the condition of the connectors and look for chafed wires. A new rectifier costs £80, which must be at least ten times what they cost to produce. A mate with a GSX750ES had to spend £200 on battery, rectifier and regulator after the electrics played up. Having said that, I’ve never experienced any electrical problems on any of the Suzukis I’ve owned.
There are still a lot of the big Katanas around, if you can find a bog standard one all the better. Bots of people spend lots of money trying to tart them up, but they usually can’t get it back when they come to sell - the Kat is quite fast enough as standard. My Katana was stock when I bought it back in ’85 and cost £2100 - a bit expensive, perhaps, but it was only six months old and pristine. After numerous trips to racing meetings and the TT fortnight, I lost my heart to the GSXR1100, but on my wages, no way, I thought, I could pay five grand for a new bike.
After a trip to my local dealer, just for a quick look around, he asked if I was interested in selling my totally immaculate Suzi - and how about test riding the new 1987 GSXR1I100. What could I say? He offered £2200 for the Kat and after a trip to my friendly listening bank I was the proud owner of the GSXR - all I had to do was pay for it. Word is, they sold the Kat for £2700 - its new price back in ’85. I have fond memories of the Kat, ideally I would have liked to keep both bikes well, but my wages are well stretched supporting the new Suzi.
The Katana is a very serious motorcycle that demands 100% input and gives you the thrill of your life as you try to hang onto the monster - just ask anyone who raced one, if you can deliver then so does the bike. It’s hard on the rider, very fast and a reasonable handler, definitely not for the faint hearted. The bike has already become a classic in its own right and is probably a good financial investment. The last of the real muscle bikes.
Vic Saunders