"Country Brawler" Katana project

[nemesis]

Sometimes I wish I bought a 250cc bike, then again I remember how I had to accelerate on multiple occasions to not get crushed, I guess piece of mind is worth 10-20mpg to me.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by nemesis

Sometimes I wish I bought a 250cc bike, then again I remember how I had to accelerate on multiple occasions to not get crushed, I guess piece of mind is worth 10-20mpg to me.

Places that I ride, I don't have to worry about too much. I live mostly in the country, and seldom visit heavily trafficked areas.

[nemesis]

Originally Posted by Christ

Places that I ride, I don't have to worry about too much. I live mostly in the country, and seldom visit heavily trafficked areas.

I wish I lived in the country, I have to ride an hour just to hit some nice roads. I spend most of my time riding to school, work, in the county where I have to share the roads with soccer moms that just don't care about anybody else, there roads were meant for them and nobody else. I have a close call at least once a week.

[Christ]

I wish the roads out here were all paved.

Even if I wanted to do some spirited riding, I'd have to go to areas just outside of town, rather than in the country.

The guy w/ the frame offered me everything he has for the bike for $140, rims/tires, engine (two parts, lower and upper), some plastics, but not all, front forks and head piece, etc. I might just buy it all, but I'm probably going to offer him like $100 for everything, since I'm going to his house.

[Christ]

I just bought a frame with title, pair of clean black rims and good tires (80% tread or better) for $75.

Once I get the other bike "usable", this one's going under the knife to get a frame swap and the "street fighter" conditioning.

[Christ]

Ok, guys. This bike is coming over this weekend. I gave up on the Honda for awhile, going to have a friend look at it and see if he can find something I've overlooked about it.

So, first things first, gotta put up some pics of the Katana:




And the wiring harness I just got to replace the "dangling guts" you see in the above pics:



Special thanks to:

New Haven Suzuki, Inc.
chiefmoto2000@yahoo.com

Find them on eBay:
chief143moto
NH-POWERSPORTS


For the great deal on the harness ($30 shipped).

That puts me up to $105 invested in this bike.

I bet I can get it semi-nice and running for under $300.

Any takers?

These bikes aren't notorious for their fuel economy, and I'm not going to spend a bunch of money on it, so I'm going to build it as a Street Fighter for now, and maybe change it up a bit later.

[Christ]

Welp, it won't be under $300, that's for sure.

Bought new front calipers ($30), screws for the carbs ($5).

The black wheels I bought aren't going to work, so I'm looking for a deal on either used Katana wheels, or I'm going to have to figure something out. I may just make something to use the original rear wheel and install the sprocket directly to the wheel, without the cush drive. (Who the hell needs a cush, anyway?)

So far, I've got $140 into it.

I swapped the old frame for the new one, now I'm starting to put it back together.

Progress pic:



OH - I sold the pegs for $30... so I'm back down to $110 invested. W00t!

[Christ]

Since it's a 'fighter, and it's basically going to be a rat bike, I'm not going to bother painting it up, or even cleaning up the rough spots, for that matter. It's all character to me... even the dents in the tank are staying.

The area behind the seat you see in the above pic is getting hacked off... no need for it to be there, I don't do passengers. I may also raise the tail section slightly, depending on the riding position once I get new pegs made for it.

[Christ]

All the pics I have of this project: