Newsletter - Classic Katana Owners of North America
Transcription
Newsletter - Classic Katana Owners of North America
Newsletter www.classickatanaownersna.com Issue #29 Classic Katana Owners of North America August 2012 Riding season is in full swing and hopefully your winter efforts to get the bike in shape for the riding season have paid off. A few more new members and especially some nice bikes are showing up. Francois Yergeaux #255 had his bike in storage for many years before he decided to get it back on the road. We have great feature on carb overhauling by Paul Jones. For me the excitement is building for my trip to Eurokat 5 hosted by the Katana Club of France –this time I will bring my new HD GoPro and will have some videos posted on the web site. We are also down to getting the smaller decals finished for the Kats. The main decals are now finished and available from Bdesign. Rob Wilton #24 continues to amaze us with his custom Katanas. Send in some good pics and we will feature the bike. TC Ed. [email protected] . 1 MEMBER PROFILE Francois Yergeau #255 Magog, Quebec Greetings to all fellow Katana owners and enthusiasts. My name is Francois Yergeau #255 and I live in Magog, Quebec. I work for Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) since 1989; Right now, I work in the aftersales service department as a service coordinator. I can remember as if it was yesterday when I first saw a 1982 GS1100SZ. A friend of my brother bought one new, which he had ordered at the Suzuki dealer. When he picked up the bike on a very nice spring day, he drove directly to my dad's garage to fuel it and show it to my brother. I was on duty that day at the garage, so I was lucky to fill up his brand new Katana! I immediately fell in love with the bike, and I had to have one! - But I was still at school!! .so I could not afford to buy one. When I started to work I began to look for a used one. I went to see a few of them, but the bikes were not cleaned or they were poorly maintained and most of the time they were also modified. I was looking for a cleaned and unmodified bike. Back then, I was living in an apartment with a friend, who was looking for a used Honda CRX. I found a car for him in the newspaper that looked interesting….So he went there to check the car….. When he came back late that evening, he was very excited and he told me "you do not know what I have seen there", the CRX owner has something that you are desperately looking for….a 1982 Katana…..in great shape! He wants to sell it, and the bike is not advertised yet…..so this was great luck and fortune! So the next day I returned to check the bike, and the bike was indeed in perfect shape….so I bought it. I have owned this very same bike since then, for more than 25 years!!….. I had two other bikes; a 1993 Yamaha FZR1000 that I bought new. I have enjoyed it a lot and it is a much better bike in every way compared to the Katana, but it does not have the same soul or charm, and you do not feel as connected to the road or bike like the Kat. In 2003, I was coming back from a ride with the Katana, when the timing chain tensioner failed (luckily at idle). This happened very close to my house, and I was able to roll the bike down the street! I cannot explain exactly why, but I parked the bike in the basement and I bought my third bike a 2003 Suzuki SV650. I kept this bike for 3 years. I have repaired the Katana only this year, after 9 years of storage in the basement of my house. It is now back on the road…what a nice feeling! and I have taken the first pictures of the bike since I have it! The bike has 54,000km, it has the original paint and is in very good condition, not mint condition, but very clean. I do not think I will ever sell this bike…..even though one day I will not be able to ride it…..I will just look at it….and remember all those memories and more ! 2 Feature Bike Rob Wilton #20 the pictures speak for themselves. Specifications 1260 Wiseco ported head 1mm over s/s valves Harley flush mount fuel cap custom clocks gsxr front end Bandit wheels Bandit swing arm with extensions straight cut gears welded trued crank web high lift cams hard welded rockers slotted cam sprogs powder coated engine/frame Dyna 2000 ignition/coils RFID keyless ignition USB charging for iPhone Ohlin’s shocks topend oiler kit series style reg/rec gsxr controls with headlight switch billet levers, mirrors, grips, fork brace, oil catch can, RS 36mm flat slides V&H header Earl’s oil cooler and much more 3 4 MEMBER PROFILE Nancy Craig #252 After a Yamaha RD250, and RD400, I never wanted a two-stroke on the road again, so I got a new 1976 Suzuki GS750 (the first of the Suzuki 4-strokes) and by the time the Katana came out, I had repainted it, put clip-on bars on it, rear-sets, chrome swing arm, Rickman fairing, Yoshimura 850 kit and 4-into-1 exhaust and magnesium wheels. Suzuki's are all I've ever ridden since. Great bikes. I bought my 1100 Kat new in 1982 and my husband had the 1980 GS1100L (the only year of the Suzuki low rider with chain drive and that motor). We had many great touring rides on them; one year as far as Regina. When the GSXRs came out, I moved back to a lighter, quicker bike. I had my 1986 GSXR750 for 14 years and then lusted for the Hayabusa (which is remarkably agile for a big bike). I love it and have recently picked up a 2008 Generation 2 as well. I sold my Kat to a cousin in Edmonton, who vowed he'd never sell the "Kitty Kat", but then needed school funds and sold it to his brother-in-law. It was sold again sometime in the late 90s, and I never knew what became of it. I found this one when I was googling for Katanas in Alberta, hoping I might just find it. This pic (above) is from about '84 where I look SOOO young. I lucked out and found the unique lowers and the black chrome rack for it. I don't think I ever saw another Katana around here with the lowers. Then again, you didn't see a lot of the 1100s at all. I'm the second owner of this one. I bought it in ‘07. It had been stored since ‘86, and all it took was cleaning the carbs out and "ungluing" the clutch and of course, new battery and tires! It now has just 8000k on it. I went to look at this one really just to ask the owner if I could take a few pictures of it and my Hayabusa. However, it was too irresistible. Neat to say I've owned two of the world's fastest production motorcycles. The 2000 Hayabusa was the last to be able to make that claim. After just taking this one for a 4 hour ride last summer, I can't believe how I used to ride it on long hauls. But it's still like rolling thunder. I'd forgotten what coming into the power band is! When you ride a Hayabusa there isn't one... it's just one single power band. I also have a Honda CRF150F trail bike, a couple of Corvettes (‘90,’07) and a RAV4 for a daily driver. Wish I could get fleet insurance! 5 New Members With our web site and the benefit of our on-line registration form, we continue to expand our ranks. Request an updated membership list to see if there are any new members near you. Also, check the Google link to member’s locations – It is usually up-to-date. Just a note - that I need a location in the registration. I do not need the full address but need to locate members on our Google map so we know where we are. Also – if you sell your bike or otherwise – there is no need to be removed from the list – unless you clearly have no further interest. Please e-mail me of e-mail/phone changes. 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 Gordon Dong Stuart Pope Dennis Baker Maynard Woodson Stavros Gabriel Stu MacMillan Nancy Craig Miguel Galluzzi Jonathon Schapansky Francois Yergeau Chad Dunlap Edvard Nordli Ron Balachandra Winnipeg McLaren Vale Coventry Jersey City Haverhill St. Thomas Victoria Pasadena Toronto Magog Sportsylvania Trondheim Calgary Manitoba S. Australia Rhode Island New Jersey MA Ontario British Columbia California Ontario Quebec Virginia Norway Alberta Eurokat 5 – New French Katana Owners Club As I finish this newsletter – I am preparing to go to Bordeaux France for the Eurokat 5 Katana Rally. This is a real treat with Alexandre Godard loaning me one of his Katanas for the rally. Hosted by the French Katana Owners Club this is their first hosting of this event which happens every two years. You can see in previous newsletters that it is inspiring to see so many Katanas in one place. A group run is truly a large group. I will be bringing a HD GoPro video camera and will put some videos on line. I would like to have a rally here but cannot do it alone. Looking for some volunteers to assist me in our first rally. Drop me a note if you can help.. Since the highest concentration of Kat owners is in Southern Ontario – it makes sense to have it nearby and close to our volunteers. After many years of hosting a French Katana web site – Alexandre and some fellow riders formed officially the French Katan Owners Club’. It was put this way in their web site: At long last ! The French Katana Club exists ! With Jean-Jacques and Laurent, we deposited its Non-Profit Organisation Memorandum during the summer 2011. Its goal is simple: reunite people passionate for the Suzuki Katana motorcycle range. Our first target is to organise the fifth EuroKat, which will take place in August 2012. 6 ULTRASONIC CARBURETOR CLEANING by Paul Jones – London Ontario My buddy and I restore classic motorcycles for a hobby. I have been working on motorcycles since 1967 when at the tender age of 16, I bought my first bike, a 1963 BSA Lightning for the princely sum of $400.00. I purchased many others in the ensuing years, Japanese, European and British. Since I had little money in those days I had to learn to fix any problems myself. Our current stable includes a 1972 Suzuki 185 twin, a 1973 Suzuki 250 twin, a 1976 Suzuki 380 GT Triple, a pair of 1972 Kawasaki 350 Triples (all 2 strokes) and my personal daily rider as well as the newest bike of the bunch, a 1980 Suzuki GS1100 with Bandit/GSXR mods. We obtained these bikes in various states or repair/restoration. One common thread was the need to fix the carburetion. Every one of these bikes needed them rebuilt. I found that the carbs were encrusted with grime and dirt on the inside and outside. The linkages were frozen, screws missing, floats stuck, jets completely blocked, float bowls full of gummed up gas residue and missing parts - a real mess. Other problems I’ve found in carbs that customers send to me because their bikes were running so poorly was jets were mis-matched, torn diaphragms, no air filter, carbs not balanced, the list goes on and on. This is even if the carbs were reasonably clean. A carburetor is a complicated piece of machinery that contains passages as thin as a human hair. As you can imagine it doesn’t take a lot for these passages to get blocked with sludge. Suzuki Carbs The carbs typically found on Suzukis are Mikuni BS 32, 34 or 36 mm and are vacuum controlled or CV (Constant Vacuum) type. A vacuum operated diaphragm controls the raising or lowering of the slide (or piston). The CV Carburetor also has a butterfly throttle valve (or throttle plate). Many Katana owners have converted to flat slide carbs such as the RS 36 which stands for radial slide. Designed for in-line four cylinder performance motorcycle applications, the Mikuni RS Series Radial Flat Slide Carburetors offer superior horsepower gains with their maximum flowing smoothbore induction tract and radial flat slide design. An adjustable accelerator pump system helps to provide instant throttle response, particularly in the lower RPM range. These carbs are not vacuum actuated; the slide is directly attached to the throttle cable. Although some people complain the slides are noisy and can be heard to rattle, they are a definite performance upgrade. Factory Suzuki carbs seem particularly prone to blocked pilot jets but also floats get stuck and carbs 7 leak, at times the idle will hunt around, then the bike stalls. It won’t rev to the redline, it’s getting harder and harder to start and it backfires through the carb. These are classic signs of a dirty carburetor(s). Carbs get varnish in the jets and float bowls if gas is left in them. This can happen as quickly as one season. Often the owner will buy some of that corrosive, dangerous carb dip, soak them overnight, scrubs with toothbrushes, rinse again, then blow out everything with compressed air and then find a place to dispose of the dirty, toxic chemicals. And it still may not fix the problem. Ultrasonic cleaning is different. It uses no harmful chemicals and cleans the smallest passages faster and better. The ultrasonic process is so gentle that virtually every part in the carb can be put into the cleaner, and boy does it ever work. The Rebuild 1. This is what I often start with…… these slides were “cemented” in the carb bore, pretty rough!! 2. I inspect the outside for missing parts, smooth choke and throttle linkage operation and visible damage. 3. I separate the carbs by removing the gang plates and choke linkage, then remove the fuel tubes and air vents. 4. The float bowl gets removed next. It’s often full of green, sticky goop. Remove all the jets, float pin and float. Remove the needle holder & needle. In the intake side, remove the air jet. 5. I flip the carb over and remove the carb top, then diaphragm - checking for any tears in the fragile material. Lastly, I remove the mixture screw making sure to remove the spring, washer and o-ring that usually stick in the bottom of the cavity. 8 6. Now, keeping each carbs parts separate from each other, I begin my inspection looking for wear and damage. If everything looks good, I continue on to cleaning in the ultrasonic machine. I searched long and hard on the internet, studied all the methods I found and came up with a better way for the cleaning portion of a carb rebuild. The professionals were using an ultrasonic cleaner. So, I purchased my own commercial quality 2.5 gallon (10 L.) ultrasonic machine and was amazed at the results. (picture) The dis-assembled carb is submerged in a special solution in the tank of the cleaner. This solution is biodegradable, non-toxic and safe for the planet. Here’s how it works. When power is turned on, the solution begins to heat up, then, ultrasonic sound is created from transducers in the bottom of the tank. The transducers run at 55 mhz frequency. This results in intense agitation of the liquid and creates high and low pressure stages. During the low pressure stage, millions of microscopic bubbles form and grow. Then the high pressure stage takes over and the bubbles implode releasing tremendous energy and produce an intense scrubbing action against the surrounding surfaces. The whole process is called cavitation. This cleaning action attacks even the most confined crevices in the carburetor. No area is spared, it just plain works. After removing the clean carbs from the Ultrasonic cleaner, I rinse them off and set them aside to dry. Once dry, carb cleaner is blown through all passages then followed with compressed air. 7. Now is the time to decide if you want to do some cosmetic improvements to your carbs. I have a special paint that I apply (3 Coats) that closely matches the original factory finish, then they get baked in a special oven making them gas/oil resistant. I can apply the original silver finish or the satin black carb finish. Any paint will be ruined by continual gas exposure but this paint is very durable as long as your carbs aren’t leaking. I also love to replace those annoying Phillips head screws that get rounded off so easily, with stainless socket head screws in both the float bowls and the carb tops. These are both options that cost extra. 8. At this time you should install larger main jets & pilot & air jets if you have added any performance products to your bike. I can recommend initial settings for you to give you a benchmark. I then reassemble with new o-rings making sure to lube them before installation, check the floats to ensure they are set to factory specs, if not I re-adjust. Put in those new float bowl gaskets now too. 9. After everything is buttoned back up, I lube any moving parts and do a final inspection making sure everything operates smoothly. The carbs are then bench synced to ensure all butterflies are opening at the same time. (very important) 10. Here it is…….The final product. This set has the optional ceramic paint process as well as the stainless screws. Your carbs are now as clean as the day they left the factory. This is worth repeating again….Make sure you keep the parts from each carb separate. Everything should go back into the carb it came out of. Carburetor Rebuild Kits I have a real problem with many rebuild kits commonly found on Ebay. First of all, quality can be very inconsistent. For example, the holes in the jets not being the same size and float bowl gaskets that don’t seal properly. Secondly, they contain parts you don’t need & don’t contain parts you do. I’m mostly talking about jets that come in these kits. Jets don’t usually wear out. They get dirty and sometimes plugged, but a jet that just has fuel or air running through it doesn’t usually experience any wear. Usually all you need to replace in a carb rebuild is this….. All the O-rings in the carb, some Suzuki’s have 28 of these. Float bowl gaskets too. I like to see new mixture screws at this point as well. Be sure to check the needle valve for wear (they are usually fine) 9 Everything else is available separately; air, pilot and even main jets are only a few dollars each. I only replace them if they are plugged and I can’t clean them or if I am re-jetting when putting pods or a performance exhaust on a customer’s bike. Since each job is unique – I can provide a general quote and once we see what the condition is inside – I consult with the client to discuss your requirements and services. For a complete list of prices and/or questions, send me an email. Paul Jones [email protected] WEB SITE – Katana Design Story I have finally have finished the ‘Story’ on the design and development of the ED-1 and ED-2 Katana. Subject to a few edits and some formatting of the document it should be up on the web site as a download in September. I was fortunate to have extensive one-on-one conversations directly with Jan Fellstrom (LL) and HansGeorge Kasten (LR) to obtain much of the information and photographs that have never been published. Unfortunately I could not get the same level of conversations going with Hans Muth. But that may be for another day. The story will be updated as new information unfolds. Jan has recently taken a teaching position abroad and I was fortunate to make the contact when I did. 10 Spotters Guide How can you tell a 1982 ED2 frame from a 1983 version? The 1983 had the newer style footpegs, but sometimes the frame is bare. The easiest way is to check the mounting points – they are different. Often we end up buying a frame with no registration or paperwork, and we would like to build up the bike to the correct year. 1982 ED-2 rear footpeg mounting point 1983 ED-2 rear footpeg mounting point Miscellaneous Ramblings TC #01 ed Watch for an upcoming issue with a major article on the Katana in Motorcyclist magazine. This is now the 30th anniversary of the Katana and we will continue to be getting articles and stories about these bikes –some good and some just repeating what someone else has written. Let’s see how this one comes out. Anyone seeing some articles in magazines please contact me. Cycle Canada recently did a cover story, unfortunately the author did not even mention our group or any other Katana club in the world notwithstanding that I supplied the information. It’s always easy to whip up a story – read some past issues of motorcycle magazines, drop in a few pictures and there you have it. Often perpetuating wrong information or very little information. I am always looking for articles and pictures of club members’ bikes and anything else you may have. Travel pictures are welcome with interesting stories or just nice scenery. Make sure the Kat is in the picture. I will have a full story on Eurokat 5 for which I am packing as I finish this newsletter. Will meet some of our European members, always interesting to be at a rally where people come from various countries and how they communicate, many people speak English, few speak French and German (except if you are from that country). Not sure if my high school French will support me in a long conversation, - after a few refreshments, everybody is communicating well. 11 Thomas Seeler #211 Project - Project Start: 2010-08-04 Bike looked like this before - And ended up here after several broken engines … 12 Instrument Options 13 14