Suzuki GSX 1100 S Katana

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Suzuki GSX 1100 S Katana
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Suzuki GSX 1100 S Katana

Samurai sword in combat use

It should act like a samurai sword in combat in the motorcycle market. With the Katana, Suzuki brought about a turning point in motorcycle design. It was developed in Germany by the then young and now legendary designer group Target-Design.

W.ar 1980 the motorcycle world in order? Certainly for the author, he had brought his 250cc to 400cc and finally enough power to power the unloved four-cylinder from Honda & To annoy Co. A lasting encounter on a short straight line of the favorite route changed everything: drove past – no flew – an unknown something. It was gray, very fast and looked abnormal. What on earth was that? UFO, Martians, the Russians? Big crisis of meaning, long discussions with friends, MOTORRAD consulted: The unknown vehicle must have been the new Suzuki Katana. The two-color bench seat and the strangely protruding little windshield was unique to her.

Manfred from the neighboring village had a Suzuki GSX 1100 E. “You can still overtake it when you can see the filament in the headlights of the oncoming, he always showed off. His problem: the car looked stupid. That awful square headlight, the bulging seat, the nasty chrome trim, the misshapen tank. Manfred did not have much fun at the biker meeting, even Yamaha XS riders who had previously been troubled were allowed to look down on him a little.

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Suzuki GSX 1100 S Katana

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Suzuki GSX 1100 S Katana


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A shock in the early 80s: the Suzuki Katana broke with all common design habits.

Manfred had the first katana in the area. At some point the mockery became too stupid for him, or he simply felt sick himself at the sight of his stove. Suddenly in 1981 Suzuki had something on the shelf that caused a stir around the world. And what immediately silenced all scoffers. They moved to the side in awe when Manfred appeared at the meeting point for the first time.

“Man, a katana, it looks sharp.” And she still had the great Suzuki four-valve 1100 built in. TSCC was written on it, which sounded somehow important and probably referred to a special type of four-valve technology, which was of little interest to the author, who was still two-stroke at the time. At least he could calm himself down with the fact that the machine flying by had more than twice as much horsepower as his rude 400. It wasn’t about driving skills, so not Manfred, who nobody liked anyway.


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Rotary handle, still popular today on Chinese kitchen machines.

How did the crazy katana design come about? The German Suzuki importer must have had similar taste buds as its potential customers. This also explains his commission to the small design forge Target-Design to turn the staid GSX-1100 E into a really wild sweeper. German design for Japanese technology, could that go well? It could, because the three Target people Hans A. Muth, Hans-Georg Kasten and Jan Olof Fellstrom designed a new basic shape within a few months, which even the top Suzuki boss in Japan enthused and which is still used in many motorcycles today is found.

Instead of a more or less horizontal basic alignment of the machine, they let the bench and tank line drop forward. Thanks to the tank line, which is much higher than the seat, the driver has been perfectly integrated into the machine. At the same time, a small pane above the headlight and the tank flanks that were virtually extended to the front provided good wind protection. They had even been in the Pininfarina wind tunnel to generate enough downforce on the front wheel.


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Former editorial ownership: This katana was lovingly cared for and staged by graphic designer Katrin Sdun.

Which seemed to be very successful, because the MOTORRAD testers were full of praise for the Suzuki’s chassis quality during these years. Perhaps the low clip-ons also helped to increase driving stability. Manfred became a star at the Treff, which was good for him after all the defeats. “She runs 220 things,” he was able to report. “The speedometer needle and tachometer indicate the show in opposite directions!” Or he proudly said: “The anti-dive prevents diving in when braking.“ A few weeks later, he dived into a freshly plowed field, which permanently cold-formed the katana. Manfred wasn’t badly injured, but suddenly broke.


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This nice gentleman was a samurai in the Middle Ages and well versed in sword fighting, today he only wields the two-wheeled iron. He doesn’t seem entirely happy about it.

After all, he had destroyed 12,990 marks because the katana was one of the most expensive Japanese motorcycles. Which was also quite a hindrance to sales. The great advertising campaign with samurai fighters on the machine was of little use. The German Suzuki importer quickly lowered the price to 9990 marks. It wasn’t just Manfred who was pretty screwed up with that. Between 1981 and 1985, 10,000 katanas were produced worldwide. That wasn’t exactly a lot, and so it has to be said today that the design was groundbreaking, but not really successful.

For the 1100, Suzuki also put a 750. 250s and 400s were also built in Japan. The step that Target-Design expected of the motorcyclists was probably too big.

Even today, a katana looks pretty wacky. Yes, you can only admire the courage of Suzuki at that time, today, in the times of V-Strom and GSX-R 1000, you are back on the best path towards the GSX 1100 E. But that is only marginal and very subjective.


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The katana from the front.

Objectively, a katana that babbles catlessly and quite obscenely would not win a flower pot in the modern competitive environment. The 100 horses are trying hard to drive the 250 kilogram load forward. But handling and braking could be better. Throwing them quickly from one corner to the next at high speeds takes immense strength. The 19 incher at the front is simply too big and builds up a lot of gyroscopic power. 1520 millimeters wheelbase, a steering head angle of 62 degrees, that’s how chopper chassis are built today. Braking is another thing. You push the lever like a piece of iron and hope that something will happen, or rather that nothing will happen. And then another anti-dive effect that completely spoils the feedback. Weia!


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And once from behind.

The sitting position is still very comfortable today. Target Design wanted to integrate the driver into the machine in a completely different way. One would call it gathered together in a modern way. The designers at the time also succeeded in ergonomics. And how cleanly an almost 30-year-old katana moves its course even at speeds of over 200 km / h is still a pleasure today. The relatively long-stroke engine does not turn 8000 / min, a speed at which the current 1000s usually just pick up properly.

Finding untampered katanas means finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Too often they have been rebuilt, repainted. The corrosion protection on the exhaust system and wheels also left a lot to be desired. Original Suzuki katanas are already rare pieces and should be well looked after by their owners. After all, they call a piece of cultural property their own. Katana – the sharp sword.

Technical specifications


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The katana holds up well in every position.

Engine:
Air-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke engine, four valves, rocker arms, wet sump lubrication, mechanically operated oil bath clutch,
Bore x stroke 72 x 66 millimeters,
Displacement 999 cm3,
Output 74 kW (100 PS) at 8700 rpm,
Compression ratio 9.5: 1,
Five-speed gearbox, electric starter

Landing gear:
Double loop frame made of tubular steel, 37 mm telescopic fork, two spring struts, front double disc brake with hydraulically controlled anti-dive system, rear disc brake, aluminum rims

Measurements and weight:
Wheelbase 1520 mm, tank capacity 21 liters, empty weight with a full tank of 252 kg

Top speed:
220 km / h

price:
12990 marks (1981) 6642 euros

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