SUZUKI KATANA Blog
Hardcore Fuel Injected 1983 Suzuki Katana Build

The beast is on the road and phase I is complete. I will be riding for another few weeks and then the season is over. Over the winter I will be installing the fuel injection which is phase II. Once I have that all sorted out, I will be adding the turbo so please stay tuned. There is lots more to come. Over the coming weeks I will be posting more detailed pictures of the katana so you can see up close exactly what I have done and how it turned out. Although the pics look great I have to say the bike looks way better in person.

The contrast of the orange and black just doesn’t translate well in the pics. I am going to try and make it out to bike night 2011 @ EMS on Thursday the 21st  if anyone wants to have a close look. I have to say it sure is nice to be cruising the Sea 2 Sky highway finally. Cheers!

Here is how nice the flush mount gas cap turned out. I cut out the bung and replaced it with a fuel bung from a Harley Davidson Sportster. The flush mount cap is an oem discontinued cap that works great for my purposes. I don’t like trying to get my keys out when pulling up the the pump. The only think I need a key for now is my seat lock and I may be working on a hydrolic seat over the winter. Like I don’t have enough to do.

Let me know what you think.

Here is what I did under the seat of my katana project. I cut some aluminum as many do, to relocat my electrics under the seat. This is not original, but it is something you have to do if you want to hide some clutter and clean up the look of the bike. Don’t get me wrong, I like the electrical panel on the side, it adds to the look of the stock katana, but just didn’t fit this project.

The extra bolts you see are for mounting the fuel injection controler and some other odds and ends. Here is a tip for anyone wanting to do this to their bike. Make sure you don’t have tooooo long a screw in the back by the tail light. If you do, you just may tare a hole in your tire. The stock katana wheel rises above the seat rails so be careful to check all clearances and suspension travel.

Also tucked in there you will see my new lithium battery of 2.2 lbs. 270 cold cranking amps with 18 amp hrs. Monster output, miniscule footprint. Just under the new aluminum is a new “series” regulator rectifier. Do yourself a favor and google it. A buddy on a forum turned me onto these for which I am thankful, Thank Jimmy!!!!. I liked them so much I became a dealer.

YOu will also see the voltage meter and my all weather usb charger for my iPhone. To the right of the usb is the push button switch for both. I wanted to be able to monitor battery status while the phone was charging since it would likely be sitting around shooting the breeze. When not in use I can keep them from drawing power. The usb plug draws power even if there is nothing plugged into it, so I am told. For on the move monitoring, I have a Yoshimura mutlimeter up front with oil temp, clock and volts. If you look closely, you may see the positive lead coming out of the fuse box (the bottom of our fuse boxes has a neg and pos accessory connection) This accessory terminal is hot with key off. That way I can charge the phone without the rest of the bike using power too.

I have some clean up to do. The positive lead from the battery is too short, and I need some more black zip ties. I am more anxious to get this on the road right now, then I can look after details off season, in a couple months.

I am using a Pingel petcock for this project. It fows more and I just don’t like vacuum feeds. Too much trouble. Also installed the thermistor low fuel warning system from an SV 650. Its not a good idea to wait until you are out of gas and flip to reserve when your on EFI, so this will do nicely. At approximately where I would go onto reserve I now have a warning light on my dash that comes on. This peticular unit uses dual thermistors so I will be hooking up a secondary critically low warning light.

I was going to paint the low fuel unit as it was pretty ugly then realized its brass. Same as the outputs of my fuel valve, so I polished it up as shiny as gold. Matches nicely and looks great.

OK project is back on. Since it has been a long project I thought I would throw on the turbo and efi to give myself a shot of motivation. Phase I is almost complete. That is motor in ready for carburetor break in. ONce the engine is broken in, Phase II starts, which will be in a couple months. Phase II is adding the fuel injection and getting it running correctly. Then Phase III, the TURBO!!! There are some issues to sort out with that but I am looking forward to getting  down to problem solving for the completetion of the project.

I have taken the turbo stuff off today and put on the Vance and Hines header. I have a stainless (new) Yosh knock off coming. I am told that it will be killer. Of course you will all find out the details once I have it in my hot little hands. Here is a small rundown of what I have done lately.

Keyfob, one button on/off power – no ignition. I will be replacing this with an RFID system shortly when I get some upgraded parts from my supplier.The low fuel sensor is installed and working great (pics to follow). I am having an issue with my SPA super expensive clocks. The menu button decided to quit working. I don’t know if it is the switch or the clocks. I will need to do some trouble shooting with the manufacturer next week. I had to redesign the backing of the clocks to allow the led lights to fit properly. ONe thing you get used to on these projects is doing things again and again to get them perfect. Another snag is my quick access clutch cover, it has offset my cable so it doesn not run through the center of the housing. It has also made it too short. Or rather, the stock actuator arm is too short and, has to be rotated inward which makes for a very heavy pull. Not only that but I am not getting enough clutch travel to completely disengage my plates. Something will have to be made, Oh, how novel!!

I am just waiting for my new set of RS Flatslides to arrive (tues/wed) and I can bring the beast to life. A Dyna 2000 is in charge of detonation while 1260cc pistons supply the force. Feeding this monster is a ported head with 1mm oversize stainless steel valves, Web 370 left cams dialed in to 108.5 degrees. The heavy lifting is provided by APE/Web hard welded rocker arms which will be generously lubricated by the top end oiling system. Managing all this torque and twist will be a Gardner Concepts prepared crank with straight cut gears with of corse, katana rods.

When Phase I is completed I will summarize what has been done to date. I have quite a few pics to upload when I get the chance. My computer has been down for a couple weeks which has backed many things up. Oh yeh, the color is “ATOMIC ORANGE” Believe me, the pictures do not do this bike justice. Walley and his crew over at Willowbrook collision in Langley did a fantastic job, for a fantastic price. Hand painted pinstriped, two tone all cleared over including the katana decal on the tank. They smoothed is all so there are no ridges. Go see them for paint. Great guys, great job, great price.

There is a more to catch up on that will be posted over the coming days.

Until further notice

Will be back shortly with the conclusion of this portion of the build. I will be braking in the motor on carburetors. When that is done, I will add the fuel injection. Looks like the turbo won’t be going in until this coming off season. For us, that is November-March so stay tuned if this blog interests you because it will be going on for some time yet. Keep checking back from time to time for updates.

Hey all, sorry I’ve been away sorting things out.

I got the the main engine lump together today. 1260cc pistons, welded crank, straight cut gears. Had plenty of trouble with threads pulling out on this one. She is all buttoned up tight now though. Still have to throw in the clutch, mount the generator and ignition and, drop in the new Web cams.

Everything should be back from paint tomorrow. The mill still isn’t working but I have some other stuff to get done. I haven’t been able to get to it the last little while but more is coming very shortly.

I have been a long time user of the aftermarket regulator rectifiers. As we all know who own Suzukis, the charging systems are pretty poor on these ‘ol katanas. Well, now I am onto a more efficient, far better system. These are called “series” regulators. The stock and most aftermarket regulator rectifiers are “shunt” style. I suggest you go ahead and so some research on the subject.

The first thing I noticed is that the series regulator rectifier is a little larger than my stock unit. This is not a worry to me as mine is located under the seat in a custom location that is easily adjusted for a perfect fit. Second, I see the wires coming out of it are of a much larger gauge than the “other” aftermarket units. This one comes with a fuse so it can be connected directly to the battery. Read up on why this is the best way to go. I have been running my r/r dircetly to the battery for some time. This isolated the charging system from the wiring harness so if there is a problem you know it is not the harness. It also gives the r/r a much more accurate picture of the batteries condition as it is not reading resistance in wiring harness as it does when connected the stock way.

Ok, what is this bigger, better alternative have to offer? It is touted to keep the stator at a more constant temperature, and by doing this, maintains a steadier output. These units are also reported to significantly lower stator temperature, which in turn, lowers actual oil temperature as the stator is bathed in oil. When I say lower temperature … I mean up to 30 degrees cooler! Very beneficial for air cooled engines.The other benefit to this is a longer life for your stator, no more over charging of the battery and no more burnt connectors. This unit comes with a high grade weather proof connector.

They are like all things better, more expensive, but like my new lithium 2 lb battery, my ride is worth it. In the long run, it makes economical sense. A stock genuine suzuki r/r can run you from $200.00 – $275.00. These units are $199.00 – $210.00. If you want one, they will be available from my website www.parts.suzuki-katana.com anytime. They are available now, I just don’t have them listed yet.

Like many of the aftermarket systems, you will need to crimp the stator side and install the included female connector. This is the only 3 phase regulator rectifier of its kind that I know of that us classic bike owners can use. I will be giving it a complete shake down to verify the claims my research has uncovered.

By the way, I was given the heads up on this by a fellow Suzuki lover, thanks Jim.

My milling machine packed it in yesterday. No good!!! To fix it I have to haul it down to the United States, which wouldn’t be too bad if it didn’t way 500lbs. This is a real set back.

Doing final touches on my billet sprocket cover. Have been working on this a long time. I am going to have two plates behind it to cover up the shift position wires and basic ugliness behind the sprocket as well as a cover for the starter and stator wires up to to clean that up and protect them. I am also going to make a cover for the shaft behind the cover to clean up the metal shaft look. May even anodize it.

Got some more done on the tacho today. Added the plate for the Yoshimura multimeter and cleaned up some contours. It is still rough, though it is almost there. Final touches and detailing before paint and polish.

These clocks are turning into a career for me.There was not enough room in to pod for the led wires to clear past the tach/speedo body so I had to figure out something else. I wanted to do a lower ring anyway so I hid the wires behind it. Today was real nice so I went for a long ride up the coast to clear some cobwebs out of my melon. Then, came home and tried to finish the clocks. Well, still don’t have them complete. The backing ring took a while cuuuuuz! I had to machine it out of a solid piece. Then drilled and tapped some thread to afix it to the mounting bracket.
As you can see, I don’t have the right size bolts but you get the idea. I still have to machine the lower ring to make room for all the wires for the speedo and tach. The wires you see in the pics are only the led wires. I may use a flashing red led for critical low and move the orange over to “head light on” indicator. That, or I need to find another color for it.

Also, there is more contouring and clean up on the mounting bracket. I have decided to go with a combination of gloss and flat black paint, and polished aluminum for the final product.

Had a great day today. Threw the engine together, that is almost. After getting everything sorted and gooped with case cement, and put together, guess what happened? On the final torque of the main case bolts one stripped out. So apart she comes again, drill, helicoil, re-goop, rebolt and success… Yeeehhhhh, or almost. Three of the 6mm bolts let go this time. INcluding one of the deeeeep pocket ones that goes in from the top of the cases. Apart she comes again.

Sorry I have been away from the blog. Been busy selling and making parts. You have to pay when you want to play…
A buddy of mine gave me a fuel lamp indicator the other day.It is just what I needed for my low fuel warning light. With the system I am using (sv650 thermistor style low fuel warning) I apprently need an incondescent bulb to work with the thermistors. They don’t seem to work with just resistors and led lights. So, I am working on a plan to use the incondescent for low fuel and a flashing led for critical low as the sv650 has duel thermistors.
The light my buddy so graciously gave me, is just rubber and plastic so I fabbed a housing for it to fit on the instrument panel. I still have some final contouring to do on the panel but it is very close now. I am waiting for a couple colored leds so I can finally have it all mocked up and then, figure out paint, powder, polish????

Here is a diagram of how I installed my on/off headlight switch for my 1982 suzuki katana. This can be made to work on most bikes if you are familiar with your wiring.

I started with a standard Bosh style 5 terminal relay. Terminals 85 and 86 are for the coil of the relay. When power is applied to the coil it will make a connection between terminal 30 and 87. Power (12vdc) is brought to terminal 30 via a hot lead from the wiring harness. In this case an orange with red tracer. Without this relay on a stock katana the wire going to terminal 30 would be plugged directly into the wire connected to terminal 87. The relay is only acting as a switch between these two wires. In simple terms you could run each of these wires directly to a switch and that would turn your head light on or of. I am using a relay so I can utilize a light to tell me the head light is off.

The Bosh style 5 terminal relays have a normally closed terminal which is 87a. What this means is, the power going to terminal 30 is connected to terminal 87a until the relay is switched on by the power to the coil. This flips the relay to connect the terminals 30 and 87. When the power is switched off to the relay it switches back to reconnect terminals 30 and 87a. This is where the warning light comes in.

When I turn on the key, and my head light is off, the indicator light will come on because the relay is not switched on. After the bike is running I throw the head light switch on and that activates the relay turning off the indicator light and turning on my head light. I am also using a relay because my head light switch has 18 or 20 gauge wire and I am concerned it is not heavy enough to handle the current needed for the head light. I am using a switch that is incorporated into my right hand control.

Wow, this has turned into lots of work. Picked up a piece of aluminum for the speedometer, tachometer mount. I will be machining off some of the ignition mount on the top triple since I am using a digital keyless ignition. It is in the way. I have the speedo mount roughed out and the rubber mounts done. I will be adding a bracket for the Yosh multimeter, and locating the set button for the clocks as well as installing an incondescent bulb for the low fuel light.
There seems to be a real problem getting the thing to work with an LED as the thermistor needs a current draw to help heat it up to allow current to flow, whereby turning on the light. So, I will use the incondescent bulb top right in conjunction with a second LED for critical low. This will be a flashing LED wired in parallel with the incondescent. At least that is the plan. I figure the regular bulb will cause curent to flow when the second thermistor is exposed to air which will in turn, turn on the led.
That leaves me with one extra light around my speedo, which I will be using for a head light off indicator. Since I am using a common bosh style relay for the head light, I can use the “normally on” contact to illuminate an LED showing me my head light is currently off. I can see myself forgetting to turn the thing one all the time which the police around here won’t like, being daytime running lights are the law.