Suzuki Katana by Motohangar

Suzuki Katana by Motohangar

When we heard that Motohangar had ripped the bodywork off a Suzuki Katana we were dismayed. After all the Katana is one of the most iconic motorcycles ever made.

But then we found out that Patrick Jones and crew were revitalizing a 2006 Suzuki Katana not one of the 1980s originals. A little research revealed that the name was revived in the USA for the GSXF range a series of bland sport-tourers with none of the angular magic of the original.

“This one came to us from one of our first clients” says Patrick. “He got a CB750 from us a while back and then wanted something as a daily driver/commuter. So he bought a Katana and asked what we could do with it.”

“We wanted it to have a mix of old and new flavors” says Patrick “and a bit of ‘industrial urban assault’ styling!” To get the right aesthetics Motohangar went for bare metal and minimal paintwork plus aggressive-looking Avon Distanzia tires. (“They seemed to really pull the look together.”)

The budget was small so the huge seat was given a starring role and the taillights were fitted underneath after a little subframe modification. The stock GSXF tank was stripped back to the metal and minor black detailing was added elsewhere for a monochromatic look.

A shortened FMF exhaust system suits the style of the bike and was a major part of an overall weight-reduction regime. The rest of the work was relatively straightforward: relocating the battery adding pod air filters and re-jetting the carbs for maximum performance.

To improve the stance of the Katana Patrick lowered the front end a tad and then added Vortex clip-ons and a GT380 headlight. And it looks good. Maybe not as arresting as the original German design but a helluva lot better than the starting point.

“It was refreshing to work on this bike” Patrick comments. “We’ve been doing a lot of CBs and 70s bikes so this was a change of pace and we’re proud of the final product.”

If you’ve ever seen a GSXF ‘Katana’ you’ll know that Motohangar has done an amazing job.

Got a taste for 1980s styling and the best part of 50000 to spare? Then check out the resto-mod Katanas available from the Japanese shop AC Sanctuary.

Source: Bike Exif