Katana Owners Club U.K.

with a new to me GS650G Katana.
Bought cheaply off ebay, with a known starting issue, it has new fork stanchions, rear shocks, tyres, battery, starter solenoid and brake pads. And some dubious looking silencers.
On inspection, the starter motor was goosed, much as I expected.



£174 later, it's replacement in situ.



only problem is that the battery terminal mounting post is slightly longer than the original and touches the starter motor cover - I spaced the cover ever so slightly to clear it. Motor now spins sweetly on the button.
As the carbs had to come off, I took the opportunity to send them to my mate for stripping / cleaning / rebuilding - still awaiting their return.

Decided to drop the oil and change the filter whilst waiting for the carbs.
Oil filter housing came off OK but the sump drain plug fell out after a single full turn with the socket, revealing no threads in the housing.
Off with the exhaust system, first sump bolt came out OK but the second one sheared off. Rest of bolts came out without drama. So now I need to remove whats left of the snapped bolt. I've applied heat and tried removing it with two nuts locked together, but only succeeded in stripping the thread. Awaiting delivery of a stud extractor tool. It's becoming a not-so-cheap bike now!

There's a lot of stud showing there. I'd try and get a nut welded to the stud and the heat from the welding will also help to breaking the bond.
Personally I'd avoid the stud extractor - they can cause more issues than fix but depends on your luck. If you are going to use them (assuming it's a type that grips the outside of the stud) then lots of heat, heat is always your friend!

Good advice, but I do not have access to any welding equipment. I do have a hot air gun though, so I will use that to warm it up.

Saw these on ebay tonight - not sure what the quality is like, but they are amazingly cheap at £20 a set.
The originals are solid, and soaking in a bath of Wintergreen oil and solvent, so I will fit these and see how they perform meantime.

geekay wrote: ↑

Fri May 03, 2024 9:40 pm

Good advice, but I do not have access to any welding equipment. I do have a hot air gun though, so I will use that to warm it up.

Neither do I, I have to ask a mate when it comes to welding! I did have one when I had a Triumph Spitfire but sold it when I sold the car!
You would need something hotter than a hot air gun, at minimum a Propane/Butane Blow Torch, which are cheap enough.

geekay wrote: ↑

Fri May 03, 2024 9:47 pm

soaking in a bath of Wintergreen oil and solvent.

Good stuff!

The new inlet manifolds arrived today. They look and feel OK, not fond of the stainless clips but hey-ho, I replaced them with the originals.
They fit well and, after cutting the "flap" off the back of the airbox-to-carb rubbers, mounting the newly refurbished carbs was a doddle.

To cut a long story short, having had various ignition problems, I have now fitted a Dyna Tek ignition system and Dyna coils + leads and caps and all is well. Number 3 cylinder was reluctant to join in with the other 3 at low revs, but after adding some STP fuel cleaner and taking it for a run it is now participating. Tick over is still a bit erratic but I'm hoping that when we get some decent weather over here on the East coast, a good run out will sort that problem. I have painted the fairing using rattle cans - not a perfect match but close enough - and fitted a pair of higher-rise handlebars. I am now awaiting the delivery of a pair of chrome Marving silencers from Italy to replace the horribly loud reverse cone meggas that are currently fitted. All being well, it's then ready for Eurokaat 11!

I have also acquired a second 650 - it appeared on Facebook and the price was right so I bought it. It came with 8 boxes of used spares + wheels, swing arms and even a decent 4-1 exhaust! Not sure what to do with this one - I am tempted to restore it to as near as standard as possible - to which end I am snaffling any low-priced new parts that appear for sale.