Katana Owners Club U.K.

Just a whim but what's the feasability of rear wheel swops on a 650? As most folks tend (in some camps anyway) to upgrade their Kats with more modern running gear I wondered about the rear wheel on the 650. Front ends don't pose too many problems but being shaft driven their can't be many rear wheels that are compatible?
Chain drive conversion? Too many frame/swingarm/gearbox output problems?...I sense a 'yes' to this one...

I think there is only a couple of different wheels which will fit the shaft drive hub, The Star wheel which will be fitted and the GS650GL US Custom wheel which has a different pattern and Poss one of the VL800/1400 Custom cruisers which were also shaft drive, other than that it'll be an Engineering job to try and coddle a different rear wheel to the shaft drive. Or find a chain drive 650 engine...........which I think there was in some countries round the world.

But "Polishing a Turd" springs to mind!

The GL wheel will fit but is 16" so you wouldn't. There was a chain drive 650 the 650 E , which uses the 750 rear end , but why bother getting a shaft then dropping a chain drive in?
May as well get a cheaper 550 kat and muck about with that.

Like I said, just a whim. More out of curiosity than intent since there are a fair few 650's up for grabs at the moment within easy reach of me and I wondered about the possible potential for development.

not huge is the answer i think we can take away. they really are what they are... if it's something you want to have a tinker with, likes been suggested, a 550 is likely to be a better option as it's chain out of the box. the shaft of the 650 will hugely limit it upgradability if you like.... both bobster and fossie know these bikes rather well shall we say so its all sound advice you've been given so far

if you like a tinker, there's a 750 on gumtree that coiuld do with some tlc

Aye, the Stirling 750? I'm not totally sold on the 650 as a way to go, just considering options due to one up for sale being literally down the road. I'm gonna call the bloke about the one in Stirling but as has been said on previous posts I won't be offering 850 quid for it..... ;}

maybe you need to think out of the box on this one! So if you got the 650 cheap enough you could always remove the shaft drive swinging arm make up some spacers and fit another swinging arm and engine from another bike.................

The old saying " Where there's a will........there's a way" springs to mind!

Wot? Like the CB900f or CBX750 motors lying in my garage? Would you guys not string me up for some kind of H*nda blasphemy?? Nah, I think I've got better options on the horizon rather than try to make a silk purse out of a sows ear.
With all the parts in my garage it would end up as a Honda/Suzuki hybrid and I'd be unpopular with everybody for commiting unspeakable acts against sacred motorcycle brands...or something.

Yeah you would, and we would ............it would have to be a Suzuki engine.

Would it now? That's kinda throwing down the gauntlet to create some unholy bastard machine and stir up a heap of discussion. It's ok to use the running gear/wheels/brakes /forks/swingarms etc from other manufacturers but not a motor? Not even in desperate times to get a machine on the road or build an interesting hybrid?
I wouldn't really - I've got other things planned for these engines anyway ;} ....but that could all change......