Katana Owners Club U.K.

Hi all

I'm Dave and I live in a place called St Helens in the NW. I've just signed up to the site today as I'm looking for info around the newer Katana.

I currently have a couple of cruisers, a VZR1800 Intruder and an XVS1300 Midnight Star. As they both do the same job I'm looking to move the XVS1300 on and replace it with a Katana for the backroad blasts. At the weekend gone I went to my local dealership - Millenium Motorcycles to look at a pre-reg 19 plate but found to my disappointment I could only just touch the floor when I sat on it. Proper tip toes which isn't safe enough for my liking. I guess I'm not the tallest bloke in the world at 5' 9", but I guess I must also have stumpy legs lol.

So, although this is an introduction I guess there's also a general question - has anyone had experience of lowering them? Smaller seat, suspension set up etc? I think realistically I'd have to shave 40mm or so from somewhere.

Cheers.

I know the GSXf1000 sat lower than the Katana, you could try to sit on that one.

Hi and welcome from a near neighbour, I’m from Warrington. I can’t help with the new Kat as I’ve got a real one
(Sorry I couldn’t resist )
As for height 5’9” your a giant! I’m only 5’7” I can get both feet flat on the ground on my 1100

Thanks all for the welcome.

Definitely stumpy legs then lol. The link above from Blix is promising and I've sent them a mail asking for more details. After doing that to the rear, slipping the forks down a bit, and tweaking the suspension I should be good.

Blix also makes a very good point that a good original bike and a newer version cost about the same. I'm not one to argue that the original does look far better, in the same way an original Mini looks far better than the new stuff BMW put out, but for me fuel injection is important as you can leave them a while without carbs getting gummed up etc. My work/life means a bike can be sat for 3 or 4 months before then getting hammered for the next 3 or 4 months.

Thanks again for the welcome.

Phorbuz some valid points in there, let's hope your enquiries result in the answers you need .
This problem must also arise in Japan surely so maybe there are aftermarket bits available .

cuban heels?

johnr wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 25, 2020 3:06 am

cuban heels?

Still got mine but swmbo won’t let me wear them

As for leaving a carb'ed bike for a while then needing to clean the carbs, either a fuel adative or this
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RUN-ON-95-UN ... 1438.l2649
Works a treat ....just drop it in your tank and forget it .....raises the octane , slows the dissolving down emensly...
Developed by boffins in WW2 for the RAF to fly Merlin engines on really shite juice.
I used it for years, started aft a 650 used to pink on hot days and motorway runs ....once this was dropped in the tank mpg got better and pinking stopped .

Does this stuff really work Fossie? I seem to remember reading an article where they debunked it
Probably early senility kicking in but I’m sure I’ve read it somewhere?

I use Esso super in both my bikes and have no problems. The VJMC have done tests and found no ethanol in their super.

This is the article I read

https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r ... yst-review