Description
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Click here for an CycleVIN Motorcycle History Report on this 1982 Suzuki Katana 1000. Additional photos are available here for your perusal.
In the late 70s and early 80s, Japanese manufacturers were selling standard bikes as fast as they could make them. And while most of the bikes were technically sound, they all started to emulate each other, creating the UJM (first coined by Cycle magazine). Some considered it efficient, others considered it boring. Either way, it’s why bikes like the Katana are very important in the history of motorcycles.
Suzuki’s Marketing Manager in Germany told his Japanese management, “we had the most technically advanced bikes, but their design was uninteresting!” In response, Suzuki hired a three person team called Target Design, led by the ex-chief of BMW’s styling, Hans Muth, to update the ‘company image’. This was his first creation, which was an immediate showstopper at the Cologne Motor Show in 1980. In fact, the fairing might remind you of a similar Muth creation – the BMW R65LS.
Bennett’s summed up the Katana quite simply: “Before 1979 motorcycle design was simple…and then Suzuki launched the Katana and everything changed. It’s impossible to overstate the impact this bike had at the time, even if it was more about the conversations than the sales figures…The first Japanese bike with an aerodynamic, frame-mounted fairing, first with proper racing clip-on bars and the first one to break the traditional look of a motorcycle. Journalists at the time were convinced it was too futuristic for the public to understand it, but Suzuki countered that by also playing the oldest trick in motorcycling’s book – making it the most powerful and fastest bike you could buy.”
This example is VIN: JS1GT72A9C2100749. The seller acquired it two years ago from Redline Motors, a dealership.
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During his ownership, the seller covered 700 miles. The odometer shows 14,059 miles, though the seller notes that true mileage is unknown.
Maintenance:
The seller states that he changed the brake fluid, clutch fluid, chain, and sprockets at 13,458 miles and that he just changed the oil (at 14,059 miles).
Modifications:
Stainless steel brake lines and an upgraded master cylinder.
Cosmetic Blemishes:
The seller notes “one small hairline crack top fairing near turn signal.”
Inside of the tank:
Currently located in Easthampton, Massachusetts, this Suzuki is offered on a clean Massachusetts title.
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