1988 Suzuki GSX1100F Katana - My one Year Review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ธ.ค. 2020
- This is a very well used bike that I bought with 113,000 kilometers on it just around mid July 2019. It needed some work and a major tune-up, and is still a work in progress, although for a 32 year old motorcycle and very comfortable sport touring machine I consider it reliable enough that in my mind it was all money well spent.
To date my total invested is about $3,500.00 CDN, ... which if you think about it isn't all that bad for a 1100 cc beast of a bike.
My first bike was a 1992 Katana 1100 - first thing I ever road. I was a bigger guy & it was a great bike to learn on & have fun on!
I'm amazed at how well these things were built. 33 years later it may not be perfect but it's certainly still a pretty good machine. I can only imagine what this would have been like as a new bike. :) Thanks for the comment :)
I'm checking out one now. Great bikes.
Definitely great bikes. These were built to last.
I agree with what you say about the Suzuki GSX 1100F. It´s is a high-performance sports tourer with full touring, I have the model 94 and it´s like freight train and weighs like one too. I leave in Denmark and people notice it and asking about so i can see why it was really popular in that time and it still is.
Thanks for the lovely videos you make and your honesty about the bike.
Yours Sincerely
The Danish Viking.
I agree and believe this to be one of the best Sport Touring bikes a guy could own. Very durable and quick, there isn't a lot of vibration, and the riding position and seat are comfortable. Thanks for watching and commenting. :)
Very nice condition. My '89 has been sitting outside for a good 10 years. I got it running again and it was running on 2 cylinders, but just a replacement of the spark plugs allowed it to run like new. It has around 250k kilometers. Don't quite remember since it had turned over a couple times haha.
Hi there. A friend of mine bought this model new in like 1993, when I was owning a 750GSXF. Despite the significant weight increase, I had been very surprised to find the 1100 somehow easier and more confidence inspiring in the twisties. It was probably due to the 16 inches front wheel. And yes, very comfortable. Glad you're enjoying your toy. Ride safe!
Hello Jean and thanks for watching and the comment. :) Honestly I'm quite amazed that this bike's still as good as it is 33 years later. I would have loved to have one of these when brand new.
Nice!! I owned an 88 with a number of mods. ignition advanced, Yoshimura slip one, jet kit, k&n filter, upgraded brakes w SS lines and suspension upgraded. Sold it at 50,000km and last saw it running around Vancouver BC about 3 years ago w about 90-100km on it from memory. great bike simple motor. stock suspension terrible though and would be sacked by now. ride safe. ride safe and hope you still own it:)
Thank you for the kind comment. You're right these are great bikes and if they're looked after will go on pretty much forever.
Sadly I sold mine about 2 days ago because I plan on leaving the country this autumn, and the beginning of bike season was my best option.
This one is in Vancouver too because we moved here a couple of years ago. :)
The motorcycle magazines I read back in the days when this was released, reported this as the first production bike that undoubtedly reached a top speed over 250 km/h. Apparently there were those that argued Kawasaki was first, since there was a bike many years before this that also was as fast or faster, but that was because the American importer mounted a turbo on it, so it wasn't a production bike from the factory.
I think of this bike as a predecessor of the Hayabusa, since it was the aerodynamics of this bike that let it step over that limit of 250 km/h, and it was the same for the Hayabusa that made it the first bike to reach over 300 km/h.
Thanks so much. I agree with you completely. By the time I bought this bike it was already 32 years old and had 113,000 km on it, and I still considered it one of the fastest bikes I ever rode. At that age and with those km on it I'm certain it wasn't as fast as the CB1100F I bought brand new in 1983, but I sure wish I would have bought one of these '88 GSX1100F's brand new. That bike would have been a beast fresh from the factory.
Tim, I still own the 1993 Katana 1100 I bought new in 1993. It only has 34ooo miles on it, but its been sitting for 10-12 years, its got a fuel problem . I only wish I could trust a decent honest Suzuki mechanic to give it a good work over in the Cleveland , Ohio area. So I can ride it again.
That would be a beautiful bike George. After sitting that long I wonder if the valve springs on the valves that have been open that long might be a bit weaker too? In any case with just 34,000 miles on it I think it would be a great machine.
@@timsretirementjourney8323 I turn the engine over occasionally with a battery jumper, but it wont start.
@@albion2742 most likely needs the gas tank cleaned, new fuel lines and msybe carbs cleaned too, very cool to see someone on here very close to me, im about an hour away from cleveland and i own two 750 gsxf, a 93 and 94
Hi there my good friend..that is. A beautiful bike really. .. great video tim
Hey Tom it's great to hear from you my friend and thanks very much for watching and the kind comment. Keep safe always.
@@timsretirementjourney8323 you are so welcome and I hope you are so so well
Hey Tim I had a 1998 Katana that I loved I hope you have tons of fun with yours anyway great video thanks
@@michaeldowdy3176 thank you very much Michael. These are very nice bikes and it's nice to hear that you had one in your past as well. 😊
@@TomandRuthPhilippineAdventures we are alright Tom, .... although so far it's been a very strange year to say the least. lol
Regards also to Ruth and Rachel, and Merry Christmas to all of you.
Great looking bike, good job on your videos 👍. I bought the same model few months ago and I really like it. Did you install the luggage rack or your bike came with it?
Thanks for the kind comments. This one had the luggage racks when I bought it and I think whoever bought the bike new ordered that as a factory option. I'm glad you're enjoying yours too. They're really good machines. 😎
A very nice review of an "old gold" bike :-) Like you, I'm an older rider, came late to the party, interested to see your clock works, did you have to change the batteries in it? Ride safe, sir :-)
Thanks so much for the kind comment. I really loved that bike but sold it just recently as I'm getting ready to leave the country and retire full time in the Philippines. As far as the clock battery I never had to replace that but I think the previous owner did.
Looks like a fun bike. There's one for sale near me and I'm thinking of buying it for touring. So it's low maintenance? Does it eat chains & sprockets quicker because of its weight? How would you say the fuel economy is for long distance touring? (I'm guessing that was not one of its selling points) Do you think it'd be comfortable for very long rides?
Thanks for watching and the comment. I don't find it too bad as far as the maintenance or the gas mileage to be honest. This bike got a good tune up when I bought it and although I can't remember the gas mileage the tank holds 21 liters so it'll take you quite a distance. According to what I googled you should get a bit more than 300km per tank.
I think as far as chains and sprockets that depends a lot on how it's ridden as well as the quality of the components. These had 136hp when new and would quarter mile in 10.7 seconds.
Comfort wise I could ride at least a couple of hundred km without having to get off but I'm 70 years old now and the ergonomics of a Katana don't suit me like they would have a few years back. The Corbin seat the bike had when I bought it is super comfortable on longer rides though.
@@timsretirementjourney8323 ah i heard some people complain about comfort, im guessing its because of the factory seat. Would you say this bike has a sitting position that is on the lower side? Are you aware of any recurring problems with this model that I should look for when buying it?
@@sayuas4293 with me I'm about 6'1" tall although I think someone 5'9" and up would likely be alright.
Depending on the mileage I might be inclined to get it looked over at a shop just to make sure suspension bushings, etc are good, as well as hopefully not needing a tune up right off the bat.
@@timsretirementjourney8323 Thank you, I'm tall so that's good. Do you think that the brakes on it are good and I read some comments about how it doesn't have such good handling in corners, what do you think of that?
Hi,are parts still available for this bike????
I think it would depend on the part. For body pieces I think a person would need to go to e-Bay or some place like that but I think most other things can be bought at the dealerships. I've done complete tune ups, replaced the gas tank petcock and sprockets and chain with no issues.
@@timsretirementjourney8323 are you from the u/s ???? Or other country????
@@vernondemaree7289 I'm in Canada. We recently moved from Ontario to British Columbia at the West Coast.
@@timsretirementjourney8323 nice ,I'm from BELIZE .NICE CHATTING WITH YOU!!!!!!
@@vernondemaree7289 Nice chatting with you too. Wow the weather in Belize must be great at this time of the year!! Take good care.