Some aficionados imagine that the one option to design a lovely motorbike, is to keep up a superbly horizontal basis line. However the German designer Hans Muth thumbed his nostril at this conference, when he penned the mighty Suzuki Katana. He did imagine within the significance of “flyline”—however on the Katana, he intentionally made it angular and dramatic.
His design raised various eyebrows, however it additionally went on to grow to be iconic. As of late, it presents customizers with an attention-grabbing quandary: lean into the Katana’s inherent quirkiness, or try to clean out its traces? Maurizio Carraro has carried out a little bit of each right here, with intriguing outcomes.
Maurizio runs the workshop Imbarcadero 14 Venice, the place he’s constructed up a portfolio that covers a broad vary of manufacturers and types. “The bike was commissioned as a present for the fiftieth birthday of an previous pal of mine,” he tells us, “an individual keen about bikes and vehicles. So the bike needed to be quick and protected to journey, to fulfill the expectations of an skilled rider.”
The donor was 1986-model Suzuki GSX 1100 Katana, and the transient referred to as for a café racer construct. However Maurizio injected shades of traditional sport tourers in it too—and a touch of the unique Katana silhouette.
To attain this, a whole new set of garments needed to be fabricated for the Katana 1100. Maurizio mocked up the design utilizing Photoshop first, then introduced it to life in aluminum.
It’s quick turning into the norm to make use of 3D printing to create molds for shaping metallic over, however Maurizio didn’t take that route. As a substitute, he formed every half freeform with the assistance of his common collaborator, Ronnie Biasibetti. Their work contains the entrance fairing and fender, gas tank, tail part and stomach pan, tweaks to the subframe, and the one-off bracket that holds the fairing.
So as to add a contact of modernity, Maurizio embedded a pair of LED projectors up entrance, and an LED taillight out again. The cockpit retains the unique Katana yoke and clip-ons, however sports activities new grips and a digital Acewell speedo.
Decrease down are a brand new set of Tarozzi rear-sets. The tail piece is adorned with a slim racing seat pad, whereas a hand-made license plate mount retains issues avenue authorized out again.
The bodywork is likely to be the most important change, however the remainder of the bike received a ton of consideration too. The entrance forks had been rebuilt with new internals, whereas the rear shocks had been swapped out for a set of longer piggyback models. The wheels and brakes are unique too, however all the pieces’s been refurbished and repainted.
Maurizio additionally stripped the motor to wash and refinish it, in and out. It appears manufacturing unit contemporary now, with contrasting black and metallic finishes. Even the logos have been polished again in, giving the bike a interval appropriate really feel.
A row of pod filters are tucked in beneath the bodywork, with a pair of Virex mufflers doing responsibility additional again.
Race followers may acknowledge the Katana 1100’s new coloration palette. It takes inspiration from Barry Sheene’s 1976 Suzuki XR14, though it’s a reinterpretation somewhat than a duplicate. It’s complemented by successful of gold on the wheels, with the body refinished in black.
It’s an uncommon search for the Katana, however we’re into it. Consider it as a Katana from an alternate universe, the place Herr Muth was obsessive about traditional race bikes and didn’t personal a protractor.
Imbarcadero 14 Venice | Instagram | Pictures by Giovanni Federici
