Thinking my next project may be a motorcycle.

Well I sold my E21. I have no desire to get involved in another big long rusty car rebuild project. However, my mental health takes a huge nose dive if I don't have some kind of project going on for very long.

I love the Sportster as is and really have no plans on changing anything on it. It's great at certain things and not the best at others. Living in east TN I have some of the country's best roads basically at my doorstep. And as such I am kinda thinking something with a little more sporting personality would be appropriate.

I could spend bunch of money on suspension for the Sporty but it would still be limited by its designed.

I'm not looking for a superbike by any means. I am thinking something along the lines of a small displacement sport bike from the early to mid eighty's. 750cc max.

What models are most appealing?

What kind of costs would be involved in binging one back to life?

Parts availability?

Initial cash outlay for a good starting point with a title?

I really like the idea of an '83 Katana 750 but I have a feeling those are a little on the expensive side.

TBH if you want a Katana, I'd go for the 1000 (if you can find one, they are rather rare and I don't know if those were sold in the US) or the 1100. They might be a bit more expensive but the potential upside is bigger than on a 750.

The engine on the 1100 is pretty much unbreakable if it's been halfway looked after. IIRC Katana-specific parts aren't that easy to find anymore so I'd buy the one in the best cosmetic condition you can find.

I know the 1000 was sold here. From my little bit of digging it seems these early Katana's are fairly collectable and likely a little more expensive than I want them to be. It doesn't have to be a Katana, any of the early sport bikes are gonna be a world better in the twistys than the H-D. I don't know how many times I've scrapped my pegs at 20-30mph. As far as power this is what I'm used to Not exactly huge numbers but it's plenty fast enough for me in a straight line. I think even an early 1000 sport bike may be out of my comfort zone. Is it that the 1000's are less likely to break than a 750?

The 1100s are the unbreakable ones, Suzuki has been using that engine for a long time in other bikes as well so there's also a lot of knowledge (and spare engines if need be...) around.

The 1000s - at least in Europe - were a bit more of a homologation special for racing than the 1100.

The big advantage of a the bigger engined ones is that you get more torque, which makes for a lazier ride. You don't have to use all the additional power .

BoxheadTim wrote: You don't *have* to use all the additional power .

RIIIIIGHT, me thinks you don't know me very well

How do you feel about a 1978 GL1000? Its already in project mode, I am working on fixing it. I bought it for the same reason, I'm in Cookeville, TN and coming from IL I couldn't not get a motorcycle. But I leave in Dec.

fritzsch wrote: How do you feel about a 1978 GL1000? Its already in project mode, I am working on fixing it. I bought it for the same reason, I'm in Cookeville, TN and coming from IL I couldn't not get a motorcycle. But I leave in Dec.

I just got back home from working in Cookeville all week. If I would have known you were there we could have met up for some beers or something. On a side note there seem to be a lot of pretty girls in and around that area. Anyway, how do they ride? They certainly can be made to look good but I'm not sure how sport bikeish they are?

vFR500

Fazer 750

SRX

FJ1200

GPZ 600 or 900

How about something like this? I like the look but is it a sporty ride?

I was just going to suggest a Nighthawk 700s. It's basically a sportier bored-out version of my 650. I think the 650 is plenty sporty, although I don't have a huge frame of reference, the 650 is the only bike I've ever owned. The 650 has 72 hp and runs a mid-12 1/4 mile, the 700s is bumped up 8hp from that and has a bit more aggressive seating position and the mini-fairing. I like my 650, but that might be a little more cruiser-y than you're looking for. Either one would be noticeably quicker than your sportster.

I have an '82 Katana 1000; they're fun bikes but the ergonomics and stock suspension aren't the most comfortable for regular riding. You may want to consider a regular GS Suzuki, they have essentially the same engine and chassis but are a lot better for real world use. I noticed a 1983 GS1100E on my local Craigslist recently selling for only $950, and it looks like a pretty decent one: http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/mcy/4089440792.html

I have an 89 750 Katana for sale. Yeah it is "only" a 750, but with 100hp on tap it is plenty quick.

O.K. went out for a little ride with my boss today. He has a GSXR 750 I believe it's an 08.

This bike in particular

It's sitting in my basement now because the rear tire looks like this

We switched for a little while and I got my first taste of a sport bike. The first thing that sticks out is the power...OMG the POWER. It's so addicting, it wasn't scary like the GSXR1000 I rode around the block a couple years ago (never got out of first gear because I rolled on about 1/4 throttle and the front wheel wanted to come up) but arrest me speed is so easily attainable. I came out of a medium speed sweeper in 4th laid into it and was 100+ in a blink of an eye. I didn't really test out the handling too much because I would need a lot more seat time on it to get comfortable with the way it handles plus I really didn't want to wad up the boss's bike. However the one thing that did stick out was the amount of force it took to throw it down into a corner. On the Sportster it's so easy, this thing really took some muscle to get it down. It is super responsive however.

As impressive of a machine as it is, I came away from the ride with the impression that I like mine better. I didn't ride it long enough to really get comfortable with the riding position on it but I had a pain in my wrists almost instantly. I never felt connected with the bike and felt like I was going to fall off of it at any moment.

That GSX-R would probably lay down easier with a less flat profile to the rear tire.

Yeah it's well beyond gone. I believe the previous owner did a lot of burnouts and wheelies. My boss has only put about 500 miles on it...250 of which may have been on only one tire

He came away from the ride wanting to sell his and get a sporty He actually ran off and left me in the twisty bits while riding my bike.

Coming from your Sporster, and seeing has you don't like sports bike (I know I don't), I think you were on the right track with something like a Katana. It's more sporty than your HD (higher foot pegs, less fork inclination, etc) without being twitchy and tiresome like a true sportbike.

I would suggest the GS1100 too. It's a very sturdy and common bike, with a lot of aftermarket. It's sporty, but still comfy. And it looks good as a Cafe Racer:

I would suggest you NOT to get a GPZ. My first bike was an 1983 GPZ 550. It was a very fun bike, probably the kind you would be looking for, but I was always fixing it, and the parts were hard to find 10 years ago. I'm sure it hasn't got any better.

You could find a FJ1100 also. Never rode one, but they seem sporty enough, and they are cheap around here because everyone wants the FJ1200.

Oh, and good idea on the bike project. Wrenching on a bike is a lot of fun. No stuck bolts, everything easy to access, quick gratification. Last bike I did, was turn a 83 Virago 750 from this: To something similar to this: It was quick and fun.