
| Suzuki Katana Superbike Purple I met Steve Smart at the 2010 Motorcycle Supershow event. He had purchased this bike from Wes Cooley and ridden it in Canada for a couple of years. He was kind enough to send me some photos of the bike - this one in the purple/yellow colour scheme, which he rode at Mosport in 1985 and a black/red colour scheme which he won at Shannonville in 1984. The bikes were very similar and so I was pretty familiar with what was needed to make the model into a Superbike version. Base Kit(s): Tamiya 1/12 scale 14065 Suzuki GSX1100S Katana Custom Tuned Finished: September 2010 Modifications: Scratchbuilt - left side engine cover from sheet styrene - both footpegs, rear brake lever and gear change lever from styrene sheet and rod - muffler from aluminum tubing - rear swing arm and front brake caliper mounts from styrene - flared aluminum tube added to carbs - clutch cable arm and mounting bracket from styrene - handlebars from copper wire Modified - front fender and shocks changed to incorporate brace - carbs and front brake disks from Aoshima Kawasaki Ninja - removed starter motor, remounted turned upside down and blended in with engine case - chain cover had material removed and interior details added - top of engine block modified on both sides - new shock springs (two parts) made from wire - rear subframe tubing changed and shock mounts relocated. - oil dipstick top added - front forks replaced with polished aluminum rod Other - chain and gears were modified from a Yamaha YZR-M1 photoetch set and include rivets - Detail Master braided lines and fittings for oil cooler - exhaust springs added and engine mounting and joint under engine. - braided lines used for brake cables and oil cooler lines with T2M banjo joints - RB Motion rod ends for rear brake mechanism and gear shifter - Wheels, tires and tachometer from Tamiya Kawasaki 1000 Endurance motorcycle kit - Custom printed number plates - Paint is Tamiya acrylic yellow on frame, Testors Plum Crazy Purple enamel on bodywork Awards: MegaCity Madness, Toronto, Sept 2010, 2nd place Motorcycle Ajax XXX, Ajax, ON, Oct 2010 - 2nd place Racing Motorcycle Heritagecon 5, Hamilton, ON March 2011, 2nd place motorcycles Kingston Modelrama, Kingston, ON, May 2011 - 1st place motorcycles Click on Thumbnail to see detailed image. These images are 1024 x 768 and should load reasonably quickly, depending on your connection speed. |