1982 Suzuki GS650 Katana
Frame no. GS650G108087
Engine no. GS650G 122259

Styled by the German firm of Target Design under the direction of Briton Jan Fellstrom and first seen at the 1980 Cologne Show, the GSX1100 Katana represented a bold effort to produce an uncompromising sports bike in the European mould. The result was a machine that combined straight-line speed with secure handling like no Japanese bike before it. The concept's immediate success confirmed the wisdom of Suzuki's policy of introducing a family of similarly styled machines across just about every capacity class, the shaft-driven GS650 getting the Katana treatment for 1981. Offered here is an honest and unmolested example of this 1980s style icon. The engines in all the GS-series Suzukis were over engineered, making them virtually indestructible if well maintained and capable of high mileage. If minor damage to left-hand engine case and relatively insignificant blemishes were addressed, the machine would look very smart, without further expense other than the usual re-commissioning: carburettor cleaning, oil change, new battery, etc. The bike currently displays a total of 80,235 kilometres (approximately 48,900 miles) on the odometer and the machine is offered with copies of Dutch registration papers. No reserve.