From ‘icon’ sometimes being thrown around too easily, but there’s no arguing Suzuki’s Katana request it. Its radical look might not appeal to everyone when it first appeared in 1981, but it has gone on to build a real cult following. So if you’re going to build a Katana recovery, you better do it fairly.
Darren Begg sure knows how to treat Katana properly. He runs dB Customs in Ottawa, Canada and has an amazing knack for building 80’s recover and racing bikes. Not one to sacrifice function for form, he also tends to submerge his bikes in well-regarded performance updates.
Built for a client, this sinister Suzuki Katana is actively brimming with style. Darren’s updated it with major body, engine and chassis changes—but it hasn’t lost its classic charm.
The project started with a 1982 Suzuki GSX1100S Katana, but very few details of the original car remained. First, the engine has been completely overhauled. It currently runs 1,216 cc Wiseco pistons, with Ray Mancini at Xtreme Motorsports responsible for the head rework.
Other upgrades include oversized stainless steel valves, Webcam camshafts, and Hayabusa bars with custom spacers. There’s also a new ECU from NWT Electronics and a Dynatek Dyna 2000 igniter with new coils, all built to work with Accel wires. A quick glance behind the front wheel reveals a new Setrab oil cooler.
Katana inhales through a row of Yoshimura TMR-MJN carburetors and exits through a Racefit titanium exhaust system. (You can get an ear of it here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj_nEq0H8pI].)
Darren also paid attention to the frame. It has been braced in all the right places and combined with a reinforced Suzuki Bandit 1200 rear swingarm. It is also running a full complement of Öhlins suspension components; upside down forks for the front and powerful shock absorbers for the rear.
As for the wheels, Darren decided to use lightweight aluminum rims from Dymag, with Avon Spirit ST tyres. Twin Brembo brake calipers at the front, with a single Brembo set on a custom rack at the rear. Both sides run by new braided stainless steel tubes.
The Katana’s entire bodywork looks more or less original, but has largely been swapped out. Darren kept the original fuel tank but modified it to accommodate the new tank cap from Newton Equipment.
The front bumper and side skirts are new-old parts, fitted with Ohno-Speed’s titanium-coated windshields in Japan. A pair of carbon fiber fins sit just below the headlight panels—these fins are from Magical Racing, also in Japan. A carbon fiber fender ends up front.
Darren got the car’s new tailgate, plus the headlights and taillights, from Unicorn Japan. The saddle is a bolt-on unit from Daytona and AC Sanctuary—two of the most famous names in classic Japanese motorsport. A neat tailgate from Ohno-Speed keeps the rear end clean, while providing a discreet place to mount the license plate.
Darren also poured all of his energy into the driver’s cockpit, starting with a custom machined set of yoke. Clip-ons are ABM touring bike items that sit a little higher than a regular race bike rack for added comfort. They are equipped with Yoshi throttle, Driven Racing grips, Brembo levers and switches from NWT Electronics.
The Koso RX-2 gauge cluster is located in the front and center, while the Rizoma bar-shaped rearview mirror is on the sides of the car. Darren completes the bike with slim Koso LED turn signals and Sato Racing rear swing arm.
A menacing black paint tone accentuates the accent, accentuated only by some red and white accents. Those period-appropriate Suzuki and Katana logos weren’t stickers either — Darren’s paint shop, Sketch’s Ink, ordered all the paint by hand.
Fitted to the number 9 with perfect posture, this emblem is even more beautiful than the day it shipped. Long live Katana!
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