An old flame comes back into my life.

When you're at the local pub with your mates you soon get to the subject of motorbikes and you start telling about the one you've owned in the past.
Everytime I do that and get to mention my old Kat 1100 I catch myself saying "I still regret selling that one".

One day when I was at Robby's house, his brother Ruud opened the door. He started talking about a Katana he got from the bikeshop he works at. He was planning to sell it to a breaker, but after he had mentioned the "K-word" I wasn't listening anymore... I wanted to see it... feel it... inhale it!

So we went to Ruud's workshop... and there she was... love at first sight!

Ruud said the bike was supposed to be fitted with bigger pistons and new sleeves accompanied by a pair of hot cams. The prove it was assembled with great care lay in the two small aluminum plates riveted to the top cooling fins of the cylinder block which say "JAN SMIT'S POWER PARTS".
Jan Smit is Hollands' top tuner.

I was jumping around the bike the whole time, excited by my "discovery".
We went into the office and after a few cups of coffee a deal was made... "go get the trailer" Ruud said, but I was already gone.

We loaded it up and I have never looked in the rear view mirror that much on the way back home.
When I got back home I picked up Airhead, who helped me unload the bike (must be twice the weight of my 7/11). And now it's standing warm and dry in the basement of the office where I work, waiting untill I've got room for it in my garage. We're still working on Airhead's 7/11 there and my GS550 and 7/11 occupy the rest of the space.

The sleeve story has me suspecting capacity is around the 1270cc mark (I hope). I called Jan Smit to ask if he could remember what was done to the engine but all we could say is "It probably has a big-bore kit and a flowed head, that's when we would rivet the aluminum plates on".

Time will tell because the engine needs a strip-down anyway as the head gasket looks like it has been leaking. Can't wait!

(damn, I totally forgot it to tell it has quite a lot of crash damage... love is blind!)

My first Kat... I never forgot her. (I suddenly notice I never say "her" to a bike... allways "it", except when I talk about my Kat!?)

It looks fast even when standing still. That's not oil on the floor but blood from someone that came too close!

1100, my arse!

Looks like it tried to headbut a Volvo from the road.

Can you say "WOOF!"?... btw. That's not rust on that bolt... that's made from Kryptonite!

Instant hard-on guaranteed!