The “Can-a-Tuna”was startling to the riding public when it arrived and the looks were divisive and derided by many. It didn’t look like the typical UJM or any other Suzuki. I liked the Hans Muth wedge cowling and tank shape from the first I saw one in the metal and I think it holds up very well today. Muth repeated the same cowl theme on the BMW R65LS a year later and that also appeals to me.
Actually, this is a GS1000SZ but the US edition, which had CV carbs and was essentially a sleeved down version of the 1100. In that sense there wasn't much special about it, apart from that killer look by Target Design, which is as fresh today as it was back in 1982. However, the really rare 1000 which is the one to have - possibly only a few hundred in existence today - is the GSX1000SZ export edition. Now this super rare Kat had a hotter cam and Mikuni round-slide carbs plus some other factory tweaks as standard, virtually making it race-prepped from the crate. These bikes were destined for Europe, Australia and South Africa. A totally different kitty to the US market 1000 Katana.
It WAS different to the Average UJM . Not just in styling . It was the FIRST UJM that offered real STABILITY at the speeds it was capable of . Actually got compared with Ducati's in terms of High Speed stability .
The “Can-a-Tuna”was startling to the riding public when it arrived and the looks were divisive and derided by many. It didn’t look like the typical UJM or any other Suzuki. I liked the Hans Muth wedge cowling and tank shape from the first I saw one in the metal and I think it holds up very well today. Muth repeated the same cowl theme on the BMW R65LS a year later and that also appeals to me.
Actually, this is a GS1000SZ but the US edition, which had CV carbs and was essentially a sleeved down version of the 1100. In that sense there wasn't much special about it, apart from that killer look by Target Design, which is as fresh today as it was back in 1982. However, the really rare 1000 which is the one to have - possibly only a few hundred in existence today - is the GSX1000SZ export edition. Now this super rare Kat had a hotter cam and Mikuni round-slide carbs plus some other factory tweaks as standard, virtually making it race-prepped from the crate. These bikes were destined for Europe, Australia and South Africa. A totally different kitty to the US market 1000 Katana.
It WAS different to the Average UJM . Not just in styling . It was the FIRST UJM that offered real STABILITY at the speeds it was capable of .
Actually got compared with Ducati's in terms of High Speed stability .