Katana rear shocks

[Katana9]

Hi OSS,

1983 Katana 1100 project, rear shock questions.

See picture this is what's come off?

- are these original equipment?

- are they worth refurbishing? If so does anyone know who could do them?

Replacements, budget won't stretch to Ohlins, so:

- recommended replacements?

Sorry for all the question, appreciate any guidance.

Many thanks Bob 

[no class]

Well .... those Koni's are not oem .....so a interweb search might score you a parts list

[johnr]

koni dial a ride shockers. not standard fitment, but a bloody good shocker for all that. the rubber cover that protects the adjuster needs pulling back over, indeed, the shock is on back to front, take the top nut off, support the bikes weight on its centrestand, then pull the top mount off, and turn it round. you will find that the damping adjuster is facing in towards the frame. they arent made any more, but all the designs and tooling was sold to a company in australia that manufactures them to the same standards under the name of 'ikon' you should still be able to buy kits to refurb them as they are a rebuildable unit. whats wrong with them? theyre a pretty good quality item tbh, but you need to make sure that both shocks are on the same setting re preload and damping, which you wont be able to alter until you turn it round!. the lettering that you have saying 'top' should be facing the frame, not outwards.

and, yes, well worth refurbing. back in the day, when the stock shocks gave up the ghost, most riders beat a path to koni's door.
if its  stock shocks you are after, theres a guy on the owners club site selling a pair that need a tidy up but are by no means beyond saving.

Edited December 6, 2017 by johnr

[Katana9]

Johnr,  thats brilliant advice thanks.

The bike is completely stripped, it had been in a garage under a blanket for 12 years. Evidence is it has been rebuilt before do I guess this is when the Koni shocks were fitted? Picture take when bike arrived.

Thanks again.

[johnr]

well stock shocks were pretty poor and seldom lasted more than 3 to 5 years, so the shocks could have been swapped then, or they could be the latest in a long stream of aftermarket shocks. ikon set up in the early 2000s so konis will date from before then!.

oh, and you might want to join the owners club!

[gs7_11]

I've got a pair of identical Konis on my 7/11. I was looking through some old receipt the other day and realised they were one of the first things I fitted when I first got the bike as a standard GS750 in 1997!

Still going strong today, 20 years later. Not bad value for money.

If they started leaking I would rebuild them, otherwise they're staying. And they work really well too.