This 1983 Suzuki Katana GS650MD is an unusual 1-year-only model that has been in SoCal for all of its 11k miles. It has a blue California plate and includes a good amount of extras. Find it here on Craigslist in Los Angeles, California for $2500. Special thanks to TY reader Ben C. for this submission!
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A fair price on what appears to be a fine, rideable classic – with spares! The new owner will have miles of fun and never lose a penny on this one.
Great bike, great price. Now in my fantasy garage.
Ah, an elusive and desirable Katana – and in GS 650 shaft-drive configuration! Like many others who remember it’s bigger brother when new, I’ve long adored this look…
I had the very pedestrian GS 650-G – same drive-train, but with much more pedestrian bodywork and running gear. A small caveat to those who would actually ride this swoopy classic – it is just a reliable as the seller says, and it’s also surprisingly buzzy at the sweet spot of interstate riding (partly b/c fifth gear is a bit too high). And yes, a normal amount of shaft-jacking, but you’d expect that (and maybe the up-rated suspension will help that).
Such a great look! Be your own Akira! Lucky future owner!
I like it never seen one before i kinda go for the rare not everyday bike if ihad the bread i would buy it !
Any reason why it was a one-year model? Seems like a nice bike.
Got one. Hans Muth fairing btw.
Have the unobtainable oil cooler if someone needs another, lol.
Buy the 1100 Katana if you’re looking for a collector in this year.
The 1982 Suzuki Katana GS1000SV was the truly collectible model, in 1983 it was replaced by the 1100. They do not seem to collect the same money as the 1000′s. This 650 looks nice but I don’t remember the red on the tank, just a large Suzuki decal. No one wanted these back in the day, I remember them sitting on the floor for a long time. The fairing is not original, and I don’t remember one being offered. Hans Muth did do the 82 1000, along with the 82 BMW R65LS, and many other bikes. Was that fairing sold through Suzuki or through Hans Muth’s shop directly?
@Varjak. It was available in Europe – certainly the UK for about three years I think, but the version this side of the Atlantic didn’t get the fairing. Very nice bike indeed
I owned an 83 1100 Katana. One of my favorite bikes ever – fast, great brakes (for the era) reasonably well-handling, and drop-dead gorgeous.
I wouldn’t own one again, however, because a) I don’t believe in collecting bikes, I believe in riding them… which leads me to b) it was brutally uncomfortable, even at age 25. I doubt I’d be able to use it for anything but $tarbux poser runs.
@Phactory, the red on the tank, calipers and rotors is oem, as is the Hans Muth fairing there. Its actually fiberglas and the turn signals tended to tear out of them without too much provocation.
Calijags,
My confusion stems from the fact that I was thinking of the 550 Katana, which only had the silver tank and no fairing, plus it was chain drive. To be quite honest, I don’t ever remember seeing any of these 650 Katana’s here on the East Coast! The slow sales of the 550 probably scared all of the Dealers from buying any for their stock, unless someone specifically wanted one.
Phactory
There can be only one Katana and that has 1100 cc. I don’t understand why Suzuki wanted to drag that name in the mud with the mediocre 550 and this quite strange sibbling.
Matt did they offer the 1000cc Katana in Sweden in 1982? Maybe that was only in the US for Superbike Racing.
I believe that the 1982 GSX1000S Katana was USA-only to homologate it for racing in that country. In Canada, the big Kats were all 1100′s.
I sold my survivor ’82 Kat 1100 last April and still regret it, but as is written above, I hardly ever ride it and it was pretty extreme in its riding position for my aging body. Still, of all my bikes, it was my favourite to sit and stare at parked in my garage.