Sharpening the Blade! GSX1100S Katana Refreshed One by One with Deco-mainte

THE rainy season means we’ve had stretches where test rides are hard to come by.
Even when the morning is sunny, the afternoon often brings rain, so it’s tricky to find the right balance.

Maintenance work is complete, so on a completely dry day we took it out for a spin!
The feeling is incredibly silky. It feels like you could ride forever.

Wipe tires with water. Check for foreign objects and punctures.

Technically, you could do this yourself, but “it’s such a hassle that you never do it,”
right? You only notice when you get a flat on the road or the tire keeps losing air.

Checking them occasionally really lifts your spirits.

Check tire and wheel runout too.
Usually everything is fine, but “sometimes a wheel is bent without you knowing it.” Checking each item one by one occasionally
and stamping it “all good” is what inspection and maintenance is all about.

Wheel bearings are still usable.
These days, bearings rarely deteriorate to the point of collapse.
I’ve only seen a handful of cases where you’d stick your finger in and think “this is bad!”

Rather than running them until they fail,
replacing them makes the rolling smoother and riding more enjoyable.

Know your sprocket and pivot axle length too.

What’s the current final ratio?
Writing down the chain size and link count is incredibly useful for future orders. *When ordering

Chain adjustment is more accurate when you use numbers.
Roughly speaking, you can get it to a pretty good spot.

Plus, knowing the pivot-to-axle length on various bikes helps me
“understand why the rear feels this way” and organize my thoughts.

Don’t let dirt build up in the chain case.
Just wiping it occasionally makes a huge difference in the finish. It feels great to keep it in good condition.

After 15 years, the “dust boot supremacy theory”

It’s tough if you just ride it constantly, but
dust boot-style seals seem to keep the piston in better condition.

With just one oil seal, it’s kind of like a racing setup.

Fluid attracts moisture, so the bleeder always rusts.
I’m the type who switches only this part to titanium. We replaced it too.

The front can’t have the boot removed, so we peel it back and clean it.
Operation was good.

Brake pads change with surface polishing and deburring.

We peel off the surface layer of the brake pad.
That exposes a fresh surface, so
if you apply full braking to heat it up, you get that fresh feeling again.

We deburr the plate and chamfer only the friction material’s disc entry direction.

Building it up one piece at a time.

Clean, check, and lubricate, then put it back together.
There’s no dramatic improvement, but “little by little, things get better and last longer.”
Unless the condition is really bad, maintenance work to improve condition is genuinely unglamorous.

Just occasionally replacing lock nuts and such “snaps” them into place.
You can improve the feel without using expensive parts.

Brake fluid attracts moisture = gelation and corrosion.

I’ve rarely seen anyone let it get that bad, but if you really let it rot, “brake system replacement” is nearly what you’re looking at.
In severe cases, rust can cover the inside of the brake hose, so replacing it every two years keeps you safe.

This is long, so to be continued.