Custom Suzuki GSX750 Katana Looks Sharper Than Ever in Bare-Bones Cafe Racer Form

He’s known to the wider bike-modding community as HB-Custom, and this is probably not the first time you’ve heard that name. The man’s projects have garnered attention far and wide over the years, which is really no surprise given how great they always turn out. We’ve admired his two-wheeled masterpieces on several occasions in the past, but there will always be room for more!

The sharp cafe racer shown above is just as tasty as you’d expect from Holger’s work, but its backstory is a little more twisted than you might initially assume. It all started with a Suzuki GSX750 Katana from the model-year 1984, whose owner had a very specific criteria for customization. With the donor on his workbench, Herr Breuer began looking for ways to translate the client’s vision into reality.

However, it was soon discovered that his ideas simply wouldn’t work, so the Meister tried to steer his customer in a different direction. As he was pretty unsuccessful at first, the Katana was handed back along with the deposit, and it seemed like the commission had met its untimely end right there and then. This would not be the case, though, because the client and his Suzuki were back at HB’s shop a couple of weeks later.

He’d searched for a different customization outfit to no avail, as the ones he did find were subpar in terms of craftmanship. Thus, he finally decided to leave the GSX750 in Holger’s capable hands, confident enough in his abilities to give him carte blanche from start to finish. It proved to be a very wise decision, indeed, and it only takes one brief look at the outcome to see why that’s so.

Since the motorcycle came with just under 12,500 miles (around 20,000 km) on the odo, HB-Custom saw no need to give its 747cc inline-four a serious overhaul. The Katana’s engine was simply cleaned up and fitted with a modern electronic ignition unit, while its airbox made room for a quartet of individual pod filters from K&N. Accompanying these bad boys is a four-into-one Cobra exhaust system made of stainless-steel.

Breuer gave the bike’s electrics a much-needed refurbishment, rewiring everything through an Axel Joost Elektronik control unit. Moreover, the chunky OEM battery was swapped with a lithium-ion substitute supplied by Acewell. Our protagonist went to town in the suspension department, as well, shaving about two inches (50 mm) off the GSX750’s forks to bring about a tougher stance.

At the opposite end, you will now find a pair of YSS shock absorbers with progressive springs and piggyback reservoirs. The stock Katana wheels have been retained, receiving a coat of black paint and some youthful ContiGo! rubber from Continental’s range. All the mods we’ve mentioned so far are undeniably effective, but the most noticeable changes took place on the bodywork side of things.

With the exception of its fuel tank, the motorcycle’s original attire got deleted in its entirety. Holger built a pointy aluminum tail section from scratch, then he revised the subframe in order to suit this new part. Atop the cafe-style tail lies a bespoke saddle, and the only other bodywork component you’ll see here is a small front fender. To be fair, some padding at the back of the tank would’ve been nice, but let’s just hope it will never be necessary.

Even though it’s not shown here, the machine also features a removable license plate holder complete with all the rear-end lighting equipment. Up north, one may notice a premium LED headlamp developed by Gazzini – the same brand that supplied the unobtrusive switches found in the cockpit. These are attached to aftermarket clip-ons, along with a Domino throttle, stylish grips, and a V-Trec clutch lever.

There is a Magura brake master cylinder on the right, while a Motogadget Chronoclassic dial takes pride of place center-stage. Holger fitted LED turn signals right above the lower triple clamp, thus completing the specimen’s updated lighting package. The pillion foot pegs were removed altogether since they were now redundant, and CNC-machined rearsets have replaced the main foot controls.

Lastly, the final thing for us to talk about is the color scheme adorning this GSX750 cafe racer. Its primary hue may appear to be black from afar, but a closer inspection will reveal that it’s actually a very dark shade of grey. Red pinstripes and Suzuki logos made their way onto the gas tank, and the tail sports Katana 750 graphics done in the same color. Simple though it may be, the paintwork is a perfect fit for this striking one-off!