The inspiration for Steve Zimmerman's unique Suzuki Katana is based on the King Tut theme, Tut being the Egyptian pharoah buried with all manner of royal treasure. A fair amount of treasure in the form of Uncle Sam's greenbacks went into the customizing of this radical street racer. We came across Steve and his killer Katana while covering the IDBA Drag Finals in Gulfport, Mississippi. Steve had ridden the bike from New Orleans, about 100 miles to the west, just to see the action. Hidden in a back parking area, "Tut" was discovered just as the event was winding down. It was bedazzle at first sight.

This editor, in his dimly recalled youth, spent four years alternatingly walking and staggering around New Orleans, principally the French Quarter. The city with all its unique architectural, culinary and historical flavors left an indelible imprint on his memory (and his nose, broken twice). New Orleans, besides Mardi Gras, houses an immense treasure trove of antiques - paintings, furniture, a couple of my old girlfriends - and in many ways, its probably the most ornate, richly attired city in the country. Steve's King Tut Katana carries that lineage in alloy and polyurethane. Like we said, it's a dazzler.

But beneath all that glitter is plenty of go fast. Bob Bertaut of New Orleans handled the rebirth of King Tut. Bob is a builder of hot street bikes, and took special pride in wrenching together his friend Steve's radical racer.

Starting with a stock 1982 Suzuki Katana GS1000, Bob added a 3-inch over Vance & Hines swingarm lengthing the wheelbase to handle the extra horses pumped out by the newly enlarged 1166cc engine. Internal components include VHR 10:1 compression pistons, Cam Motion cams, Falicon crank, with additional headwork by Bob which included porting and polishng and a VHR valvetrain.

Fuel feed is handled by a bank of 33mm Smooth Bores while shifting through "basically stock" gears is via a Bertaut air shifter set-up. As for the ultra-slick paint job, credit for the artistry goes to Jim Johnson of Kenner, Louisiana.

King Tut is ridden, raced and shown - gaining top scores in all three endeavors. Steve often takes part in the traditional Thursday night ride out of New Orleans East when 200 - 300 hot street bikes put it to the test. So far King Tut reigns as king of the New Orleans fast set with a best time of 10.54 @ 133 MPH. We'd like to see more of what the New Orleans area has to offer if King Tut is an example of the machines being built down Bourbon Street way. Maybe the boss will get the hint, and send me on assignment. I still know how to pronounce Vieux Carre.

Special thanks to:
Bertaut Racing Engines