I am thinking of a 1992 katana 600 in the next couple of months for my first bike. Is this a good starter bike?
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Thats what I got for my first bike and I seem to be doing ok so far (although I did veer a little too far in a turn today... oops. Darn target fixation) The Kat isn't a bad choice and i'm definitely not sorry I got it. It's definitely got enough power to demand respect though. If you're responsible and unsquidly, I think it's a fine choice.
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Your weight, musclature and inseam size play into whether it's a reasonable "first" bike... As for whether it's the best choice as a "first" bike:
NOTE: STANDARD REPOST
Standard advice:
As a newbie, my advice is to look at cheap used bikes in the 400 to 500cc range. Find a bike that fits your build well, where you can put both feet on the ground and lean the bike between your thighs left and right a bit. The bike should be cheap -- $1k - $2k price range (preferably something you can afford in cash), physically light and nimble, and not all that powerful. If you wreck it during your learning curve, you won't cry at the financial penalty of it, and if you don't wreck it, you'll be able to get out of it whatever it cost you in the first place... It'll also teach you better riding habits.
To quote myself:
Originally posted by The CyberPoetthe Ninja 250 & 500's, Bandit 400's, Suzuki GS500 are an ideal starter bikes... [Newbie "riders"] would learn far better habits on the smaller bike than on a typical Katana (for reasons I'm about to explain):
There are certain great advantages to starting out on a small, nimble, high-rev'ving bike with a low total cost. Among others, you will learn to use the handling and power with far more finess and far more skill than you would on a larger, more powerful bike like the Kat. To put that into terms that make sense to someone coming from the car world:
When Colin McRae, the world-champion WRC (world rally cup) driver first started to drive (age 12 - 14), he did so swiping his dad's 1972 Ford Fiesta/Escort with a miniscule 1.2 or 1.4 liter engine. It had power nothing -- manual steering, manual brakes, and high-rev'ing engine with little torque. This taught him everything from precise handling to carrying speed through corners, finess and control, matching shift-speeds and proper gear selection. If his father had owned a Cadillac Eldorado with a 501 cubic inch engine and automatic-power-everything, he would have never had the opportunity (or the need) to learn proper gear selection, finess in handling, traction and handling loss of traction, etc. -- the huge engine and huge car just never require it of the driver. In the same sense, a larger, heavier and more torque-rich bike never require you to learn certain fine nuances of riding... you can just punch out in whatever gear for a passing maneuver, you don't need to carry speed through corners, etc. And there's the crux -- if you learn these skills as habits with your first bike, they go with you for the rest of your life. On the other hand, if you don't learn them at the beginning, unlearning mediocre and poor habits and learning the better/advanced habits later is very difficult and something many never master...
Thus, for all the same reasons that McRae went on to be the winningest rally champ in history, I say to you, get the Ninja 250 or 500, or a bandit 400, a nighthawk 450, etc., and start there. By the time you move up in a year or three, you'll be riding circles around at least half the guys who started on a Katana, and doing so with great confidence.
Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet
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as a guy that is 6'5" and 280 the 93 i got as my first is perfect. if you are a lighter guy mayber a 500 would be more your size'93 naked kat 600 (wrecked and sold)
'82 v45 magna 750 (sold)
'80 xj650 maxim
"evil" '96 saturn sl2
'90 toyota pickup (killed by farm implement)
'94 toyota pickup 265000 miles and counting
http://www.katriders.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33006 my bike as it was
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My brand new Kat 750 was my first bike last year .. some said it was a bit too much to start on being kida heavy and powerful for a newbie. 7,000 miles later .. the bike is still scrach free and I am learning more and more to handle the power safely.
Guess the 600 would be a great starter but no matter what bike you get .... you have to use your head because you can still hurt yourself bad on a 250 ninja !!
And I have to agree with CP on the used bit thing ... I didn't (but I can afford it) but for most it is the best way to go.
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Re: 1992 katana 600 to big for first bike? Good starter bike
Originally posted by cybyteI am thinking of a 1992 katana 600 in the next couple of months for my first bike. Is this a good starter bike?LMT
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The 600 ain't REAL powerful . But I'd be more worried about a first bike shrouded in plastic . First time you drop that thing and scrath it up , you may cry .
As far as "how much is too much" when a newbie is concerned ..... that's up to the individual . Some goobers will IMMEDIATLEY see how fast it'll go . THEY should be on the smaller bikes .
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Is this a good starter bike?
Now, I started on a Kaw KLR 250 and went to a GS550L cruiser. But, that was 20 years ago.
I think the guys here are right: right as long as you're prepared to cry over the loss of your first set of fairings, you'll be fine. But, before you buy anything, take the beginner's safety course.
They will give you bike to start riding on and you'll work on balance, starting, stopping, etc. They use little 250's here (Hondas I think) so it should give you a great jumping off point. Get your permit.
Then, if it were me, I'd try a few different bikes - something in the 500 -750 range, maybe a cruiser, a sportbike... whatever you can see yourself riding. I'm not telling you NOT to buy the Kat 600; it's a great bike with a decent personality and a tough, straightforward motor.
If there's anything I didn't like about my Kat at first was that I felt like I needed another gear - I blow through all six pretty quickly. I understand now that I just need to get used to running a motorcycle in the 6 - 8K rpm range.."Men will get no more out of life than they put into it."
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Originally posted by jgmann67If there's anything I didn't like about my Kat at first was that I felt like I needed another gear - I blow through all six pretty quickly. I understand now that I just need to get used to running a motorcycle in the 6 - 8K rpm range..
Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet
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That depends highly on the bike... some bikes (very large displacement engines, such as 1.8 liter V-twins) want the low end RPM's; some bikes need to be really wound out (GF's Ninja 500 comes to mind -- no power under 9k); some, like the Kat, fall inbetween.
I don't remember my GS revving this high on interstate runs, but, like I said - it's been about 20 years since I've been on a bike. I wentout on the Kat last night and really felt comfortable in the 6.5K range..."Men will get no more out of life than they put into it."
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